“Once There Was Indians All Over This Place” By Kevin Heffernan That wonderful and memorable quote is directly from a sign that was once proudly displayed from the flagpole for generations in Bush Plaza. Flagpole at Bush Plaza The quote and depiction of an Indian of an unknown origin form a tearful lament, a proud but sad reminder of Oakland’s past and a vehicle for the questions as to why they left, when did they leave and where did they go. It is tearful lament because it weeps for the despicable and shameful treatment of primarily the Dutch toward the Lenni Lanape Indians and then continued by the British. It…
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History of the Oakland Indian Sign
History of the Indian Sign – 1930s Hanging from a bracket in the public square is a sign: “Oakland, Bergen County, N. J. Established 1869“. The legend is topped by a portrait of one Chief Laopooh and the words, “Once There Was Indians All Over This Place.” The sign was the donation of Robert T. Sheldon, a resident of Valley Road; Oakland people assert that the ungrammatical construction was insisted upon by Mr. Sheldon, who, they recall, said it was a quotation from some author.
