Over the years, Chickasaw elder Carolee Maxwell has been keeping a record of her family history and treasures the photos, mementos and stories passed down from generation to generation. "I'm always telling the young people to journal what you do know and keep on researching what your family was about because some day you may find out that they made history," she says. "We were raised to know the history of the Chickasaw family and what they had to go through to survive." Carolee's family is a part of Oklahoma's early history and had allotted lands along the Blue River in Johnston County, a site she often visits. There, her great-grandmother raised 10 children and the land served them well. "You talk about being blessed during a time of survival. They were able to grow their crop along the side and were able to water it from the river." Although no longer in the family, the land is now located within an Oklahoma state park. A marker sits on the former homesite and reminds visitors of Hughes Crossing, which was named after Carolee's Chickasaw family, memorializing their time in the area.