Vinita was named by a Cherokee Indian, Col. Elias C. Boudinot, after sculptress Vinnie Ream, whose most renowned work is the pensive statue of Abraham Lincoln at the U.S. Capitol. Boudinot fell in love with the young artist while she was in Washington, D.C., on a commission to create the statue. The first woman to be granted such a federal art commission, Ream's sculpture was unveiled in 1871, the same year Vinita was founded. Learn More...