Bad Eye, Tan-na-ti (Bird Chief) led a Kiowa raid on November 21, 1873, on the North Fork of the Canadian River below Camp Supply and near Cottonwood Grove, Indian Territory (later Oklahoma). Six of the war party were sent to Fort Marion in 1875: Bad Eye, Bear in the Clouds, Wohaw, Woman's Heart, Double Vision, and Coming to the Grove.

This set of drawings comprises the only group so far identified as the work of Bad Eye. The inside front cover provides his Kiowa name as "Cuya, meaning mouse," but the name has been crossed out and appears to be spurious.

The Bad Eye Sketchbook was loaned to the Museum by Ellen Fairbanks Brooks in 1917. Franklin Fairbanks founded the Museum and his collections had been on display in his home for about 10 years prior to building the Museum in 1890. The Museum added a planetarium in the 1960's. Ellen Fairbanks, Franklin's daughter, loaned the museum several other items from the family estate along with the Bad Eye Sketchbook. Her name is written in pencil, in her hand, on the inside of the back cover. The loan was made into a gift in June of 2006 by Ellen Fairbanks' heirs.

We can only speculate about how Ellen Fairbanks got the book - the story we were told is that Franklin was very active in missionary work and gave money to the Fort Marion prison to support the prisoners. Apparently, he was was given the book in thanks for his contributions. The Fairbanks Scale Company also had sales representatives all over the world, and they often sent Franklin presents for his museum, this might also have come from a sales representative traveling in Florida for the Scale Company.