Category Archives: History
Adobe Walls – the first battle
Francisco Vázquez de Coronado y Luján [1] was looking for the Seven Cities of Gold in 1541; his travels took him through what is today Hutchinson County, Texas. Juan de Onate y Salazar [2] passed through the same area in … Continue reading
Manifest Destiny and the American Indian
Historic revisionists may argue that arrogance is the exclusive domain of the American people, but it is not. A belief in superiority is illustrated by Imperialism [1], practiced by all of the colonizing powers of Europe: Great Britain, France, Belgium, the … Continue reading
Potsu-nakwah-ipu, Comanche War Chief
In the absence of written records, there’s not much we can say about Buffalo Hump’s early life. Historians believe that he was likely born in the 1790s. In 1838, he and two other Comanches visited with Sam Houston to sign … Continue reading
The Plainsman
In the manner of many old west personalities, Benjamin Crawford Dragoo was bundled up by his parents and carted off to Texas in 1838. The Texas Revolution was won, Texas needed hardy folks to tame its wilderness, and the promise … Continue reading
The Searchers
A news article on 29 April 1846 described a visit by Colonel Leonard G. Williams’ trading party with a band of Tenewa Comanche near the Canadian River. Williams reported that he had seen a young white woman about twenty years … Continue reading
Of Conflict and Sorrow
The hostile raid at Fort Parker included Comanche, Caddo, Waco, Kichai, Penetekas, and Wichita Indians. During the raid, Cynthia Ann was witness to the murder of her baby sister, Orlena Parker. The child was four months old. When the baby … Continue reading
A Tearful Trail
After gaining independence from Spain in 1824, the government of Mexico invited foreign settlers to sparsely populated Texas. The Empresario responsible for this planned migration was Moses Austin, who soon passed away, leaving the task to his son, Stephen F. Austin. … Continue reading
Battle in Antelope Hills
The Expedition of Captain John S. Ford, Texas Rangers Texas in the 1850s was a particularly vicious and bloody place. The availability of productive land acted as a magnet to thousands of Anglo-Americans fleeing the economic malaise of the United … Continue reading
Duval County Crime and Politics
The character of Duval County, Texas is one of “old Mexico.” It was first surveyed in 1804 by Jose Contrerras, who was the Surveyor-General of San Luis Potosi. The area’s first recorded birth was that of Luis Muniz in 1828. The … Continue reading
A Dangerous Dandy
John King Fisher, known in his adult life as King Fisher, was born on an unknown date in October 1853. His parents were Jobe and Lucinda Warren Fisher. Jobe was a cattleman who owned and operated two freight wagons. Lucinda died … Continue reading
