October 2015 Star

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ALSO: BUCK BARRY Texas Frontier Ranger Palo Pintos Old Jail Museum a hidden gem

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The story of Philip Harter

October 2015 NORTH TEXAS STAR Page 2

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OUTDOORS ALONG THE BRAZOSSNAKE HUNTER: The story of Philip HarterBy Don Price

6BUCK BARRYTexas Frontier Ranger

By Jim Dillard

10PALO PINTOS OLD JAIL MUSEUM Ahidden gemBy Wynelle Catlin


OUTDOORSBRAZOSalong theBy DON PRICE

SNAKE HUNTER: The story of Philip HarterI received a letter the other day from from a friend

in Granbury who had lived in Mineral Wells for many years. Inside the envelope was a tear sheet, the front page of the Hood County News, dated Aug. 1, 2015, with the headline: Exciting Discovery: Rare Brazos watersnakes found on lake.While quoting parts of the short article, the writer

briefly states the following: A group of rare Brazos water snakes, typically found only along the Brazos River, is living along the northern end of Lake Granbury.After a photo of one of the snakes was posted on

Facebook, local snake researcher Mark Pyle made two trips to the site and determined that the species, which is considered threatened, had made an unusual home along the shore.The snakes, which are non-venomous, are normal-

ly found along the river in areas known as riffles, which are shallow and rocky. This is the first time Pyle has seen them on the lake, although he did have a report of some at City Beach earlier this year.The snakes have made their home in driftwood,

which was likely washed up during the rainy weather.Pyle said finding such a large group so close to

home is an exciting discovery for scientists. It is unknown how many exist, since the snake is rare and hard to find.Pyle is on a Texas Parks and Wildlife permit

through UTA to study the snake. The snakes on the lake could be tagged to track population numbers and collect data for further research.He is planning to contact the Brazos River

Authority to ask that the site not be disturbed during driftwood cleanup.Since the Brazos watersnake is a protected species,

it is illegal to touch, kill or disturb its habitat.The hunter who discovered this rare snake species

near Dark Valley was a good man, a great friend, and well have to go back to 1940.In 1937, a man hopped a slow-moving freight in

Minneapolis no doubt he was a penniless hobo during the Great Depression. The Grapes of Wrath was being laboriously written by John Steinbeck, so it was mighty easy to imagine the mood and culture of the day.

The hobo somehow wound up in Mineral Wells in the freight yard of the Weatherford, Mineral Wells & Northwestern (WMW&NW) shortlines wye, across South Oak Avenue, west of the T&P Depot (restored).Philip Harter loved snakes

and considered them his friends. Having said that, it wasnt long before he found his utopia, a stretch of river above Dark Valley Bridge, 10 miles or so north of Palo Pinto town, a sus-pension bridge at the time. It really wasnt that far from the depot to the river. Perhaps the hobo walked, for he had no car and was used to walking great distances.Then his legendary exploits

began to grow, finally earning him the sobriquet of Snaky. Although George the Hermit arrived 31 years before Snaky, their cultures overlapped and they became legends of this river, up and down river near Fortune Bend, all the way to Dark Valley.Capturing 29 species of

snakes, seven species of toads and nine different lizards tells us of the dexterity and sharp eye of this self-made herpe-tologist.Mountain boomers (collared lizards) were prolific,

so plentiful that Snaky had a signed contract to sup-ply a large biological supply house in Chicago, who eventually supplied high school science classes some 6,000-7,000 mountain boomers from Los Brazos de Dios.Snake dens were everywhere and diamondbacks

were seen every day. Careful now, the fear of step-ping on one is very real and, for gosh sakes, watch

the ledges of limestone about neck-high!Copperheads were plenti-

ful, but deadly corals were rare; king, chicken and gar-ter snakes were common. As stated earlier, Snaky collect-ed for the markets 29 species in Palo Pinto County.In one personal interview,

I asked Snaky about the cot-tonmouth moccasins, and Philip Harter said, youd have to look hard to find one not too common, he said.Non-poisonous reptiles he

caught with his hands, the others that we all fear were captured alive by holding the head of the viper FIRMLY down with a forked stick, then firmly grasping the very back of the snakes head with his hand and quickly thrusting the viper into a burlap bag. One had to be dexterous, and fast. Confidence was imperative.However, things dont

always go as planned, no matter how adroit one is, no matter how cautious. Snaky was bitten 10 times: a cot-tonmouth moccasin nailed him once, three times by

copperheads, and six times by diamondback rattle-snakes. Fortunately for Philip Harter, the deadly coral didnt score.How does it feel to have been bitten so many

times? I asked.The bite, he said, is painful, giving me an

unpleasant burning sensation all through my body. After the venom spreads, my lungs feel as if they are on fire, burning up. Bitten on the finger by a copper-head, it really just nipped me, I was out of the game

Snaky enjoys the company of a couple of his friends. Philip Snaky Harter and his friend George Hermit Harrison (not pictured) are Brazos River legends.


for a couple of minutes.What about a rusty, huge diamondback with a head

as wide as your doubled-up fist? I questioned.Yes, I guess I had it coming in the brakes sooner

or later. A rusty diamondback got me in the cedar brake, hitting my leg so square, a dead-on solid con-tact, I couldnt shake off the writhing thing not a glancing slash or near miss, but dead on, solid.I was in the hospital for three weeks, and at one

time Doctor Smith [our Palo Pinto County doctor at the time] didnt think Id pull out of it.The giving price in the 1940s for a vividly marked

diamondback, about a 3-footer, was from one to three dollars. Mr. Harters market was city zoos. The pay was good if one were alive to collect it.Mild winter and early days of spring are the best

times for snake hunting, he said.Most of Snakys domain covered the Dark Valley

Bridge area, upriver form the mouth of Dark Valley Creek, all the way up to the mouth of Ioni Creek, up and down that stretch of river. Very few reptiles escaped eagle-eyed Harter.It was April of 1940. Snaky was working his favor-

ite stretch. He turned over a rock in shallow water [ankle deep], and there it was. You can read about this in the book, Snakes of Texas, by Alan Tennant, ref-erence 597.96, page 342, found in our own Boyce Ditto Public Library in Mineral Wells.The Brazos Water Snake is nonvenomous. Brazos

water snakes will nip only if seized or molested.The specimen was recognized by Cornell University

as that of a new species, nerodia harteri harteri, named in honor of its discoverer, and called Brazos Water Snake. A harmless water snake, mottled brown in col-oration, it averages a length of 18-24 inches, with a 36-inch specimen rare. It is endangered.Philip Harter was 76 or so when I knew him best. I

dont have a bit of trouble remembering that night, the night I interviewed him in the seedy ODell Hotel. the ODell Hotel was right across the street, southwest of the Crazy Hotel, and was razed years ago.Mr. Harter was a soft-spoken man, intelligent, with

a vocabulary second to none. He was largely self-edu-cated. Being an autodidact, he pored over every reptile book he could lay his hands on. He was regarded as an expert by the Texas Herpetological Society and respected by many museum curators.He mailed me a post card after our personal inter-

view in the ODell Hotel, and in his own handwriting stated that he was a neer-do-well, a non-entity, one who hadnt done but little in his lifetime, and that hed chosen to skirt the establishment, the mainstream of society. He was so humble. That man could make you cry.As we were sitting in the dingy second-story room

of the ODell Hotel, with a 25-watt naked bulb hang-ing from a frayed cord in a plastered ceiling that looked as if it were going to collapse any second, Snaky let out a cry. His eyes widened.With a twinkle in his eye brighter than any 25-watt

bulb, he got down on his knees to pull from under his bed three shoe boxes of writhing beauties, reptiles

hed captured somewhere in Palo Pinto. He told me to say nothing or the downstairs night clerk would throw him out again. These two individuals, Hermit and Snaky, earned the honor of becoming legends of the Brazos, and folklore abounds.Nary a word was spoken. It was a marvel to see

them show body English, perhaps a nod, an oblique glance. Mere words werent needed. They had no cause to break the golden sheet of tranquility.For months Hermit George would be alone, sere-

naded by wind and river. Up ahead Snaky hugged the narrow ridge of a game trail, stooping as he half-ran, kicking up dust whirls in a dry trail, totally absorbed in a mountain boomer.These two legends would pause to acknowledge

each others presence; seemingly each was refreshed as he met his friend impromptu, someone else who understood a stream [later named John Graves Scenic Riverway in Palo Pinto County, inspired by Johns classic, Goodbye to a River].Then each would go his own way, mesmerized in a

stream and thunderheads and reptiles and overhangs, whatever else there was back then.In Elmwood Cemetery in this city of Mineral Wells

is Philip Harters grave. There was found a paupers grave marker at one time, but I cant seem to find it now. It was located 10 paces (about 30 feet) southwest of a red-tiled tool shed in Elmwood Cemetery. Perhaps the humblest of markers is even gone. Perhaps weve been too busy with our own life-

styles to even notice. Is this the way it should be?

ALLISON

Discovery: This is a Brazos Water Snake, nerodia harteri harteri, named in honor of its discoverer, Philip Snaky Harter of Palo Pinto in April 1940. It was found under a rock in ankle-deep water near Dark Valley Bridge on the Brazos River. It is endangered.


BUCK BARRYTexas Frontier Ranger by: JIM DILLARD

James Buckner (Buck) Barry (1821-1906) wasn't born in Texas, but like so many other men of his time from back east, he wanted his own land and an adventurous life-style. Opportunities in the new

Republic of Texas drew him west-ward like a magnet during 1841 where free land was avail-

able for the taking. He would later settle on a headright grant of 640 acres near present Corsicana in Navarro County. Even though he came to Texas to become a farmer and stock-man, circumstances and the call of duty would propel him into service as a sheriff, soldier, Indian fighter, member of the Texas Legislature and one of the most revered frontiersman of his time. He would be best know by his moniker Buck Barry, a name that was recognized throughout Texas during his lifetime.James was born in an old farmhouse built

during the Revolutionary War in Onslow County, N.C., on Dec. 16, 1821, to Bryant Buckner and Mary (Murill) Barry. His grandfa-ther and his two brothers and his two uncles on his father's side had all fought in the Revolutionary War in the Carolinas against the loyalist Tories and British soldiers. Hunting and fishing in the swamps and rivers of North Carolina was his passion, and it was there that he honed basic skills of frontier survival he would put to use later in life. He received a modest education, and by the time he was 20, he taught in a free school in Onslow County. But the lure of Texas was strong, and he soon decided he would seek his future there.He sold a slave inherited from his grandfa-

ther's estate for $370 and took board on a naval ship to Sandy Hook, N.Y. From there, he sailed on another ship to New Orleans by way of the Bermuda Islands. There, the ship took on a sup-ply of turtles and turtle eggs and sailed to The Bahamas and on to Key West, Fla. Twenty-nine days after leaving New York, the ship entered the mouth of the Mississippi River and was

towed upriver to New Orleans. From there, Barry traveled upstream by boat with 130-or-so other passengers to the Red River, then on northwestward through Caddo Lake to a land-ing at Jefferson, Texas. Desiring to travel on to San Antonio, Barry

fell in with two other men who were also head-ing to that destination. They traveled mostly by compass from the Sabine to the Trinity River, where they encountered several camps of buffa-lo hunters along Richland and Chambers creeks who were killing the animals for their hides and tallow. They crossed the Brazos River just above the Falls of the Brazos, located five miles southwest of present Marlin, Texas, and fol-lowed a trail previously made by a company of rangers toward Austin. The only other settlers they encountered between the Brazos and Colorado River at Austin were Col. Bryant on Little River and a man named Merrill on Brushy Creek north of Austin.Once in Austin, Barry found the capitol to be

nothing more than a few houses built of logs, clapboards and whipsawed lumber. The capitol building itself was built from heavy timbers and split, drawn shingles. Further south toward San Antonio, he passed through a German settle-ment on the Guadalupe River occupied by newly arrived immigrants living in grass cov-ered shanties and tents. In San Antonio, he joined an independent company of Rangers and traveled to the Medina River after it was learned a Mexican army had crossed the Rio Grande River to march against San Antonio. When their plot was discovered, they crossed the river back into Mexico and a fight was averted. He then traveled up the Medina River to the location of another German immigrant town where houses had already been construct-ed with post set in the ground and thatched on the sides and roof with grass.Barry returned to San Antonio and celebrated

the 4th of July, 1845, having been in continuous travel since arriving in the Republic of Texas at Jefferson on the 12th of April. When he arrived back in Austin on the same route taken to San Antonio, he found that a convention was in ses-

sion to consider annexation by the United States. Most of the delegates slept on the ground and were guarded by a company of Rangers to protect them against marauding Indians. He then took a trip up the Colorado River to an encampment of Rangers stationed at the head of the Lampasas River to spy on any activity by Indians in the area while the con-vention was in progress. Annexation of Texas by the United States would be finalized on Dec. 29, 1845.After returning to the Falls of the Brazos

area, Barry enlisted in Maj. John (Jack) Coffee Hay's Rangers and served in Capt. Thomas Ingles Smith's Robertson County Ranger unit from Sept. 15 to Dec. 15, 1845. Hays had been authorized by the congress of the Republic of Texas to organize ranging companies "for the protection of the frontier." In Smith's Rangers, Barry participated in scouts throughout the vast region between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers to locate any Indians that ventured into the area to threaten the lower settlements. Some of these units would later be mustered into service dur-ing the upcoming Mexican War (1846-1848.)After leaving his service in Capt. Smith's

Rangers, Barry worked with a surveying crew in present Navarro, Hill, and Ellis counties locating headright lands for settlers. When United States Army Gen. Zachary Taylor put out a call for volunteers for the invasion of Mexico, Barry joined a unit organized by Eli Chandler in Robertson County at Franklin and set off for the mouth of the Rio Grande, where the battles of Resaca de la Palma and Palo Alto had occurred. By the time they arrived, Mexican forces had retreated back across the Rio Grande at Matamoros. Barry was elected second sergeant of Eli Chandler's Company K of Col. John Coffee Hay's First Regiment, Texas Mounted Riflemen. During the storming of the Bishop's Castle in Monterrey on Sept. 21, 1846, Barry was wounded, and he mustered out of service for the remainder of the war. Buck Barry began the long trip back to North

Carolina. After making his way to Brazos-Santiago at the mouth of the Rio Grande River,

James Buckner (Buck) Barry


BUCK BARRY he, along with some 500 other sick and wound-ed men, boarded the steamship McKinney bound for Galveston and New Orleans. Most all the men became seasick on the voyage. In New Orleans, Barry bought a new trunk and clothes before departing aboard a ship to Wilmington, N.C. From there he made his way to Onslow County and remained there during the winter with friends and relatives until March 1847. He also visited his father before returning to Texas. On Feb. 24, 1847, he married Sarah Anapolis

Matticks and soon began the return trip to Texas. They traveled from Charleston, S.C., to Galveston by ship, and then up the bayou to Houston by boat. From there, Barry hired two ox wagons to transport them 250 miles to Bazette Bluff on the Trinity River, located northeast of present Corsicana, where only one other family lived at that time. Other members of their families also moved to Texas during 1848. During their marriage, Buck and his wife Sarah had six children. Barry began building a cabin immediately and cultivating land for his

living. Buffalo and other game were abundant throughout the area as were Indians. He was often called on to help other settlers chase Indians from the area and recover stolen live-stock. In 1849, Buck Barry was elected to a two-

year term as sheriff of Navarro County and moved to Corsicana. He was also elected to a two-year term as county treasurer in 1852 and re-elected sheriff in 1854. Barry secured some land along the Brazos River near Waco during 1856 and moved a small herd of cattle there. Rather than move his family there, he located another tract of land in Bosque County, west of present Walnut Springs on the East Fork of the Bosque River. Bosque County had been orga-nized in 1854 with Meridian as the county seat. By Dec. 1, 1856, 34-year-old Buck Barry had constructed a house and, with the help of some of his neighbors in Navarro County, moved all his livestock, belongings, 20 slaves and family to the new homestead. Buck Barry was described during the 1850s

as "being of medium height, erect and had a small waist and legs; his weight was not over 145 pounds. He had dark, long curling hair which he allowed to grow long and fall on his shoulders. His eyes were dark and piercing and his features were firm and regular. His carriage was erect, dignified, and indicated energy, while his manner harmonized with his militant, deci-sive bearing. His courtesy and interest in public affairs made him popular. He had some enemies but the better class of citizens were his friends. Those who knew him declared him to be fear-less. Long after most Texans had forsaken buck-skin, Barry choose to wear it."Almost as soon as he had settled on his new

homestead, Comanche Indians began making raids in Brown, Comanche and Erath counties, where they killed several settlers and drove off a large number of horses. During March 1857, they stole a large number of Barry's horses and 30 others belonging a neighbor. In the late spring of 1858, Barry and John Walker made a trip to the Indian reservations on the upper

Shop Historic Granbury


Brazos River to retrieve several head of his their horses that had been recovered and held there. They first visited the Lower Reservation (present Young County) and then traveled on westward the following day to the Comanche Indian Reservation located on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River (in present southwestern Throckmorton County.) At the mouth of Hubbard Creek (northern Stephens County,) they visited a ranger camp and had dinner before traveling on to the Comanche Reservation. Barry found seven of his horses and three belong-ing to Walker that were being held by Indian Agent Matthew Leeper. Barry was satisfied that the Comanches at the reservation had found the horses while on a scout on the Wichita River and found no fault with the Indian agents at the reservation.On their return trip to Bosque County, they visit-

ed with Capt. John Baylor and his group of citizen rangers at the mouth of Caddo Creek (northwestern Palo Pinto County) and signed a petition being cir-culated for the removal of supervising Indian agent Robert S. Neighbors and all Indians from the two Texas reservations, due to their implication with raids being made along the frontier. Like most other settlers along the Texas frontier, Barry was convinced the reservation Indians were implicated in depredations being committed against settlers throughout the region. Barry later joined the large group of angry citizens that approached the reser-vations to force the hand of the government to remove the Indians from Texas. Fortunately an all-out fight was averted and the Indians were finally removed from the two reservations to Indian Territory during August 1859. On many occasions Buck Barry answered the

call to service as a volunteer ranger against depre-dating Indians that continued to threaten settlers during the 1860s. During the spring of 1860, he joined fellow Bosque County resident Dixon Walker and served in his mounted volunteers unit. In October of that year, Barry raised a company of volunteers at Meridian and joined J.J. Cureton of Palo Pinto County and Texas Ranger Capt. Lawrence Sullivan (Sul) Ross on a punitive expedi-tion against Indians in Indian Territory. During the trip, Cynthia Ann Parker, who had been abducted from Fort Parker near Mexia, Texas, by Comanches during 1836, was recaptured. Barry arrived too late to participate in the actual fight that took place on Mule Creek, a small tributary of the Pease River located northeast of Crowell, Texas, in present Foard County. On Jan. 10, 1861, Texas Gov. Sam Houston com-

missioned Buck Barry to raise a company of volun-

teers for frontier defense to be stationed at Fort Belknap (Young County.) However, on Feb. 5th, following succession of Texas from the union, Col. Henry McCulloch was authorized to organize com-panies of men for service in frontier defense during the pending Civil War. He was also given the task to force the surrender of federal troops then in north Texas at Camp Cooper, Fort Chadbourne, and Fort Belknap. McCulloch organized a regiment of 10 companies of men named the First Regiment, Texas Mounted Rifleman, for frontier defense under the Confederacy. These units would occupy many of the Texas military posts abandoned by federal troops during the Civil War. Men such as Barry that were already on frontier service were mustered out of state service and into service under the Confederacy. Barry was appointed as one of the senior captains, and along with McCulloch, he and his company helped force the surrender of federal troops stationed at Camp Cooper on the Clear Fork of the Brazos on March 7, 1861. Barry and his 40 men took command of the camp where he would remain in service there and at Fort Belknap throughout much of the Civil War. After the death of his first wife during 1862, he married Martha Ann Peveler Sercy at Fort Belknap on July 14, 1865. They had three daughters and one son.Although the organization and command of fron-

tier defense units in Texas changed a number of times during the Civil War, Barry remained loyal to the cause and served with distinction. From his posts at Camp Cooper and Fort Belknap, Barry participated in many encounters with Indians and deserters between Camp Copper and the Red River and survived several fights at close quarters. After the Civil War, he returned to his home in Bosque County and continued his stock raising operation in an attempt to restore his financial status. On sever-al occasions he led groups of local citizens to locate Indians that continued to raid throughout the region and recover stolen livestock. He became active in the Grange movement, an

organization established to improve the social and economic well-being of farm families, and returned to North Carolina during 1877 to help organize local chapters there. In 1883 he was elected as a State Representative to the 12th Texas Legislature and was presented "the finest gun that could be bought" in honor of his service on the Texas fron-tier during the turbulent days of early statehood. He was defeated for his bid as state treasurer dur-ing 1898 and retired to his ranch in Bosque County. Near the end of his life, he became blind and died on December 16, 1906. He is buried in the Barry Cemetery located on FM 927 west of Walnut Spring in Bosque County. Charles Goodnight, who served with Buck Barry

on the Texas frontier during the Civil War, wrote in a letter to Barry's son Kossuth on May 11, 1928 ... "he was one of the indispensable group who made the frontier safe from savage raids and who estab-lished law, order, and security. His courage and resourcefulness made him a leader in his section, and he served his people well even to the neglect of his private advantage. He lived bravely, gener-ously, and cleanly; he won the love and respect of the people whom he served; he died poor-as did many of his type and generation-in the midst of a people whose prosperity he had done so much to make possible."

(Sources: Buck Barry: Texas Ranger and Frontiersman, Editor-Biographer James K. Greer; Robert Simpson Neighbors and the Texas Frontier 1836-1859 by Kenneth F. Neighbours; Frontier Defense in the Civil War: Texas Rangers and Rebels by David Paul Smith; Cynthia Ann Parker: The Life and the Legend by Margaret S. Hacker; Gholson Road: Revolutionaries and Texas Rangers by Donna Gholson Cook; Texas State Historical Association Online, and other Internet sources.)

Barry Cemetery, Bosque County, Texas

October 2015 NORTH TEXAS STAR Page 8 October 2015 NORTH TEXAS STAR Page 9


Palo Pintos Old Jail Museum aBy WYNELLE CAITLIN

PALO PINTO A delightful gem hidden away in the small town of Palo Pinto is an entire city block entitled Old Jail Museum, surrounded by a three-foot high solid rock fence. One enters through an iron gate with hand-

crafted figures depicting flora and fauna of local interest. Docent Freeda Hose opens the gate to visitors each Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. The jail building, circa 1882, is the only

building original to the grounds. Moved intact, or brought in, then reconstructed, is the three-story rock-walled Fort Black Springs, possibly the oldest structure in Palo Pinto County, a dog-trot log cabin and three smaller log cabins. On the grounds are a wagon, a cistern, a carriage housed in a newly constructed carriage house, blacksmith shop, threshing machine, grain cribs and hitching post. The buildings house some 5,000 artifacts. This remarkable, outstanding muse-

um is funded by donations and run by volunteers. On the board is President Cindy Lewis, Vice President Ann Reagan, Secretary Cindy Mobley, Treasurer Linda McLoren, Membership Susan Donahoe and Historian Bob Bellamy. Two popular and well-attended

yearly events are Frontier Days, held the second weekend in June ,and Christmas on the Frontier, held second weekend in December. Throughout the year, the museum hosts traveling displays made available through Texas Humanities. Barbara Manson selects exhibits based on their overall interest as well as those most interesting to children. Some past exhibits include NASA, Benjamin Franklin, Ladybird's Wildflowers and the Alamo. The cur-rent exhibit, Changing the Face of Power, is about the political influence when women became active in government. Coming soon is King Tut (minus his gold.) A recent exhibit I attended was a pictorial pre-

sentation of the life of Cynthia Ann Parker and

her son, Quanah. Following is their story:

CYNTHIA ANN PARKERIn our part of the country, there are many sad

frontier stories concerning the interactions of whites and Indians. But one of the saddest is the story of 9-year-old Cynthia Ann Parker, who was stolen by Comanches from her home in East Texas. She became an Indian in thought, actions and deeds.One of the most noteworthy and phenomenal

stories is that of her son, Quanah Parker, a noted and respected Comanche war chief who used his leadership abilities to become a well-known and

respected statesman in the white world. Cynthia Ann was born in Illinois in 1825 and

moved with her family to an uncle's fort in Texas nine years later. The fort was attacked by a large band of Indians. Five children were sto-len, including Cynthia Ann and her brother, John. The other four children were ransomed and returned to their families, but Cynthia Ann was adopted by a Comanche couple and became Naduah. She grew up and married a fierce young chieftain, Peta Nocona, who honored her by refusing to take any other wives. Three chil-dren were born to them Quanah, Pecos and

Prairie Flower. Naduah refused time and time again to leave

her Indian family. Her brother John, who had been returned to the Parker family, could not persuade her she said she loved her husband and babies too much. She refused all other ran-som offers. The tribe didn't want to release her either, as she had become an esteemed member. In 1860, Texas Rangers attacked a Comanche

hunting camp where Naduah was. She and the baby, Prairie Flower, were in camp, but Nocona and the two boys were away hunting for food. Taken captive by the Rangers, someone noticed she had blue eyes. Despite her protests, she and

the baby were returned to Parker relatives. Photos taken of her at the time showed her

with short hair, a sign of mourning in the Comanche world. Though Nocona was not killed in that raid, she probably thought he was. She was likely afraid she would never see her sons again, which she didn't. Isaac and Benjamin Parker were appointed

her guardians. Time and time again she left, carrying the baby, trying to reunite with her Indian family. The Parkers resorted to lock-ing them up to keep her from leaving. The Texas Legislature granted her $100

annually for five years and a league of land, but it meant nothing to her. After several years of being held captive by white rela-tives, Prairie Flower became ill and died. Naduah, in grief and despair, quit eating and died of malnutrition.

In the meantime, Nocona was wounded when he took part in another raid. He told young Quanah of his white mother and how she had been taken from her white family. Nocona died of his wounds and son, Pecos, died of an illness, probably smallpox.

QUANAH PARKERQuanah remained in the Comanche tribe and

grew up to be an admired and respected young chieftain, taking part in many raids. Leaders in the Plains tribes were seeing the end of life as they knew it. Hunters had invaded the Plains

HIDDEN GEM


HIDDEN GEMand were killing buffalo by the thousands. A post had been established at Adobe Walls in the Texas Panhandle to provide necessities for the buffalo hunters. In 1864, a large band of Indians attacked the fort, but were not able to eradicate it or the hunters who stayed on the plains and kept slaughtering buffalo with their large, heavy-duty guns. Ten years later, Adobe Walls was again a

battle site. Quanah, though still very young, was an important war chieftain. Desperate to stop the killing of the buffalo, he and a thou-sand or more Comanche, Cheyenne, Kiowa and Arapaho warriors attacked the post. There were only 100 men inside but they were armed with their heavy-duty guns. The warriors were unable to get close to the post, so they sur-rounded it and kept it under siege. Among the armed men inside the post was

Billy Dixon, known to be an excellent sharp-shooter. One day 15 warriors sat on a hilltop nearly a mile away, surveying the situation. Dixon aimed his long-range rifle and fired. An impossible shot at that distance, but the bullet hit one of the Indians. After a week, unable to get close to the post, the Indians withdrew. It was a spiritual defeat as well as physical one. One more battle and Indian resistance on the plains was over.Quanah's second life that as great chief of

his tribe and statesman began. He led his band of Comanches, the last of the Plains Indians to surrender, onto the reservation in Indian Territory. He used his leadership abili-ties to help members of his tribe settle there, then to help all the Indians there. The United States appointed him chief of all the Indians. He was also appointed federal judge for

Indian Affairs on the reservation. He became a statesman for peace and unity and worked to see that they received the rights they were promised and entitled to.He, with a delegation of his peers, made sev-

eral trips to Washington, D.C., to see that promises about landrights were kept.He also became friends of the whites. He

said, repeatedly, We are one.

Many years later, at a reunion attended by both Indians and whites, Quanah and Dixon amiably recalled the unbelievable long distance shot that Dixon had made at Adobe Walls. Quanah acquired cattle

instead of horses to graze on his Indian land and became one of the wealth-iest Indians ever. He leased grazing rights to Texas ranchers including Burk Burnett, who became his lifelong friend. Charles Goodnight, Dan Waggoner and Tom Burnett were Texas ranch-ers who were his associ-ates and acquired grazing rights to reservation land. President Teddy

Roosevelt became a friend, visiting Quanah at his spacious home on the reservation. They went wolf hunting together. He, with other tribesmen, was in the president's inaugural parade. Other visitors to his

reservation home where he lived with his seven wives and 25 children (some adopted) included Chief of Indian Affairs R.G. Valentine, British Ambassador Lord Brice, Army generals Hugh Scott, Nelson Miles and Frank Baldwin, Sioux chief American Horse, and Comanche chiefs Wild Horse, Esa-tai and Powhay, Quanah was invited to be special guest at

many affairs, including the Texas State Fair at Dallas, the Fort Worth Stock Show, and The World's Fair at St. Louis. His name became known and recognized everywhere. Towns were named for him as were highways, trail-ways, parks, schools, a mountain, a lake, museums and a railroad. There have been books written about him, and movies and

plays portraying him. Paintings, sculptures, monuments the list goes on and on. He became acquainted with his Parker rela-

tives, including his Uncle John. While visiting his uncle in Texas he was severely gored by a bull. A Mexican healer who dressed his wounds used peyote, a natural antibiotic. Quanah was so impressed with its healing abilities that he promoted its use. Later, he founded

the Native American Church, which used peyote in its rituals. Quanah kept seeking

until he found his mother's gravesite in Texas. He had her remains and those of his baby sister moved to Oklahoma. Quanah Parker was

a remarkable man, larger than life, true to both his white and Indian worlds. Though integrated into

the modern world following the demise of the Indian way of life, he remained true to his own beliefs. He could wear the suit of a dis-tinguished statesman, but he could also wear the full regalia of an Indian chief. And he never gave up his traditional hair style of two long braids, and had some of his mother's hair braided into his own, making one braid sever-al inches longer than the other. When Quanah Parker died at age 59, he was

able to unite with his mother, Cynthia Ann, and sister, Prairie Flower. Following an elab-orate ceremony he was buried beside them in Fort Sill, Okla.


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If this were your ad, a potentialbuyer would be looking at itright now. Call 940-327-0838to place your ad here.

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940-327-0838Mineral Wells Index


Star Classifieds 14,500 copies distributed monthly in Parker, Palo Pinto, Hood, Johnson, Jack & Young counties. Get your ad seen call (940) 327-0838, (817) 645-8093, (817) 598-0857

856 Excavation/Hauling

LOUDERMILKEXCAVATING

over 30 years experience

specializing in House & Building Pads

Gravel DrivewaysTree Removal, Trimming &

ClearingLandscape Services

Clean Up &All types

Soil & Rock DeliveredCall Scott

@ 817-991-2890for Free Estimates

Buying or Selling a Car?Mineral Wells Index

Classified AdsWork!

Call 940-327-0838


Painting, Carpentry, Sheet-

rock, Storage Buildings, PorchCovers, Decks. 36 years exp.

Call Bill Rosser Now for aFREE ESTIMATE!

Now Accepting All MajorCredit Cards!

817-374-2566

866-374-3559www.billrosserpainting.com* $100 off any job of $1000 or more

Home Improvement Special

*$100.00 Off


OSAGE RECYCLINGFree Haul Off

Appliances, Washers, Dryers,Fridges, Stoves, A/C Units,

Riding Mowers, Auto Parts.Any Type of Metal

24/7

817-558-9032or text 918-261-2531

SELL YOUR VEHICLEYour Ad Will Run 3 weeks

In Print & Online For Only

$55.00940-327-0838

If this were your ad, a potentialbuyer would be looking at itright now. Call 940-327-0838to place your ad here.

Placing a classified ad is an easy and affordable way to clean out your clutter by presenting your unwanted items to hundreds of potential buyers.

What are you waiting for?Contact us today and start turning the stuff you

dont want into something you do want:

CASH!

NEED SOMEEXTRA SPACE?

To Place Your Ad Please Call

940-327-0838

GET THINGS MOVING WITH THE CLASSIFIEDS!

940-327-0838Mineral Wells Index


Graham Trailer Company203 State Hwy 67 Graham, TX 76450

940-550-5977 940-549-0078Jackie Bishop

Neckover TrailerRubber Floor 10 year warranty

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CAR HAULER

October 2015 Star

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