TEXAS PLAINS TRAIL REGION—By proclamation of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, has been declared Quanah Parker Day to commemorate the legacy of the famed Comanche chief, Quanah Parker.

By now, every Texas student passing through fourth and seventh grade has learned the story of Quanah Parker; his mother, Cynthia Ann Parker, who was kidnapped as a child and raised among the Comanches; and their lives as Texas Indians. The Comanches were called “Lords of the Southern Plains,” owing to their superb horsemanship and prowess in hunting bison from horseback.

Everyone can honor Quanah Parker Day by paying a visit to a nearby steel arrow that marks their county’s inclusion on the Quanah Parker Trail (QPT). By now, most counties have placed at the foot of their arrows, a granite marker. Visitors can learn from the granite marker a unique historical fact or event associated with Quanah Parker, his family, or the Comanches who once dominated their region.

By making a visit to their county’s regional museums, or any one of the TPTR’s three state parks (Copper Breaks, Caprock Canyons, or Palo Duro Canyon State Park); or its national historic landmark (Lubbock Lake Landmark); or national monument (Alibates Flint Quarry), one can discover exhibits that convey facets of Quanah’s story.

And the heart of the story is this: Every county’s land within TPTR was once part of the territory of the Comanches, known as the Comanchería.

The arrows of the Quanah Parker Trail, and the granite markers placed beneath, make visible to all that Quanah Parker and the Comanches once dominated our region.

The QPT is placed within the Texas Plains Trail Region, one of 10 cultural heritage programs of the Texas Historical Association. The QPT is conceptual in nature. Counties of the TPTR installed 88 steel arrows created by sculptor welder Charles A. Smith (1943-2018), to commemorate their inclusion in the Comancheria, the territorial range of the Comanches in the 19th century. The trail is named for Quanah Parker, as he is considered as the most renowned Indian leader who frequented this area.

And the other part of the story this: At one time or another, Quanah crossed the lands where we live now. As a warrior, Quanah rode with the Kwahada division of the Comanche tribe. The Kwahada made their home on the southern High Plains of the Llano Estacado, and traversed the Rolling Plains of Texas in the late 19th century, as well. Under Quanah’s leadership, the Kwahada remained the last Comanche holdouts who resisted the U.S. military’s effort to force all Indians to move onto reservations.

After the Comanches moved to the reservation in Indian Territory by the end of 1875, Quanah continued as a leader, helping them adjust to a different way of life. He was appointed as a Comanche chief by Indian agents of the federal government. Quanah coordinated cultural and political activities felt to be necessary to aid the Comanche people in adapting to the challenges of modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this capacity, he continued to travel throughout our region, by mule-drawn wagon, touring car, and train. He became a celebrity, and as a much sought-after representative of frontier history. In the TPTR alone, he attended a funeral in Dalhart; addressed a crowd in Matador; attended a celebration in the town of Quanah named for him; and visited ranchers Samuel Burk Burnett in Guthrie and Charles Goodnight near Claude.

To honor Quanah on his special day, the site where QPT arrows are installed can be cleared of tall growth that may obscure them from view. Weathered arrows can be touched up with paint made for metal tractors, and available at local farm and feed stores, or hardware stores. Streamers of red, yellow, and blue, the colors of the shield for the logo of the Comanche Nation can be tied onto the arrows to flutter in the wind, to draw the attention of travelers to the history of the region.

Events on Saturday, Sept. 14:

• Lubbock, 10 am: The National Ranching Heritage Center, Texas Tech University (located at 3121 4th Street), will host Comanche Parker family descendants to recall the historical legacy of their great-grandfather.

• New Home, 2 pm: Fellowship Hall of the Baptist Church (located at 128 Smith Street), Multimedia program telling the story of Quanah Parker in the Plains Trail region and how this historical figure became honored by Lynn County resident Charles A. Smith through his generosity in creating 86 steel arrows to mark the Quanah Parker Trail.

• New Home, 3 pm: A commemoration will continue at a location one-half mile down the road, where a granite marker will be dedicated outdoors at the first arrow Smith created and installed on the grounds of the Gid Moore Crop Insurance Agency (located at 127 W. Broadway).

Descendants of Quanah Parker will confer a Comanche Blessing on this giant arrow and its granite marker that commemorates the spirit of Charles Smith and his gift of arrows that contributed so much to the region in honor of their ancestor.

For this outdoor event, bring a folding chair, a bottle of water, and a hat.

2012 installation, photo by T. Kreidler

information

For more information about Quanah Parker, his family, and the Comanche history in our region, visit: www.quanahparkertrail.com.

For more information on the location of museums, state parks, landmarks, and monuments that feature exhibits about Quanah Parker, visit: https://texasplainstrail.com/.

FormoreinformationabouttheNewHome event, contact Holle Humphries by phone

(806.252.8667); or email (holle_h@att.net).

Hemphill County’s Arrow

Locally, Hemphill County’s QPT arrow is located on the road at the south end of the Canadian River Walking Bridge. It was installed on Dec. 5, 2012, and was Arrow No.

47. Recently, a granite marker was added.