Ch. 16 War on Texas Indians How did Texans try and solve their Indian Problem?

Settlers Expand West By the time of the Civil War, only the Plains Indians like the Comanche were still in Texas. White settlers feared the Indians. They believed they were savages and should be exterminated. Settlers believed the land was legally obtained by the United States. Savage: Someone who is uncivilized.

Forts were established on the western frontier to protect the settlements Frontier Forts 1849 The Frontier: The line where Civilization ends Frontier: The farthest most reach of civilization.

The further west the settlers went the more they would come into conflict with Indians.

Treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek In 1867 Indians from the southern plains met in Kansas with the U.S. government. The Treaty created a 3 million acre reservation for Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache in southwest Oklahoma. The U.S. promised to supply Indians with food and clothing and to teach them to farm. Promised that no Americans would be allowed on their land. Indian Reservation: Is land set aside for an Indian tribe, where the tribe is allowed to govern itself.

Failure of the Treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek Plains Indians did not want to be farmers or move to Oklahoma U. S. government failed to keep its promises of supplies and food. Often Indian Agents in charge of the reservations were corrupt and sold supplies for their own profits. Traders called Comancheros in New Mexico encouraged Indian raids because they bought stolen goods. Corruption is using the power of the Government for one’s personal gain

The End of the Buffalo Plains Indians faced a huge problem with the end of the wild American bison or buffalo. The U.S. allowed the Army and Buffalo hunters to kill off the Buffalo in North America. There may have been 30 million buffalo in the 1850’s, by 1910, a little over 1000 buffalo could be found in America Plains Indians lost their way of life which included their homes, food, clothes, tools and weapons with the buffalo gone.

The most valuable part of the Buffalo was its hide.

Bison hides were used for industrial machine belts, clothing such as robes, and rugs. There was a huge export trade to Europe of bison hides.

Buffalo hides were sold for big money back in the east With the end of the buffalo the remaining holdout plain Indians were forced onto reservations.

Pile of Buffalo Skulls in 1870

After 1870, the U.S. gave up on peace policies and started the policy of removal.

1873 Winchester Model “The Gun that won the West” In the early 1860’s a new invention the “repeating rifle” was invented. This weapon, along with the repeating revolver pistol, finally gave Texas Rangers and the U.S. Army an advantage over the Comanche and other natives. Texas Rangers with Winchesters

Buffalo Soldiers Freedman soldiers who fought natives in the west were known as Buffalo Soldiers Native Americans called them this because of their bravery in battle. They guarded the frontier.

Quanah Parker Comanche leader Father was a Comanche chief and mother was Cynthia Ann Parker a white woman who had been captured when she was a child in 1836 Cynthia Ann Parker

In 1836 members of the Parker family were killed in a raid by Comanche known as the Ft. Parker Massacre. In this raid, an 8-year old girl, Cynthia Ann Parker, was captured. Cynthia was found by Texas Rangers 24 years later in 1860 and returned to her white family. Sul Ross

Battle of Adobe walls In 1874 Quanah Parker led 700 warriors and attacked a buffalo hunters camp at Adobe Walls. This is known as Second Battle of Adobe Walls The hunters held off the Indians with their long range rifles.

After Adobe Walls U.S. Army General Ranald Mackenzie led raids against Indians reducing their numbers on the plains of Texas. “The Red River War” was launched by the U.S. Army in 1874 to remove the Comanche, Kiowa, and other Indian tribes from the Southern Plains and relocate them to reservations The U.S. Army sent soldiers in five directions and finally trapped the Indians in Palo Duro Canyon. Red River Wars

Palo Duro Canyon, the last stand

The Army burned several villages, killed over a thousand horses and destroyed the winter food supply.

Quanah Parker, the Comanche and the rest of the Native Texans Tribes (including the Kiowa) were finally forced to surrender at Palo Duro Canyon in 1874.

Quanah Parker then went on to tirelessly work to help his people adapt to the “white world”. Appointed by his old enemy Colonel Mackenzie as sole Chief of the Comanche, he worked hard to bring education and the ability to survive in the white man's world to his people. Quanah Parker during his reservation days

Upsetting the environmental sustainability of the Texas Panhandle (1933) After… (1860’s) Before… A chain of events led from the Texas panhandle going from the picture above to the picture to the right. How did this happen?