Although we are now home, I will continue posting about our trip. This was from early in the trip, May 6th.
Various Native Americans lived in Palo Duro Canyon,Texas from prehistoric times until 1874. The battle of Palo Duro Canyon in 1874 was the last major battle of the Red River War, during which the surviving southern Plains Indians (Comanches, Kiowas, Kiowa Apaches, Cheyennes, and Arapahos) were evicted from their land and forcibly relocated to reservations in Oklahoma.
In the battle of Palo Duro Canyon, an overwhelming US force attacked the Indians, who fled for their lives, leaving everything behind. The US forces destroyed the Indians’ belongings, homes, and food reserves. On top of that, the US forces slaughtered over 1,200 of their horses. Destroying the Indians' means of survival insured a complete surrender.
A short time later, now that the land was available, two ranchers drove 1,600 cattle to the canyon and it became part of a much larger ranch across the Texas Panhandle.
In 1933, the state bought the canyon, (the rest of the ranch is still run by the original ranchers' decedents) and made it into a park. The CCC build a lodge which is now a gift shop, where we saw this display selling lollipops.
The Plains Indians who lived here lost their lives, their land, their way of life, their horses, and their dignity.
This just adds insult to injury. No wonder he looks angry.
For more info: The Battle of Palo Duro Canyon
Interesting bit of trivia: The famous crying Indian from the 1971 "Keep America the Beautiful" ad campaign was really an Italian-American.
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