The Quanah Parker Trail is a 52-county driving adventure that is designed to share with the traveler stops that highlight Quanah Parker, the Comanche, and other Plains Indians. It is found is the western part of the state of Texas, mainly the Panhandle and the Plains of west Texas. However, the story of Quanah Parker starts much closer to our current home.
Just a county over is the original Fort Parker, where Cynthia Ann Parker was kidnapped from in 1836 as a nine-year-old girl. The Comanche raised her as one of their own. She grew up and became the wife of Peta Nocona, a Comanche leader. She had children with him and one of their sons is known as Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche leader.
The Quanah Parker Trail commemorates this great Comanche leader and other Plains Indian tribes and peoples. Each stop of the trail is marked with a giant arrow stuck in the ground. The stops are places with a real or legendary connection to Quanah Parker and his people or other Plains Indians. This leader had the difficult job of helping the Comanche people realize that the white settlers were taking over and that the native peoples had to adapt or die off. Quanah Parker led his people into the new culture that was surrounding them and this trail commemorates that difficult leadership role he had.
I know that I have seen these giant arrows while driving through west Texas before but I had no idea what they were representing. Now, I know to stop when I see one next on my way to New Mexico. I will find something interesting there. Maybe we could make it a driving tour sometime and spend several days visiting these sites. I would truly enjoy that!
Blessings,
At Home.
This is a weekly series and will be linked weekly with the Blogging Through The Alphabet co-hosts:
Amanda at Hopkins Homeschool
Kirsten at Doodle Mom
Jennifer at Worth a Bowed Head
Kimberley at Vintage Blue Suitcase
Desiree at Our Homeschool Notebook
Markie at My Life As Mrs. Cooks
Hilary at Walking Fruitfully
Tagged: ABC blogging, field trips, history, Texas, travel/trips
I love driving trails – especially ones where you can pick and choose when to stop and what to see.
Me, too. And I think this one looks fun, especially with the big arrows.
that would be interesting, to not only stop, but the journey of looking forward knowing that something interesting awaited at the end of the journey. Kinda like a treasure hunt. 🙂
Yes – a treasure hunt. Great way to describe this and kind of how I was seeing it. Fun, for sure.