The flat, featureless Plains give way to an awesome view of a canyon 1000 feet deep, 10 miles wide and over 120 miles in length. The Great Plains are already at an altitude of 3500 feet above sea level and the stratified layers of the eroded cap rock is stunning.
The above video is the final one mile drive of a 9 mile trek on the canyon floor to my campsite. The early part of the drive does hairpins down the canyon wall to the floor. There under the protection of the canyon walls a totally different ecosystem thrives. Small streams allow cottonwoods and various grasses and shrubs to grow. Animals flourish in this apparent oasis on the Great Plains. Needless to say, it was the perfect spot for a vast nation of Native Americans, the Comanches to use as a basecamp for their constant raids up on the plains. One hundred yards from my campsite is where the final battle between the US Calvary and the Comanche Nation occurred in 1874 when Colonel MacKenzie trapped the Comanche band under Chief Quanah Parker. Their horses were destroyed and the tribe moved to reservation lands to the east at Fort Sill.
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The story of Chief Quanah Parker is a fascinating one and has been following me through my travels. His final reservation site was "Star Ranch" located in the Wichita Mountain Game Preserve, the hike at the Preserve was at Quanah Parker Lake, my sweet friends at the Trading Post had remarkable original photographs and great stories of Quanah and then finally here in Palo Duro is where his native lifestyle and that of the entire Comanche tribe would come to an end. Quanah's father was Comanche Chief Peta Nacona. A fierce warrior who was feared by Apache, Cheyenne and every other tribe on the Plains. Their horse skills made them fearsome opponents and they ruled both white settlements and Native American populations. Quanah's mother was a white captive taken at the age of 9 during a brutal raid on the Parker homestead on the western fringe of Texas territory in the 1830's. Her name was Cynthia Ann Parker and with her Aunt Rachel was spared execution as other family members were not so fortunate. Her Aunt survived torture, beatings and sexual violation for 18 months before being sold off to a well known Spanish couple in Santa Fe. She was returned to her Uncle James Parker and needless to say her story was huge press. She sadly was to die just a year later and her true misery was never fully known. Cynthia however was taken as wife by Peta Nacona, had 3 children: Quanah (meaning "Stink"), another son, Peanut and a daughter, Desert Cactus and knew no other life but that of a Comanche woman. She refused numerous attempts at rescue and stayed where she had found love and family. The book, "Empire of the Southern Moon" was written by S. C. Gwynne and is a fantastic read.
The day was spent hiking through some stunning country. It was so dry that no fires were allowed in the canyon but the sunset and evening stars were spectacular. The temperatures were pleasantly in the 70's and we were both fast asleep after a day of long, beautiful hikes. More trails tomorrow and maybe an off-road bike trip!