Buffalo Hunters' War
Encyclopedia
The Buffalo Hunters' War, or the Staked Plains War, occurred in 1877. Approximately 170 Comanche
warriors and their families led by Black Horse left the Indian Territory
in December, 1876, for the Llano Estacado
of Texas
. In February, 1877, they, and their Apache
allies, began attacking buffalo
hunters' camps in the Red River
country of the Texas Panhandle
, killing or wounding several. They also stole horses from the camp of Pat Garrett
. Forty-five hunters, led by Hank Campbell, Jim Smith, and Joe Freed, and guided by Jose Tafoya, left Rath City
, a trading post
on the Double Mountain Fork Brazos River
. Smoky Hill Thompson remained behind to lead the defense of the trading post. The party trailed the natives
to their camp in Thompson's Canyon, now known as Yellow House Canyon
in present-day Lubbock, Texas
, where they attacked
on March 18. The hunters were repulsed and the natives escaped, including white captive Herman Lehmann
, who was wounded in the battle. Among the hunters were four wounded and one later dying from wounds. The native's loss was later reported by the military to be thirty-five dead and twenty-two wounded. This was one of the last armed conflicts with Comanche warriors.
also known as the "Staked Plains Horror" would follow this Buffalo Hunters war in July 1877.
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
warriors and their families led by Black Horse left the Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
in December, 1876, for the Llano Estacado
Llano Estacado
Llano Estacado , commonly known as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, including the South Plains and parts of the Texas Panhandle...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In February, 1877, they, and their Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
allies, began attacking buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
hunters' camps in the Red River
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
country of the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
, killing or wounding several. They also stole horses from the camp of Pat Garrett
Pat Garrett
Patrick Floyd "Pat" Garrett was an American Old West lawman, bartender, and customs agent who was best known for killing Billy the Kid...
. Forty-five hunters, led by Hank Campbell, Jim Smith, and Joe Freed, and guided by Jose Tafoya, left Rath City
Rath City, Texas
Rath City was a frontier town which existed for less than five years and is presently a ghost town. The town was located on the Double Mountain Fork Brazos River fourteen miles northwest of Hamlin in southern Stonewall County, Texas, United States.-History:...
, a trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
on the Double Mountain Fork Brazos River
Double Mountain Fork Brazos River
The Double Mountain Fork Brazos River is an ephemeral, sandy-braided stream about long, heading on the Llano Estacado of West Texas about southeast of Tahoka, Texas, flowing east-northeast across the western Rolling Plains to join the Salt Fork, forming the Brazos River about west-northwest of...
. Smoky Hill Thompson remained behind to lead the defense of the trading post. The party trailed the natives
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
to their camp in Thompson's Canyon, now known as Yellow House Canyon
Yellow House Canyon
Yellow House Canyon is a canyon that is about long, heading in Lubbock, Texas, at the junction of Blackwater Draw and Yellow House Draw, and trending generally southeastward to the edge of the Llano Estacado about east of Slaton, Texas; it forms one of three major canyons along the east side of...
in present-day Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, where they attacked
Battle of Yellow House Canyon
The Battle of Yellow House Canyon was a battle between a force of Comanches and Apaches against a group of bison hunters that occurred on March 18, 1877, near the site of the present-day city of Lubbock, Texas...
on March 18. The hunters were repulsed and the natives escaped, including white captive Herman Lehmann
Herman Lehmann
Herman Lehmann was captured as a child by Native Americans. He lived first among the Apache and then the Comanche but eventually returned to his family later on in his life. The phenomenon of a "white boy" raised by "Indians" made him a notable figure in the United States...
, who was wounded in the battle. Among the hunters were four wounded and one later dying from wounds. The native's loss was later reported by the military to be thirty-five dead and twenty-two wounded. This was one of the last armed conflicts with Comanche warriors.
See also
The Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877
Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877 also known as the "Staked Plains Horror" occurred when a combined force of Buffalo Soldier troops of the 10th Cavalry and local buffalo hunters wandered for days in the dry Llano Estacado region of north-west Texas and eastern New Mexico during July of a drought year...
also known as the "Staked Plains Horror" would follow this Buffalo Hunters war in July 1877.