Some people are just natural leaders. That was Matthew “Old Paint” Caldwell. He rallied men for several of the most important battles in Texas history. In between, he protected the young Republic of Texas from hostile Indians and hostile armies. Not even smallpox could bring him down! Hear about one of the early Texas Rangers…
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She grew up a poor Native American in rural Texas during the depression. But if you think she even noticed, you don’t know Osjetea Briggs. She became a world-renowned photographer, portrait artist and newspaper publisher. Oh, and she was a columnist and politico too. Full of wisdom, she demonstrates the best of Texas grit and…
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General Sherman toured northern Texas to see just how bad the Indian raiding was. He had his doubts. What he didn’t know was just how close he came to a first-hand encounter! The party crossing the Salt Creek Prairie right after Sherman wouldn’t be so lucky. As the Kiowa swept down toward Henry Warren’s wagon…
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The western frontier of Texas moved backwards during the Civil War. Indian raids pushed the settlers toward safer ground. After the war, the raiding had become so bad that something had to be done. The federal government thought leading with diplomacy would solve the problem but the Texans wanted military action. An 1871 attack on…
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In 1629 a group of Jumano Indians suddenly appeared at a New Mexico mission, eager to learn more about Christianity. The excited and grateful Franciscan priests wondered what motivated this sudden interest. The tale the Indians told seemed unbelievable. A “lady in blue” had appeared to them instructing them to seek out the priests and…
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Oliver Loving was a trailblazer…literally. He drove cattle to Illinois, Louisiana, and Colorado. With Charles Goodnight he blazed a new western trail intended to avoid the Indian threat. Impatient as he was brave, he rode ahead to Santa Fe and was immediately attacked. However, he held off hundreds of Comanches while one of his men went for help. Through luck,…
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San Antonio was founded 300 years ago in 1718. From day one, the residents, priests and soldiers faced a constant and menacing threat from the Apache Indians. Raids from the indians and retaliatory campaigns from the soldiers made life in early San Antonio stressful and difficult. Attempts at peace never seemed to work. But all…
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Texas Ranger. Two words that strike fear in the heart of the lawbreaker and hope in the heart of the law abiding. Since before there was a Texas, there were Rangers. How this elite force officially began is the subject of some controversy. There is no doubt that Stephen F. Austin realized the need to…
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Every fall, the most feared cavalry the world has ever known, the Comanche Indians, would leave their home on the great plains and raid deep into Mexico taking horses, and humans, back with them. They followed an ancient trail that came to be known as the Great Comanche war trail. The Comanche were not prosperous…
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Josiah Wilbarger was one of the earliest Anglo settlers of Texas. He also settled way outside the safe boundaries of the frontier. He chose a league of land in the hostile territory of the Comancheria, near present-day Bastrop. He eventually gained a neighbor in Reuben Hornsby but things were still very, very dangerous. One day…
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