Adobe Walls, Texas – Buffalo & Battles
Nestled just north of the Canadian River, in the northeastern reaches of present-day Hutchinson County, Texas, lies a site steeped in history and legend: Adobe Walls. More than just a geographical point, Adobe Walls represents a confluence of cultures, a testament to the relentless push of westward expansion, and a stage for dramatic clashes that shaped the destiny of the American West. It began as a humble trading post, evolved into a ranching community, and ultimately became synonymous with two significant battles that echoed across the Great Plains.
The story of Adobe Walls begins with the ambition of Bent, St. Vrain, and Company, a prominent trading firm of the era. Around 1843, the company, spearheaded by chief partners William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain, sought to establish a peaceful trading relationship with the Comanche and Kiowa tribes. Their primary trading hub, Bent’s Fort, thrived near modern-day La Junta, Colorado. However, venturing further south into the Texas Panhandle presented a unique challenge. The Comanche and Kiowa, though desirable trading partners, traditionally avoided the region due to the presence of their enemies, the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes.
Undeterred, Bent, St. Vrain, and Company established a satellite trading post on a stream known as Bent’s Creek, now simply referred to as Bent Creek. Initially, traders conducted their business from teepees, temporary structures that reflected the nomadic nature of the trade. As the enterprise took root, these were replaced with more permanent log structures, signaling a commitment to establishing a lasting presence. The post’s strategic location drew the attention of explorers and surveyors alike. In September 1845, Lieutenant James W. Abert and his surveying party, charting the region, veered southeast from the Canadian River towards the North Fork of the Red River, passing near the fledgling trading post.
Around 1846, a significant transformation took place. William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain, recognizing the need for a more secure and permanent structure, commissioned Mexican adobe makers to construct Fort Adobe. This formidable structure measured 80 feet square and boasted nine-foot walls, pierced by a single, heavily defended entrance. The use of adobe, a sun-dried brick made from local earth, provided insulation against the harsh Texas climate and offered a degree of protection against potential attacks.
Despite its imposing presence, Fort Adobe’s occupation remained sporadic. The persistent hostility of the surrounding Native American tribes, wary of the intrusion into their hunting grounds, made sustained trading difficult. By 1848, the post was closed, its potential unrealized. However, William Bent, ever the optimist, saw an opportunity for revival.
In the fall of that year, a temporary peace was brokered with some of the local tribes. Bent, eager to re-establish trade in the region, dispatched a team led by the renowned frontiersman Christopher "Kit" Carson, along with Lucien Maxwell and five other employees, back to the Canadian River. Their mission: to reopen the post and resume trade. Unfortunately, their efforts were thwarted by the Jicarilla Apache, who resisted their presence and forced them to conceal their trade goods and buffalo robes before retreating to the safety of Bent’s Fort.
Undeterred, Bent persisted. Soon after the failed expedition, members of the Comanche tribe approached him, expressing a desire to resume trade at Fort Adobe. Bent, ever the astute businessman, agreed. He assembled a 13-man party led by Dick Wootton and sent them back to the abandoned fort. This time, the endeavor proved successful. The group managed to conduct trade with the Comanche, albeit cautiously, through a window cut into the thick adobe wall.
In the spring of 1849, Bent himself ventured to Fort Adobe, accompanied by a train of ox-drawn wagons laden with supplies. However, the renewed venture was short-lived. After hostile Indians killed a portion of his livestock, Bent, weary of the constant threat, made the difficult decision to abandon trade in the Texas Panhandle. He ordered the fort to be blown up, effectively ending the first chapter of Adobe Walls. The ruins of Fort Adobe, a silent testament to a failed enterprise, became a recognizable landmark for travelers venturing through the dangerous and unforgiving landscape. Expeditions led by Randolph B. Marcy in 1849 and Amiel W. Whipple in 1853, surveying the Canadian River Valley, duly noted the remnants of the once-ambitious trading post.
The name Adobe Walls would resurface a decade later, forever etched in the annals of Western history, not as a trading post, but as the site of two pivotal battles.
First Battle of Adobe Walls (1864)
In 1864, the winds of war swept across the Great Plains. Brigadier General James H. Carleton, commanding the Department of New Mexico, was determined to quell the escalating Indian attacks on white settlers traveling along the vital Santa Fe Trail. To achieve this, he turned to Colonel Christopher "Kit" Carson, a seasoned Indian fighter fresh from victories over the Apache and Navajo in New Mexico. Carson was tasked with punishing the Kiowa and Comanche tribes for their raids along the trails.
Leading a force of 336 California and New Mexico Volunteers, augmented by 75 Ute and Jicarilla Apache auxiliaries, Carson launched an attack on a Kiowa village on November 25, 1864. Following the successful raid, Carson and his men sought respite at the ruins of Adobe Walls. The next day, the tables turned. A combined force of Comanche and Kiowa warriors, numbering over 1,000, launched a fierce counter-attack against Carson and his men. Despite being vastly outnumbered, Carson’s troops, armed with superior firepower, including two howitzers, managed to hold their ground.
As dusk settled, the troops burned one of the Indian camps and retreated to their base at Fort Bascom, New Mexico. The battle resulted in three of Carson’s men killed and 15 wounded, while Indian casualties were estimated at 60. Although considered a victory for Carson, the battle was more of a tactical stalemate. Carson was lauded as a hero for facing overwhelming odds on the Great Plains, but the underlying tensions remained unresolved.
Second Battle of Adobe Walls (1874)
A decade later, Adobe Walls became the stage for another dramatic confrontation, this time fueled by the relentless pursuit of the buffalo. Following the buffalo hunters south into the Texas Panhandle, several merchants from Dodge City, Kansas, established a sprawling complex near the ruins of Fort Adobe, known as the Myers and Leonard Store. This establishment included a corral and a restaurant, catering primarily to the burgeoning population of buffalo hunters who had descended upon the region.
In April 1874, a second store, operated by Charles Rath and Company, opened its doors. Soon after, James N. Hanrahan and Charles Rath established a saloon, while Tom O’Keefe started a blacksmith shop. By the end of spring, the area surrounding Adobe Walls teemed with 200 to 300 buffalo hunters, and trade flourished.
However, the influx of hunters and the destruction of the buffalo herds did not go unnoticed by the Native American tribes who still roamed the area. They correctly perceived the post and the relentless buffalo hunting as an existential threat to their way of life. In the spring of 1874, the Indians held a Sun Dance, a sacred ceremony, where Comanche medicine man Isa-tai prophesied victory to the warriors who fought to drive out the buffalo hunters.
On the early morning of June 27, 1874, a combined force of approximately 700 Comanche, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Arapaho warriors, led by Comanche Chief Quanah Parker and Isa-tai, launched a surprise attack on the Adobe Walls settlement. The hunters, caught off guard, sought refuge in the two stores and the saloon.
Despite being heavily outnumbered, the 28 men inside the buildings, including legendary Old West figures Bat Masterson and Billy Dixon, possessed superior weaponry and marksmanship. Isa-tai’s prophecy proved to be a false hope. The hunters’ accurate fire repelled the initial assault.
During the battle, Billy Dixon, positioned inside James Hanrahan’s saloon, allegedly made a remarkable shot. According to legend, he felled an Indian warrior from his horse at a distance of nearly a mile with his Sharps buffalo rifle. Although this shot became a celebrated tale of Western lore, Dixon himself never claimed credit for the extraordinary feat.
After four days of intense fighting, a reinforcement of about 100 men arrived at Adobe Walls, prompting the Indians to retreat. Estimates of casualties vary, but it is believed that as many as 70 Indians were killed, and many others, including Quanah Parker, were wounded.
The Second Battle of Adobe Walls marked a turning point in the conflict between the Native American tribes and the encroaching settlers. Beyond the immediate casualties, the battle had profound consequences. It dealt a crushing spiritual blow to the Indians and served as a catalyst for the Red River War of 1874-75, which ultimately led to the final relocation of the Southern Plains Indians to reservations.
In August, during the Red River War, a detachment of troops under Lieutenant Francis "Frank" D. Baldwin engaged a party of 15 Indians near the beleaguered post. By October, the settlement had been abandoned and subsequently burned by the Indians. In 1876, Hutchinson County was established, paving the way for white settlement in the area.
Settlement of Adobe Walls
In the early 1880s, James M. Coburn established the Turkey Track Ranch, with its headquarters located near the old battle site. He persuaded William "Billy" Dixon, the renowned scout and survivor of the Second Battle of Adobe Walls, to homestead nearby. Dixon built his house on the ruins of Fort Adobe.
In August 1887, a post office was established at the Dixon homestead, where Dixon and his business partner, S. G. Carter, also operated a ranch supply store. Dixon served as postmaster until 1901, when he was elected as Hutchinson County’s first sheriff. However, he resigned shortly afterward, disillusioned by the political turmoil surrounding the county’s organization. In 1902, Dixon moved to Plemons to provide his children with access to education. Four years later, in 1906, he relocated his family to the Oklahoma Panhandle.
A school was established in the early 20th century. Records indicate that Herbert Butts taught there in 1912, earning $45 per month. The first school building burned down around 1920, and classes were temporarily held on the second floor of Billy Dixon’s old home on the Turkey Track Ranch. Later, a new school was constructed. Although the Dodge City Times described Adobe Walls as "a fine settlement with some twenty families," it never evolved into a true community, despite having a school and a post office that served the surrounding ranchers, their employees, and their families. The post office remained operational until October 1921.
During the 1920s, various local and state initiatives were launched to commemorate the battle site at Adobe Walls. In 1923, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society acquired a six-acre tract encompassing the remains of the 1874 trading post. On June 27, 1929, William "Billy" Dixon’s remains, previously interred in the cemetery at Texline, were reburied at the Adobe Walls site. In the 1970s, the society conducted extensive archaeological excavations at the site. In 1978, the complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as a Texas state archaeological landmark.
From 1940 to 1970, Adobe Walls was listed in the Texas Almanac as having a population of fifteen. Today, the site is marked by monuments, markers, and the grave of William "Billy" Dixon. The Adobe Walls Springs, once a vital water source located west of the monument, have since dried up.
The story of Adobe Walls serves as a poignant reminder of the complex and often violent history of the American West. It encapsulates the ambition of early traders, the relentless pursuit of resources, the clash of cultures, and the enduring legacy of the battles that shaped the region.