Adobe Walls, Texas facts for kids

Adobe Walls is a historic place in Hutchinson County, Texas. It is about 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Stinnett. Today, it is mostly a ghost town, meaning it's an abandoned settlement.

Adobe Walls began in 1843 as a trading post. People traded buffalo hides and other goods there. It later became a small ranching community. This site is famous for two important battles. These battles happened between Native Americans and settlers.

In November 1864, the First Battle of Adobe Walls took place. Native Americans successfully defended their land against soldiers. These soldiers were led by a famous scout named Kit Carson. Ten years later, on June 27, 1874, the Second Battle of Adobe Walls occurred. During this battle, civilians at the trading post fought off a large attack. The attackers were mostly Comanche and Cheyenne warriors. They were led by the Comanche chief Quanah Parker. This second battle led to a military campaign. This campaign resulted in Native Americans moving to Indian Territory.

On May 22, 1978, the Adobe Walls site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is a very important historical place. In 1979, it was also named a Texas state archeological landmark.

How Adobe Walls Started

Around 1835, a trading company called Bent, St. Vrain & Company began trading here. They set up temporary camps and log cabins. In 1843, they built a log structure for trading. This was on what is now called Bent Creek.

In 1845, they built a stronger fort. It was made of adobe bricks. This fort was 80 feet (24 meters) square. Its walls were 9 feet (2.7 meters) tall. The fort had only one entrance. It closed in 1848 because of conflicts with Native Americans. The company's last trading trip was in the winter of 1848. In the spring of 1849, William Bent found some of his animals killed. He then destroyed parts of the fort and left the area.

Decades later, the old adobe fort was abandoned. Only crumbling walls remained. In 1874, new buildings were put up north of the ruins. These were built by traders from Kansas. About a mile north of the old fort, the Myers and Leonard store was built. This happened after the old adobe walls were damaged in March 1874.

The area had a creek called Bent's Creek. It flowed near the old Adobe Walls ruins. East of Adobe Walls was a valley. It had many trees like willows and cottonwoods.

The buildings in 1874 all faced east. The main ones stood in a row. To the south was Rath & Wright's store. It had many buffalo hides behind it. Next was Hanrahan's saloon. About 50 yards (46 meters) north was the store of Leonard & Myers. This building was part of a large fence made of pickets. Inside the fence, there was a mess hall and another store. The blacksmith's shop was north of Hanrahan's saloon. The walls of these main buildings were about 2 feet (0.6 meters) thick.

The Battles of Adobe Walls

First Battle

The First Battle of Adobe Walls happened in November 1864. It was fought between Native American groups and U.S. Army troops. The Native American force included Kiowa, Comanche, and Plains Apache warriors. The U.S. Army had 372 soldiers. They were led by Kit Carson.

The battle aimed to stop Native American raids on wagon trains. These trains traveled across the Great Plains. The American forces were forced to retreat. Both sides, the U.S. Army and the Kiowa, claimed victory.

Second Battle

The Second Battle of Adobe Walls took place on June 27, 1874. It was between 28 buffalo hunters and a large Comanche force. The Comanche had about 700 warriors. They were led by Isa-tai and Quanah Parker.

This battle happened because buffalo hunters were moving onto Native American land. This land was protected by the 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaty. This angered the Native Americans. The Native Americans attacked the trading post. However, they were forced to retreat after a strong defense.

After the Battles

After the battles, buffalo hunters tried to fix the forts. The U.S. Army slowly moved people out. By early September 1874, all civilians were removed by the Army. Native Americans attacked and burned the repaired fort later that month. Only the adobe walls were left standing.

After the battles and the relocation of Native Americans, buffalo hunters still came. But the buffalo herds had become much smaller. The Turkey Track Ranch was started in the area. However, the population remained very small. In 1877, a store reopened there. This was despite human remains still being scattered on the battlefields.

In 1883, Billy Dixon was hired at the Turkey Track Ranch. He was a civilian who later received the Medal of Honor. He claimed two sections of land at Bent Creek. He built a log house there. In 1902, Dixon and his family moved to Plemons. The first school building burned down in 1920. A temporary school was held in Billy Dixon's old home. This was until a new school could be built.

Dixon became the first postmaster for Adobe Walls. This happened when the post office opened on August 3, 1887. Dixon ran the post office from his home. He also had a store there with his partner, S.G. Carter. He was postmaster until 1901. Then, Otto Anderson took over. The post office closed in 1921. Mail service then moved to Plemons.

Adobe Walls was also a place where people voted. In the 1800s, voting there was a big community event. It included barbecues and other fun activities. Today, Adobe Walls is a ghost town.

In 1923, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society became owners of the 1874 trading post ruins. They did archeological digs in the 1970s. On June 27, 1924, a red granite monument was put up. It honored the men from the 1874 battle. From the 1940s to the 1970s, Adobe Walls had only about 15 people living there. In May 1978, Adobe Walls was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Notable People

• Quanah Parker: A Comanche warrior who led the attack in the Second Battle of Adobe Walls.
• Billy Dixon (1850–1913): He received the Medal of Honor for his bravery on September 12, 1874. This was during the Buffalo Wallow Fight. His medal was taken away in 1916 but was given back in 1989.

See Also

• First Battle of Adobe Walls
• Second Battle of Adobe Walls