The Coolidge examiner., 1934-06-15

\ has become one OF the classics OF
the Western frontier. That was the
Battle of Adobe Walls which began
on the early morning Of June u.
O 1874. when n war party OF several
hundred Comanche. Kiowa. Chey-
enne. Arapahoe and Kiowa Apache
Indians attacked buffalo hunters
camp. occupied By = men and one woman.
located on the south fork of the Canadian river
In wha, ls now Hutchinson county 10 the Texas
Panhandle.
Characteristic of its ranking as a frontier clas.
sic Is the number OF men who at one time or
another have been called survivors OF the
Adobe Walls nghi. Seemingly every old-timer
who was ever a buffalo hunter the South
western plains In the '7os has been accorded the
distinction Of "He fought at Adobe Walls" by
amateur historians and imaginative newspaper
reporters. and this. despite the fact that there
has been In existence for many years authen-
tic list Of the actual participants which might
easily dlsprove the claim advanced In favor OF
spurious defenders OF that outpost of the from
ter
Under the terms OF the Medicine Lodge treaty
Of 1861. the federal government hxed the Arknn-
sas river the northern boundary OF the Indian
country for the tribes OF the Southwestern
plaics and guaranteed that white hunters should
no; cross that stream. But they did.
Kan. sprang into existence and became the out
fitting point and center of activity OF the hide
hunters who with their biz Sharps buffalo guns
were constantly invading the red mans country
BY the -pring OF 1874 the slaughter had been
so great that the buffalo had been virtually
wiped out near Dodge City. So A. c. Myers who
was In the general merchandise business In
Dodge. organized expedition 10 establish n
trading post farther south where the hunters
could get their supplies and TO which they would
tring their buffalo hides which Myers would
freight hack 10 the Kansas hide capital Form
Ing a partnership with Fred Leonard and accom-
panied by a party OF 20-odd frontIersmen, Myers
set out for the forbidden Indian country.
Among the members OF the party were Jim
Hanrahan. an old buffalo hunter who was going
along to open a saloon at the new trading post !;
Thomas o'Keefe a blacksmith: and two young
buffalo hunters destined for future fame--BIlly
Dixon and Bat Masterson. After a Journey OF
1J0 miles the expedition reached spot on the
south fork OF the Canadian where stood the
ruins OF an old trading post. known Adobe
Walls which had been built by William Bent
and Ceran St yrain. some time before 1910.
A mile so farther on, In a broad valley where
there a pretty stream called East Adobe
Walls creek Myers and his companions unloaded
their wagons and set about establishing the sec
famous than the first
Myers and Leonard built a picket house. %
by GO feet In size; Hanrlhan put up a sod house,
25 by Co and O'Keefe opened his blacksmith
shop in a picket structure. - feet square. My
ers and Leonard also built stockade corral by
setting big cottonwood logs on end In the ground.
A short time later. Rath and Wright leading
merchants OF Dodge City, decided to establish
a branch store at Adobe Walls and built sod
house 16 by 20 feet leaving James Langton In
charge OF tie new business there To Adobe
Walls also came William Olds and his wife to
open restaurant
For several years the Indians had been watch
ing with increasing alarm the wasteful saugh-
ter OF the buffalo by the white hunters. So
when In the spring OF 1874 Comanche medi-
cine man named Isatai announced that he had
q new medicine which would enable them to