Quanah Parker was the chief of the Quahadi Comanches.  His people lived in various places in Central Texas and the Panhandle, and they were the last to leave Texas and resettle on a reservation in Indian Territory [present day Oklahoma].

The historians are unsure of Quanah Parker’s birthday but think he was born in 1850.  He was the son of Cynthia Ann Parker and Chief Peta Nocona of the Quahadi Comanches.  Cynthia Ann Parker, a white girl, had been captured by the Comanches in a raid on Parker’s Fort, Texas, in 1836.  She lived with the Comanches for the next 24 years.  Cynthia Ann was given an Indian name, Naduah (NAH-doo-uh).  She later married Chief Peta Nocona and had three children, one being Quanah.
In 1860 Cynthia Ann was recaptured by a group of Texas Rangers.  When the Rangers found her, they knew she was not an Indian.  Cynthia Ann and her daughter, Prairie Flower, were taken to live with one of Cynthia Ann’s uncles.  However, Cynthia Ann had been raised by the Comanche people and no longer felt a part of the white man’s world.  She never felt comfortable after returning to her uncle’s home, and she died in Anderson County, Texas, in 1864 shortly after the death of Prairie Flower.

Before the Comanches went to the reservation, Quanah Parker led his people in battles in both Texas and Mexico to protect their way of life.  He participated in many famous battles, including the battle of Adobe Walls in the Texas Panhandle in 1874.  The 4^th U.S. Cavalry led by Colonel Ranald Mackenzie chased Quanah and his people during the Red River campaign of 1874-1875.  Colonel Mackenzie sent Jacob J. Sturm to request their surrender of Quanah and his people.  Sturm found Quanah and delivered the message. Quanah rode to a canyon, where he saw a wolf come toward him, howl, and trot away to the northeast.  He believed this was a sign, and Quanah and his people surrendered to the U.S. Army at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, on June 2, 1875.

Through the support of the U.S. Army and his people, Quanah Parker became the chief of the Comanche people.  He became an influential leader and a successful rancher. He was known for “telling a good story” and had a good sense of humor.

Quanah died on February 23, 1911, and was buried next to his mother, Cynthia Ann Parker, at Ft. Sill Military Cemetery in Oklahoma.  Shortly before his death, he said, “Our people had to bend to survive, but we will never break!”

TEKS 4.4, 4.5, 4.22, and 4.23