Archeological Sites at Mackenzie Reservoir and Tule Canyon

The horses killed near here in 1874 belonged to Comanche, Kiowa and Cheyenne families, peoples now represented by the Comanche Nation, the Kiowa Tribe and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. Mackenzie's Fourth Cavalry camped at the head of Tule Canyon that September and skirmished in the canyon on September 26. On September 29, the day after the attack in Palo Duro Canyon, troops back at the Tule camp shot more than 1,000 captured horses. Left on foot and short of supplies, the warriors began drifting back to the reservations. The bones lay here for years as a Panhandle landmark.

What the plaque says

Archeological Sites at Mackenzie Reservoir and Tule Canyon Before this area was covered by Mackenzie Reservior, evidence of human occupancy was found at 77 recorded archeological sites. The earliest artifacts date back 10,000 years to a bison kill. Prehistoric occupancy is indicated by burial sites, shallow hearths, and stone tools. Gun flints, glass beads, and metal objects confirm 18th century European contact. By 1874 Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie's 4th Cavalry had driven the Indians from the Tule Canyon area which had been a lush grazing ground for buffalo and antelope. (1979)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway — 24 mi
  Red canyons below the Caprock escarpment where the Texas State Bison Herd, descended from calves Mary Ann Goodnight saved in 1878, has right of way on the park roads.

More markers nearby

• Two Miles North of Here — 7.5 mi
• Vigo Park Methodist Church — 7.9 mi
• Site of Celtic Post Office — 8.5 mi
• First Baptist Church of Silverton — 9.1 mi