How far will I go? — reflecting on the establishment of our North Texas Frontier.

— End of week Four —

Richardson, Rupert N. The Frontier of Northwest Texas 1846-1876. Glendale, CA: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1963.

I have met with our “faculty advisor” Dr. Turner, and have received substantial information and names of authors who will definitely help me.

I’ve reached out to members of our faculty in the history department in order to set up meetings to help go through what information might be pertinent to our research when it comes to the Native American involvement here in Wichita Falls.

Anyway, today we are to once again document a source or piece of material that is to assist in our research. After reflecting over the information and feedback that was given to me during our previous session in class (Tuesday, Sept. 12) I have decided to dive into the supporting articles, reviews, and the book itself authored by Richardson titled, “The Frontier of West Texas.”

The main thesis found within this book (although I have not been able to read it in its entirety) is to establish a historical account of how the Lone Star State was established in regards to its borders and what land would be considered a part of the state as a whole for our Norther frontier. It is pretty evident that this book is not intended to be utilized or read by the average reader as noted by some of the reviews I found about the book itself; most people note that this book in deed provides an extensive amount of historical information as to how the Lone Star State grew or expanded in regards to the Northern part of Texas for scholarly use.

So all in all, it is an EXCELLENT secondary source that gives us a basis, or platform to establish the early beginnings of Northern Texas even if the time period discussed here is far from the 20th century I will be focusing on as a whole for the project. An interesting perspective to consider during this time period is how many Native people lived on this land before the Anglo or “white” individuals who later on migrated and settled in the land. Places such as Sherman, Dallas, Waco, Brownwood, San Angelo, Abilene, Grand Prairie and Wichita Falls. This area is the area of the focus in what we as Texans still consider as “Northern Texas.”

It’s also incredibly interesting to note that these individuals felt as if the most “threatening” groups of Native Americans or Indians who populated this land at the time (1846 – 1876) were actually NOT the Wichita (which is the focus or main Native group we have been scavenging for); it was in fact the Comanche Indians. The Comanche were in fact the group that was seen the most threatening during this time. So the way that I see this relevant to my project is understanding the change in people in general — over time — in Wichita Falls itself. The culture has clearly changed from Spanish influences to White – Anglo Americans being mixed in with Native American groups, all fighting for one thing: power and land.

I think that something that could definitely be benefited from this reading is to attempt to uncover where the changes of the Wichita Falls population came into play when it comes to the recording of our history. Terms that usually pop up into my mind when I think about life in Wichita Falls in this manner are words like cultural appropriation, Indigenismo, romanticism, racism, exploitation, manipulation, and so much more. I really like tying in these concepts with the progression of the forced removal and migration of the Wichita back during the Civil War, which occurred from 1861 – 1865, which curiously makes me wonder if the Comanche and the Wichita had conflicts  within themselves if they were BOTH present here in Wichita Falls and why our city’s history tends to appropriate just the Wichita…

I plan to spend the rest of my weekend to read more information and uncover more articles that may help, and possibly uncover any existing or pre – existing connections between the changes in migration from all the Native American groups, and the rest of the folks here in Wichita Falls.

Until next time, Maria.

Annotated Bibliography – a work in progress.

One thought on “How far will I go? — reflecting on the establishment of our North Texas Frontier.”

  1. Keep us updated on how the book you and Brad discovered comes into play in the future! I would also look into historical societies here in Wichita Falls. I’m not sure if there are any.

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