First Gravesite of Cynthia Ann Parker
Brushy Creek, Anderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Captured from Ft. Parker by Indians, 1836. Recaptured by Texas Rangers in 1860. Mother of Quanah Parker, war chief of Comanches. First buried here. Reburied in Post Oak Cemetery, Okla., 1910. Reburied Ft. Sill Post Cemetery, Okla., 1957. Recorded --1969
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Cynthia Ann Parker was captured as a child during an 1836 raid on Fort Parker and grew up among the Comanche, marrying a chief and raising a family fully within Comanche life. Recaptured by Texas Rangers in 1860, she was torn from the only world she knew and never adjusted, while her son Quanah Parker became the last great Comanche war chief. First buried at this spot, her remains were moved twice more before final rest at Fort Sill.
Why it matters
Her life bridged two peoples during the violent collision of Anglo settlement and Comanche power on the Texas frontier, and through her son Quanah it links directly to the closing of the Southern Plains.
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Related people
- · Cynthia Ann Parker
- · Quanah Parker
Themes & tags
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