In This Vicinity June 24, 1841, Captain John Coffee Hays
Utopia, Uvalde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In this vicinity June 24, 1841, Captain John Coffee Hays and his Company of 12 Rangers assisted by thirty Mexicans under Captain Flores encountered ten Comanche Indians and killed eight and captured the other two and none of the Rangers were killed and but one wounded. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In June 1841, near this spot in the rugged hill country of the young Republic of Texas, Captain John Coffee Hays led a small company of Texas Rangers, aided by allied Mexican fighters under Captain Flores, in a sharp clash with a band of Comanche warriors. Such encounters were the grim, constant reality of a contested frontier where Rangers, settlers, and Comanche bands fought for control of the land. The State of Texas marked the site in 1936.
Why it matters
John Coffee Hays became the archetype of the Texas Ranger, and skirmishes like this one defined the violent frontier struggle between expanding Anglo-Texan settlement and the Comanche who had long dominated the region.
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Related people
- · John Coffee Hays
- · Captain Flores
Themes & tags
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