The 1865 Indian Creek Raid
Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
During the late 1850s Indians on the north Texas frontier became increasingly restive about continued white settlement on their lands. As a result, numerous attacks on Anglos occurred during the years form 1859 to 1875. One such incident took place in Sept. 1865 near this site when 15 mounted Indians attacked two Denton County residents by the names of Smith and Wright. Wright was killed, and Smith, wounded by an arrow, rode to Denton for help. Within a short time, Smith died from blood poisoning caused by his wound. (1983)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
As Anglo settlement pushed into the north Texas frontier in the mid-1800s, Native peoples grew increasingly determined to defend their lands, and raids and reprisals flared from 1859 into the 1870s. In September 1865, fifteen mounted warriors attacked two Denton County men near this spot; Wright was killed outright, and Smith, struck by an arrow, rode to Denton for help only to die of blood poisoning from the wound.
Why it matters
The raid is one small episode in the long, violent contest over the Texas frontier, where the westward advance of settlers collided with Native peoples defending their homelands.
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Related events
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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