Van Dorn Trail
Iowa Park, Wichita County, Texas
Marker Inscription
First important wagon road in Wichita County. Blazed by Brevet Major (later general) Earl Van Dorn in September 1858 with 200 men of the crack 2nd U.S. Cavalry. Just ahead of him went young L. S. "Sul" Ross (Governor of Texas 1887-91, and president of Texas A & M College, 1891-98) with 100 Indian scouts from the Brazos reservation. Loyal Tonkawa Chief Placido guided Ross and his party. After opening the trail, Van Dorn camped on Otter Creek, in present Oklahoma, for over a year. He routed the Comanches in a battle near Rush Springs (70 miles east), although he and Ross were wounded in the fighting. In 1859 Van Dorn won another decisive victory over the Comanches in Ford County, Kansas; famous persons in this battle were Kirby Smith (later a noted Confederate general) and Fitzhugh Lee (later governor of Virginia). They had recently ridden up the west branch of the trail. The 15-army wagons which brought supplies to the men leveled a trail much used by pioneer settlers who came afterward. The trail ran from Fort Belknap, near Newcastle, Texas, to Camp Radzminski on Otter Creek, north of Frederick, Oklahoma. At Van Dorn Crossing the road branched off to Montague County for supplies. (1969)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In September 1858, Brevet Major Earl Van Dorn led 200 troopers of the elite 2nd U.S. Cavalry across this stretch of North Texas, blazing the county's first important wagon road as he pushed toward Comanche country. Ahead rode young "Sul" Ross with 100 reservation scouts guided by the loyal Tonkawa chief Placido. The campaign that followed brought sharp fighting near Rush Springs and later victories in Kansas, and the trail's deep ruts, cut by army supply wagons, later guided pioneer settlers into the region.
Why it matters
The Van Dorn Trail marks the collision of the U.S. Army, Native nations, and westward-moving settlers on the Texas frontier in the tense years before the Civil War.
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Related people
- · Earl Van Dorn
- · Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross
- · Chief Placido
Related events
- · Battle near Rush Springs
Themes & tags
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