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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The life of the iconic Comanche leader Quanah Parker |
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spanned the transition of his people from a traditional, nomadic |
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way of life to their acceptance of a settled existence in the late |
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19th century, and his leading role in this epic story is truly |
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deserving of special recognition; and |
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WHEREAS, Known as the "Lords of the Plains" for their |
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outstanding horsemanship, the Comanche were roving hunters and |
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gatherers who dominated the Southern Plains of North America, |
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including large portions of Texas; individuals lived together in |
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small bands and were free to join another group if they so desired; |
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although they once roamed the plains in numbers "like the stars," by |
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the mid-19th century the Comanche were threatened by the United |
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States policy of Manifest Destiny and the eradication by Anglo |
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American hunters of the bison, which were both the Comanche's main |
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food source and the center of their spiritual life; and |
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WHEREAS, Born either in Texas or Oklahoma sometime between |
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1845 and 1852, Quanah Parker was the son of Peta Nocona, a war chief |
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of the Noconi band of the Comanche, and Cynthia Ann Parker, who had |
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been captured by the Comanche while still a child and who adopted |
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their way of life, spending 25 years with the tribe; after his |
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father was killed and his mother captured in a fight with the Texas |
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Rangers in 1860, Quanah took refuge with the Quahada Comanche of the |
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Llano Estacado region; and |
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WHEREAS, Quanah Parker rose to become a powerful and |
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influential chief among the Quahada, and for years he led the |
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resistance to increased Anglo expansion in the Southern Plains; |
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under his direction, the Comanche eluded the Fourth United States |
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Cavalry in 1871 and 1872, but in 1874, an alliance of Comanche and |
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several other tribes under his leadership was defeated during a |
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raid at Adobe Walls in the Texas Panhandle; a year later, Quanah |
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Parker and the Quahada surrendered and settled on the |
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Kiowa-Comanche reservation in Oklahoma, where he was appointed as |
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the new chief of the tribe; and |
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WHEREAS, Leading by persuasion and example, Quanah Parker |
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helped his people come to terms with their new existence; he |
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promoted the creation of a ranching industry by working closely |
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with Anglo ranchers, and as part of that effort, he negotiated a |
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famous deal with the legendary Texas cattleman Charles Goodnight in |
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1878, permitting the JA Ranch to expand while providing beef for the |
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Comanche; a herd of surviving bison was allowed to continue roaming |
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the JA rangeland, and more than a century later, this arrangement |
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helped lead to the creation of the official State Bison Herd of |
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Texas, which now resides at Caprock Canyons State Park; and |
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WHEREAS, Quanah Parker's influence was also felt in other |
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areas; he was a strong proponent of schooling for Comanche children |
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and served on the tribal court and as the deputy sheriff of Lawton, |
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Oklahoma; in time, he became a very successful rancher in his own |
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right, and he remained a highly respected figure among the Comanche |
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until his death in 1911; and |
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WHEREAS, During one of the greatest social and cultural |
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shifts in American history, Quanah Parker served the Comanche |
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people first as a warrior and then as a statesman, helping them |
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retain their identity while adapting to a different way of life, and |
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he stands as a pivotal figure in the history of the Lone Star State; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate the second Saturday in September as Quanah Parker |
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Day; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section |
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391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect |
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until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally |
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passed by the legislature. |
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