Heritage, Volume 12, Number 2, Spring 1994 Page: 10
30 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Bullet holes, names, slogans, and other graffiti at rock art sites around the state are common. This degradation denies these priceless works of art to future generations.
rancher hinted of an unusual rock that had
been of interest to him for some time. It lay
on a grassy hillside above the dry creek
previously mentioned and exhibited an
inscription that was of interest to me since
I was then working on a magazine article
about rock art in the southern plains of
Texas. Following up on his invitation to
photograph the possible petroglyph, I met
him one cold winter morning and drove
through the trackless mesquite tree and
buffalo grass plain to the site. In silent
reverence I stood and observed the bust of
a deer or perhaps elk in the two feet high
rock. As dawn gave way to sunrise, I began
photographing the stone and its mysterious
artwork. Was this the work of a bored
cowboy or settler in earlier days? These
thoughts haunted me for weeks as I awaited
word from a rock art specialist in Santa Fe,
New Mexico. Finally the word came that it
was probably the original work of neolithic
Native-Americans. Again the Texas plains
revealed a priceless treasure from yesteryear.
Along the canyonlands of the easternedge of the Llano Estacado, lies an incredible
maze of hidden pockets in which the
Comanche and Kiowa Indians often retreated
for self defense or perhaps protection
against the elements. Despite the
lowering of the Ogallala water table by
current farming practices, springs still
emerge from the deep canyon recesses, offering
cool sweet water to thirsty mule deer
and cattle loitering along the stream beds.
A couple of years ago a friend and I were
engaged in photographing one of these
picturesque canyons in the late spring
season. The warm temperatures were
magnified by the sandstone cliffs rising 300
feet above our camp, so we were constantly
on vigil for shortcuts to our campsite. One
hot day we had ascended to the highest rim
of the canyon and peered down on our
camp, a mere dot on the canyon floor. Not
wanting to take a circuitous route to camp,
we carefully picked our way to a vertical
cliff that appeared to be the obstacle that
would halt our descent. I had almost decided
to return to the canyon rim and takethe long way to camp when Knute, my
companion, called out below. Descending
to his location, I was amazed to see, cut
deep into the vertical cliff, ancient footholds
leading to a shelf and safe passage to the
canyon floor. After negotiating a relatively
easy trail to camp, we sat for some length
speculating about why the ancient ones
had taken the time to cut the string of toe
holes in the rock facing. Perhaps they were
made to create a short cut to the springs
below or even as an escape route out of the
canyon in a time of battle; we could only
speculate the reasoning as to why the time
was devoted to this chore.
Approximately 30 miles to the north
lies the canyon that symbolizes the last
days of the Comanche reign. Palo Duro,
the Grand Canyon of the Plains, was a
winter refuge for the Comanche, Cheyenne,
and Kiowa Indians. An obscure trail led
into the canyon from the south rim and a
more gradual one from the plains off of the
northern rim. Flying over the confluence
of Cita Creek and the Prairie Dog Fork of10 HERITAGE * SPRING 1994
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 12, Number 2, Spring 1994, periodical, Spring 1994; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45413/m1/10/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.