The Old Buffalo Road
(About 100 yards to the west)
Named for its traffic in buffalo hides and bones, this North Texas road gave subsistence to pioneers while aiding in mass “harvest” of the American bison. As long as buffalo survived (providing food, shelter and clothing) the Indians were lords of the Plains. Recognizing this, the authorities encouraged hunting, Harvested hides were take to market over this road.
The buffalo and Indians gone, permanent settlers arrived. In adverse years (while a man tried to get a start at farming, ranching or storekeeping), bones were salvaged and sold for grocery or seed money.
This old road was routes of hundreds of wagons taking buffalo hides to market before 1878 and hundreds of wagons taking bones to Wichita Falls and Henrietta before 1890. The road came east from the Plains, near south line of Foard and Wilbarger counties to Guide Mound, then three miles east (near this marker) and south to Wichita River bridge; then to the county line three miles west of Holliday, and south of Lake Wichita, then crossed at the old Van Dorn Crossing five miles south of Jolly. Pioneers also called it “Great North” Road of “Good Creek” Road. It proved invaluable to economy and mapping of area. (1970)
I took this shot four and a half years ago on a quick swing through North Texas, following an urge to visit some of the locations used in "The Last Picture Show." I'm sure the text on this marker sunk in at the time, but revisiting it now, it's somewhat breathtaking to read how matter of factly this history of genocide is related. The only nod to the fact this was a deliberate extermination of a people and their way of life is the quotation marks around the word "harvest."
Submitted by Dan Brekke
2023.04.22