San Saba and the Penatuhkah Comanches
Following the treaty between John Meusebach and the Penatuhkah Comanches in the spring of 1847, the settlement of the land between the Llano and Colorado rivers certainly became less hazardous, but not totally without danger from encounters with Indians. An agreement between the settlers and the Penatuhkah Comanches did not bind other bands of Comanches much less other tribes. However, despite the Comanches’ great ability as mounted warriors, the sheer numbers and weaponry of federal troops, along with the destruction of the bison herds and infectious disease would eventually lead to loss of the Comanche’s domain in Texas. A major contributor to the demise of the Penatuhkah was the cholera epidemic of 1849, estimated to have killed half of the Penatuhkah band, including the great war chief, Santa Anna. But, in any event, by the mid 1870’s the last of the Comanches, the Kwahadi band led by the war chief, Quanah Parker, had been moved to their reservation in southern Oklahoma.
As the Comanche struggled to maintain their identity, culture and language on the reservation, their previous homelands in Texas changed at an ever more rapid pace. It seemed that the traditional sites culturally significant to the Penatuhkah were to be lost forever. However, not everyone was indifferent to this loss. In the early 1990s a group of citizens of the central Texas town of Santa Anna began exploring the idea of identifying and preserving sites which were of historic and cultural significance to the Penatuhkah Comanche. Their idea was not only to preserve such sites, but to develop them as a promotion of heritage tourism. Within a few years they had allied themselves with senior members of the Comanche Nation in Lawton, Oklahoma, toward this effort. They were joined by anthropologist, Professor Linda Pelon, an authority on the history of the Comanche, who was committed not only to the preservation of culturally significant sites, but also to reintroducing today’s Comanches to places of great importance to their ancestors. These efforts led in June 2019 to the establishment of the Penatuhkah Comanche Trails Partnership.
By 2025, some 11 communities in central Texas had joined the partnership and were planning for the grand opening of the trail. San Saba was one of those communities, with the 1847 treaty site being one point on the trail and another an Indian smoke signaling location east of San Saba on 5-mile hill. The San Saba County Historical Commission was designated as San Saba’s voting member. In late April of 2026, the grand opening of the Trail was held at Town Center Park in Early, Texas. Representatives from the Comanche Nation gave presentations on Comanche history, music, dance and culture. A symbolic steel tepee was blessed by Comanche elders and a Marker Tree was planted and oriented toward the location in San Saba County of the 1847 treaty negotiations. This trail through Central Texas provides a window into an important piece of our and Penatuhkah history. More information about the trail can be found on the website, https://pctp-tx.com.