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Published: December 16th 2006
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Taovaya Bridge
Looking South on the Oklahoma side to the Promise Land TEXAS and FM 677. This Bridge is not on the NEW TEXAS Road map?? TAOVAYA INDIAN Tour
2001 Honda ST1100 TAOVAYA INDIAN TOUR
December 16, 2006
Taovaya Indians was a band of the Wichita’s that occupied both sides of the Red River in the early 1700’s. They were farmers and Buffalo hunters, trading with the Comanche for horses and the French for guns.
In October 1759 Col. Diego Ortiz Parrilla, commander of San Saba Presidio, organized a punitive campaign with more than 600 men against a cluster of Wichita villages on the Red River anchored by the Taovaya’s. The Indians had constructed a split-rail fort with spaces between the rails for warriors inside to fire their guns. Outside the stockade (for which present-day Spanish Fort is named, although it was actually a Taovaya fort) they made a steep embankment, and beyond that dug a deep moat to prevent horsemen from nearing the walls of the fort. Inside the 130-by-80-yard fortress, the Taovaya’s had dug four large underground rooms to shelter noncombatants. Ortiz encountered this imposing structure. The Taovaya’s, who had skirmished with Ortiz earlier, protected themselves in the fort, laughing at the Spanish and daring them to try to enter. Indians opened fire from behind the walls, and mounted warriors charged out of the fort at the Spanish line. The battle lasted four hours before Ortiz fell back after nightfall. The fort’s defenders obviously had an unlimited amount of ammunition, and Ortiz’s Apache scouts could find no approach to the walls. The Taovaya’s showed greater discipline under fire than his own militiamen and outnumbered him as well, as other Wichita groups sent warriors to aid their kinsmen. Ortiz left the battlefield so quickly that he abandoned two pieces of artillery, which the Wichita’s kept as trophies.
The wind is blowing from the South with gust up to 40 mph but, its time for another RT and ST adventure, on the Texas Two Lanes, of sightseeing and eating with the most important thing eating. It seems like every ride is center on where we are going to eat.
We get this ride started with a little fog and streets that appear to have been rained on, after bolting on some Highway Pegs on old RT. The fastest get a way is West on I-30 then North on Riverside to the surface streets, North Main and then FM 156. Blue Mound is the first community we pass through and it is named after a locate hill called Blue Mound. Haslet, named after the contractor’s home town in Michigan that built the tracks for the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway through the area. The construction of the Santa Fe railway to Purcell, Oklahoma from Fort Worth created communities of Justin, Ponder and Krum. In 1900 the railroad shipped at least half a million bushels of wheat, prompting the claim that Krum was the “largest inland grain market in the world.”
We take a break in downtown Krum at the local convenience store for a warm up and hot chocolate. North of Krum FM 2450 takes us through the ranch land with some very large ranch houses and even a collection of early 50’s GMC and Chevrolet pickups lined up on the fence row. Highway 51 North takes us to FM 922 West and Era. The community was named after Era Hargrave, daughter of an early settler in the 1850s. We are enjoying the rolling hills and large ranch estates, turning North on FM373.
Two Harley riders are already stopped by the flagman at the resurfacing project on FM 373, when we roll up behind for a little unplanned rest stop. The pilot car escorts the South bound traffic by us then makes a u-turn to lead us through the one lane work zone at a very safe speed. Our tires are marked with fresh oil from this project for most of the ride.
Muenster is located on U.S. Highway 82 fifteen miles west of Gainesville in west central Cooke County, named for the capital of Westphalia, Germany. It was established as a German Catholic colony in 1889 by the Flusche brothers, land agents.
The German heritage supports at least three restaurants serving some very good food to locals and us tourist. Our lunch of German potato salad, sausage and sauerkraut fueled us for the ride home, now it was time for some fuel for the rides. It takes a little over ten (10) gallons of High Test (91R+M/2) to fill both bikes so we can continue West on US 82 to Saint Jo.
Located on the square in Lovely downtown Saint Jo is the Chisholm Trail Mercantile, a local motorcycle supply hangout. The proprietor suggest we take a little detour up FM677 to see the Bridge then take FM2953 West to FM103 then South to Nocona. What a surprise, I can not find this bridge on any of my maps. The road takes us on the ridge overlooking the Mountain Creek valley then into the Red River valley. The Bridge, about a quarter of a mile on concrete marked for two lanes but, wide enough for four, has a sign with just TAOVAYA. Oklahoma highway 89 starts at the North end of the bridge, and takes you to Ringling.
FM 2953 takes us West on the south bank of the Red River, past Lake Nocona then, FM 103 takes us into Nocona. Settlement there began in 1870s, when William Broaddus and D. C. Jordan moved 15,000 cattle into the region and established a ranch not far from the present town site. In 1887 surveyors from the Gainesville, Henrietta and Western Railroad arrived and were persuaded by Jordan to extend their rail line across his land. He pledged to donate land for a town site, and soon thereafter construction of the railroad and town began. At first the new community was called Jordanville; but when the name was rejected, a Texas Ranger suggested the name Nocona in memory of Peta Nocona, a chief of the Comanche’s and husband of Cynthia Ann Parker.
Texas 175 South takes us to Montague, seat of Montague County. They have been working on the Court House in the last couple of years but it still appears to need some finish work?
We are on our way home, with the Sun setting before 6:00PM in the middle of December, we head South East on FM 455. More rolling hills and large ranches looking more like the cross timbers area of Texas.
Forestburg was originally named Forest Hill but the Post Office rejected the name because that name was already used. The General Store is original, well stocked, and we hear serves a great Hamburger.
The closer we get to Krum on FM 455 then FM 1173, the less open land we see. The area is under development by new home builders and mobile homes, all the way down FM156 to Fort Worth.
The Sun is through for the day and so are we. We mix in with traffic on I-820 back to our garages near the banks of Village Creek, just south of the West Fork of the Trinity River. Another great ride with a lot of good old Texas Two Lanes, beautiful countryside, good food, and a little time to enjoy. Thank the Good Lord again for this blessing and God Bless Texas.
©hiramgj@2007
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Mickej
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Good History!
That old saying is true..."You nevery get too old to learn"! I DID get some good-history-larnin' on this trip :o) Also, wish I'd been in Muenster with you to eat some of that great German food!!