Kiowa Mythology & Mysterious Origins

Dearest Irish (Texas Devlins, Book 4) takes place mainly on the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache reservation in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) ca. 1876. A lot of my research for this book focused on the Kiowa Indians, a small part of which I’ll share with you today.

Kiowa myth tells of a creator being who summoned their ancestors into the world from a hollow cottonwood log. They emerged one by one until a pregnant woman got stuck in the log, preventing any others from getting out. Sounds painful! Fanciful perhaps, but this may be the Kiowa way of explaining why their numbers were so few compared to the Comanches and other tribes.

Another myth relates how a divine boy, child of the sun and an earthly mother, gave himself to the tribe as eucaristic offerings. As late as 1896, this tribal medicine was kept in Ten Grandmother bundles. Kiowa children grew up listening to these legends and many others, told by the old men and women of the tribe.

Three Kiowa Men ca, 1898; wikipedia, creative commons 2.0

During the 18^th and 19th centuries, the Kiowa Indians were one of the preeminent horse tribes of the southern Great Plains. Together with their Comanche and Kiowa-Apache allies, they held off white settlers and the frontier Army for decades. However, they were not always among the world’s greatest mounted warriors. Once, they were hunter-gatherers living in the northern Rockies, who had never laid eyes on a horse. Long before that, they may have dwelled in the desert southwest. Confused yet? Me too!

The Kiowas speak a language called Tanoan or Kiowa-Tanoan. Tanoan is also spoken by many of the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico, proving the two peoples were linked in the distant past. Yet, Kiowas trace their earliest known location to the headwaters of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers in western Montana. In the late 1890s, tribal elders still remembered northern tribes such as the Blackfeet, Arapaho, Gros Ventres and Shoshonis. How the Kiowas came to be in the far north remains a mystery. One theory is that they split off from their Pueblo roots and migrated northward to colder climes, only to reverse direction and return south eventually.

While living in the northern mountains, the Kiowas depended on dogs to pull travois and possibly sleds. They mainly hunted small game. According to legend, the tribe split over a dispute, one faction heading northwest (where to, no one knows) while the others moved southeastward across the Yellowstone. This group, destined to become the Kiowa tribe of recorded history, met and grew friendly with the Crow Indians, settling east of them in the Black Hills. The Crow apparently taught the Kiowa about life on the plains and intermarried with them, passing on cultural traditions.

Around 1765, the Kiowa obtained the “Tai-me,” a powerful fetish incorporated in the annual Sun Dance ceremony. They acquired horses, hunted buffalo and lived in hide tipis like other plains tribes. They carried personal medicine bundles and belonged to societies within the tribe. Elite among the men’s groups was the Koitsenko soldier society.

Chief Setangya (Sitting Bear), Called Satank, wearing sash with Koitsenko badge

Young boys started out as “Rabbits.” Girls and women also had their own special groups. Among them were the Old Women society and the exclusive Bear society, with only ten or eleven members.

The Kiowa were forced from the Black Hills by the Dakota Sioux as that tribe pushed westward. South of the Kiowa lived the Comanches, who were in turn forced southward. They had acquired horses early on and ranged deep into Mexico on their raids. As early as the 1730s, the Kiowa had also become superb horsemen and were raiding Spanish settlements.

The two tribes warred against each other for years, but around 1790 they made peace and became allies. From then on, they and the Kiowa-Apaches, a small band closely connected to the Kiowas, hunted and raided together. The Comanches ruled the Staked Plains and a large portion of Texas, a vast domain known as Comancheria, while the Kiowas roved southward along the Arkansas River.

This fierce confederation drove out other, weaker tribes and raided Spanish, Mexican and American settlements virtually unchallenged until the mid-1800s. They were after horses, goods they could use or trade, scalps and captives – also tradable at forts and towns along the frontier. Their cruelty toward those they captured or killed was notorious.

Texas militia and later the Texas Rangers fought to protect far-flung settlements, but it would take concerted efforts by the Army and tactics that were often as brutal as the Indians’ to finally defeat the Kiowa, Comanche and their allies. The death blow came on September 28, 1874, when troops of the 4^th Cavalry, under the command of Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie, attacked a string of Indian villages in Palo Duro Canyon, in the Texas panhandle. There was little loss of human life and the Indians escaped up the walls of the canyon, but Col. Mackenzie ordered his men to shoot most of the 1,400 captured Indian ponies. They also destroyed the Indians’ tipis and winter provisions.

Palo Duro Canyon, photo from dreamstime.com

Left afoot on the open prairie, without food and shelter, the tribes soon surrendered. They were confined on the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache reservation and guarded by the soldiers at Fort Sill, located in the shadow of the Wichita Mountains in southwestern Indian Territory. The Kiowa mainly settled near Rainy Mountain, which has since been made famous by N. Scott Momaday’s The Way to Rainy Mountain. Today, most Kiowas in Oklahoma still live in the same general vicinity.

There is so much more I’d like to tell you about the Kiowas’ life on the reservation – it wasn’t pleasant – their crafts, especially the beautiful bead work they’re known for, and their adaptation to the white world. However, I think I’ve gone on long enough. If you’d like to learn more about these proud people, here are a few of my favorite sources:

The Kiowa by Mildred P. Mayhall

Bad Medicine and Good, Tales of the Kiowas by Wilbur Sturtevant Nye

Carbine and Lance: The Story of Old Fort Sill by Wilbur Sturtevant Nye

Ranald S. Mackenzie on the Texas Frontier by Ernest Wallace

Lyn Horner is a multi-published, award-winning author of western historical romance and romantic suspense novels, all spiced with paranormal elements. She is a former fashion illustrator and art instructor who resides in Fort Worth, Texas – “Where the West Begins” - with her husband and a gaggle of very spoiled cats. As well as crafting passionate love stories, Lyn enjoys reading, gardening, visiting with family and friends, and cuddling her furry, four-legged children.

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/Y3aotC

Newsletter:  Lyn’s Romance Gazette http://eepurl.com/bMYkeX

Website:  Lyn Horner’s Corner 

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Texas Border Outposts: Part Two

Last month I talked about early Texas military posts. This month as promised, I'll share what I've learned about forts established later, between 1851 and 1867.

As settlers pushed farther west into land long the domain of Comanche, Kiowa and Apache tribes, confrontation escalated. The Indians conducted bloody raids, stealing horses and killing their owners, regarding them as intruders. Forts built in the 1840s were now behind the line of settlements. New posts were needed to protect ranchers, farmers and their families. The map below illustrates the Army's efforts to keep up with the ever advancing frontier.

Notice forts in southwest Texas, intended to quell Apache raids; forts to the north dealt
 mainly with Comanche, Kiowa, Arapaho and Southern Cheyenne raiders 

Forts built in 1851 include Fort Belknap in the north, Fort Phantom Hill farther south, and Fort Mason west of Austin, the state capitol. Fort Belknap stood in what is now Young County. At its height, this post was the largest on the Texas frontier. Headquarters of the Fifth Infantry, it was founded by Gen. William Goldsmith Belknap, commander of the Department of Texas at that time. The fort attracted many settlers, serving as a transpotation hub. Trouble inevitably developed between settlers and reservation Indians such as the Caddos and Anadarkos, leading to tragic events on both sides. Belknap was closed in 1859, but during the Civil War, Confederate troops battled Comanches and Kiowas in the area.

Note guardhouse & chimneys in background; photo by Pi3.124,
 creative commons 3.0 license 

Fort Phantom Hill was never given a legal name, being designated only as the "Post on the Clear Fork of the Brazos." Somehow it acquired its ghostly title, why I don't know. Lack of a good water source presented a problem. The post was only manned for three years. Shortly after the troops left in 1854, the fort burned down.

Fort Mason was named in honor of Lt. George T. Mason, who was killed near Brownsville during the Mexican-American War. Troops from Fort Mason fought numerous skirmishes with Indians, the most notable led by Lt. John Bell Hood, who later led Hood's Texas Brigade in the Civil War. The fort was commanded by Robert E. Lee from December 1860 until early 1861, when Lee chose to side with his native Virginia in the War Between the State. Fort Mason was sporadically used by Confederate troops, and was briefly occupied by portions of the 4th Cavalry after the war. It closed in 1869.

Forts Chadbourne, McKavett and Clark were established in 1852. Fort Chadbourne depended on Oak Creek for water, but this source was unreliable. Comanches caused trouble from time to time, but could be friendly on occasion. One Comanche woman who begged bread from the soldiers always wore a bonnet to hide her light hair. She was Cynthia Ann Parker. Like other Texas posts, Fort Chadbourne was periodically occupied by Confederates during the Civil War. Afterward, federal troops manned the fort for a short time while Fort Concho was being built. It later acted as a sub-post for Concho.

Located in the San Saba River valley, Fort Mckavett was constructed by soldiers stationed there, out of native stone like many Texas forts. Prior to the Civil War, the troops occasionally engaged in "punitive expeditions" against the Indian. McKavett was taken over by settlers during the war, and afterward they gave returning federal troops trouble. The Army reclaimed the post in April 1868. Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie took command in 1869, turning the 38th Infantry (African Americans) into one of the most efficient black units in the Army. Combined with other units, the 38th became part of the famed Buffalo Soldiers. During the 1870s, Fort McKavett provided scouts, troops and supplies for Mackenzie's war against the Comanche, Kiowa and other tribes. The fort remained in operation for 30 years, officially closing in June 1883.

Fort Clark Historic district; photo by Pi3.124
 creative commons 3.0 license

Fort Clark stayed open until 1946, longer than any other fort in Texas' western line of defense. One reason for its longevity was the location. Built on the west side of the Las Moras River, very near the river's head spring, the post stood in a valuable position between the Rio Grande and the Indian frontier. Like Fort Mckavett, it served as a source of troops and supplies during Mackenzie's campaigns in the 1870s. Fort Clark was put on "full defensive footing" following Col. Mackenzie's famous (infamous some might say) raid on Kickapoo and Apache strongholds some 60 miles inside Mexico. For nine years, the Army's Seminole-Negro Scouts were stationed at Fort Clark. After one harrowing action in which three of the scouts saved their commander from Comanches, all three were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

 Forts Davis, Lancaster and Stockton were established in 1854, 1855 and 1859 respectively. Their primary purpose was to protect travelers crossing the southwestern part of the state, and provide them a place to rest, Although abandoned during the Civil War and burned, likely by Indians, Fort Lancaster was used as a bivouacking area after the war. It was the scene of a major attack by 900-1200 Kickapoos and Lipan Apaches in December 1867. Troops of Company K, 9th Cavalry dug in and held off the attackers for three hours with only three casualties.

Fort Stockton was also burned and abandoned during the Civil War. Buffalo Soldiers rebuilt the fort in 1867 a few hundred yards from the original site. For a few years, the area was fairly peaceful. Then, in 1878 full blown war erupted, with Warm Springs Apache Chief Victorio leading the Indians. Troops from Fort Stockton and Fort Davis plus several sub-posts eventually put down the uprising. Like other posts, Fort Stockton spawned a town and, unlike others, this one flourished. Named St. Gall at first, the name was officially changed to Fort Stockton in an 1881 election.

Fort Davis National Historic Site; public domain

Before the establishment of Fort Davis in 1854, there was no military protection between Fort Clark and Fort Bliss. First built in Limpia Canyon, Fort Davis was vulnerable to sniper fire from above. When Texas seceded from the Union, Confederates took over the fort. However, Indian depredations increased, and Southern troops were defeated at Glorieta Pass in March 1862 by Union forces. In August of that year, federal troops returned to Fort Davis, but they evidently did not stay. The place deteriorated. In 1867 the post was reactivated and a new fort built on a broad plain outside the canyon. Fort Davis served as a base of operations during the Victorio War. The post closed in July 1891

Forts Concho, Richardson and Griffin, established in 1867, were the last three posts added to the western line of defense in Texas. They were closely intertwined during the early 1870s.

Fort Concho Officers Row; photo taken by author

Ideally located, Fort Concho was built at the confluence of the North and Middle Concho Rivers. Fish and game were plentiful. Westbound trails converged there en route to El Paso. Well built and preserved, much of the fort still remains. Militery actions were mainly defensive to begin with, but became more offensive when Col. Mackenzie arrived in September 1869. He began developing strategies he would employ against the Comanche nation over the next four years.

In 1871 Mackenzie was ordered to Fort Richardson, closer to the Staked Plains and the heart of Comancheria. Fort Richardson was located by Lost Creek, near present day Jacksboro in Jack County. The troopers performed escort duty for cattle herds heading north and fought Indians. Soon after Mackenzie's arrival, he led 600 troops out of Fort Richardson on a punitive expedition against the Kwahadi Comanches. He encountered swift attacks by War Chief Quanah Parker and his followers. On another occasion, he learned the only way to stop the Indians was by killing their horses, a grisly tactic he ordered his men to carry out after their decisive defeat of the tribes in Palo Duro Canyon on September 28, 1874.

Fort Griffin and the town it gave birth to were rough and tumble places. The town played host to gunmen, lawmen, gamblers and cowboys. Known as "The Flat," the town rivaled Fort Worth as a gathering place for cattle and hides. As with other such towns, the fort came first. Established as a replacement for Fort Belknap, it was built about 35 miles up the Clear Fork of the Brazos River from Belknap. Living conditions were terrible, with men sharing cramped shanties with poor ventilation and no bathing facilities, except for the nearby river. But they could fight Indians, and they did, serving in every decisive campaign against the Kiowas and Comanches.

Fort Richardson was abandoned in 1878, Fort Griffin in 1881, and Fort Concho in 1889, Portions of some of these legendary outposts still stand. The others are gone but not forgotten by Texans who love their history.

Texas Border Outposts: Part One

I just got these award badges from the Paranormal Romance Guild and MUST share them with you. thanks to everyone who voted for Decoding Michaela!

          

Now for Texas Forts!
Texans have long fought border wars of one kind or another. Early settlers often fought for their lives on their own, but later they came to depend on military forces for protection. The soldiers needed a home base where they could live and train for battle. Their posts, with the grand name of "Fort," were often sorry affairs at first, but they formed a line of defense against Indian raiders and Mexican troops.

A few individual Texas forts have been featured on Sweethearts of the West in the past. Today, I’d like to lay out for you the progression of forts across the state as pioneers moved west into country formerly home to the Comanche, Kiowa and Apache tribes.

The first to erect forts were the Spaniards, who built missions and towns in south and southeast Texas. They protected their settlements with walled fortresses (presidios.) Most famous was San Antonio, once called Bexar, with its legendary Alamo.

However, as more and more American colonists flooded in, they established far-flung ranches and small towns that were vulnerable to Indian attack. Formal military protection didn’t exist at first, and colonists had to protect themselves as best they could. This is why the Texas Rangers originally came into existence.

Some early colonists built their own forts. One example is Fort Parker, established in 1834 near the Brazos River by Reverend Daniel Parker and his followers. Fort Parker is infamous because of a Comanche raid in 1836 that resulted in many deaths and the abduction of several white women and children. Among them was 9-year-old Cynthia Ann Parker who grew up to marry Chief Peta Nacona and give birth to Quana Parker, last of the Comanche chiefs to surrender.

Fort Parker; public domain, Wikipedia commons

During and shortly after the Mexican-American War (1846-48) U.S. forts were built along the Rio Grande River. Oldest of these was Fort Brown, sometimes called the “Grande Dame” of Texas Forts. Established in 1846 across from Matamoros, Mexico, it was named after Major Jacob Brown, who died there after losing a leg to Mexican artillery. Fort Brown remained in service for almost a century.

Siege of Fort Brown; Wikipedia commons; public domain

From 1848 to 1849, a chain of forts were built between the Rio Grande and north Texas to ward off attacks by Comanche, Kiowa and their allies. First, several companies of state militia were assigned to temporary camps. These were Connor’s Station in southern Navarro County, Ross’ Station on the North Bosque River, likely in McLennan County, McCulloch’s Station on Hamilton Creek in present day Burnett County, Medina Station in Medina County, Fredericksburg in Gillespie County, and in Austin, where two companies were stationed.

These camps proved woefully inadequate to protect settlers, prompting the United States Army to build the first forts manned by federal troops. They are as follows:

n      Fort Worth on a bluff above the confluence of the Clear Fork and West Fork of the Trinity River, giving rise to the city of Fort Worth (where I live)

n      Fort Graham on the east bank of the Brazos River in Hill County

n      Fort Gates on the north bank of the Leon River in Coryell County

n      Fort Croghan on Hamilton Creek in Burnett County

n      Fort Martin Scott in Gillespie County, 2 miles south of Fredericksburg

n      Fort Lincoln on the west bank of Seco Creek in Medina Cnty.

n      Fort Inge on the east bank of the Leona River in Uvalde Cnty.

n      Fort Duncan on the east bank of the Rio Grande at today’s Eagle Pass

Also in 1849, the Army erected Fort Bliss in far west Texas, where El Paso now stands. to defend against the Apaches. More posts were built on Texas’ southern border: Fort McIntosh at Laredo and Fort Ringgold (or Ringgold Barracks) at Rio Grande City (also called Davis’ Landing.)

Next month, I will talk about the second line of defensive forts as settlers move ever westward across Texas.

MIXING FACT AND FICTION

                                            A Real Hero who helped my Fictional Hero

Those of us on this blog write fiction. Several of us write both contemporary and historical fiction, but we each write books set in the West. As my fellow authors have done, I have carefully researched my works. But then, I love reading reference material when it’s about my favorite subject. ☺ In researching for, HIGH STAKES BRIDE, which is releasing this week, I came across an historic hero who lived and worked in the area of Texas in which I live. Normally, I only use fictitious names in my works, but in this instance, I had my hero Zach Stone interact with this real-life hero, Brit Johnson.

John Wayne in "The Searchers"

“The Searchers” is the John Ford movie starring John Wayne and based on the novel by Allen LeMay,  whose story in turn was inspired by actual events detailed in Gregory Michno's "The Search for the Captives of Elm Creek." In “The Searchers,” a white man searches for his niece captured by Indians. Western Writers of America voted “The Searchers” the No. 1 Western of all time. In Weider History Group special issue of 100 Greatest Westerns, the movie ranks No. 7. Many people believe the movie is based on the search for Cynthia Ann Parker, but it's about another captured girl, and the movie doesn’t begin to tell the exciting real story.

The actual Elm Creek Raid “searcher” on whom the movie was based is Brit Johnson, a black man who hunted for his wife and children. His quest and recovery of his family as well as other victims kidnapped in that raid is the stuff of legends. As a result, there are at least three or four versions of the story. Here is my compilation of what I consider the most likely way the story happened.

Brit was born about 1840 in Tennessee or Kentucky. He was a slave of Moses Johnson, who came to Texas as part of Stephen F. Austin’s 300. Moses Johnson had intended to free Brit, but both agreed that the hassle incurred by freedmen of color in the south and southwest was too great. Instead, Brit worked as Moses’ ranch foreman and could come and go as he wished. On October 13, 1864, Brit had gone into Weatherford for winter supplies along with Allen Johnson and other ranchers and farmers.

Little Buffalo and seven hundred braves were also riding. Usually waiting for a full moon to raid, this time in broad daylight they swept down both banks of Elm Creek, killing and raping, burning houses and barns full of the summer's crops. They stole most of the horses and some of the cattle, killing or stampeding the rest. Among the first houses surrounded by the Comanche was that of Mrs. Elizabeth Fitzpatrick. She was there with her son, Joseph, 12, and her adult daughter, Susan Durgan, along with Susan's children, 3 year old Charlote "Lottie," and 18 month old Millie Jane. Britt's wife, Mary, and their three children were also there. Susan, who had run outside with a gun, was stripped, raped, and mutilated in the yard. Britt's son was killed and the others kidnapped.

Many wanted to ride after their loved ones, but chasing 700 Comanche was not the wisest option. They spent the winter rebuilding homes and sewing crops. Then, Brit Johnson went after his wife and daughters. He trailed Comanche and found a campsite. Here being a black man helped. On this trip he first traded for horses, recognizing two as those taken from near his home, one from Thomas Hamby and the favorite mare of Elizabeth Fitzpatrick. When he saw Mrs. Fitzpatrick, he pretended disinterest until he could ask the ally he'd made, Chief Milky Way, to trade for her on his behalf. He returned Mrs. Fitzpatrick to her home, with her riding her own mare.

Brit would not rest until he had recovered his wife, Mary, and their two children. In return for being rescued, Elizabeth Fitzpatrick committed part of her wealth to helping recover other kidnap victims from the Indians. She hoped to recover Lottie and Millie Jane. Financed by Elizabeth Fitzpatrick and Allen Johnson, Brit made three more trips into Indian Territory that summer as he slowly tracked down and purchased surviving captives from the Elm Creek Raid of October, 1864.

On his fourth trip, Britt again enlisted the aid of Chief Milky Way aka Chief Asa-Havie. The chief sent with Brit two trusted braves to bargain with the Kiowa, who were rumored to have some black captives. At the time Brit did not know if they were the ones he was seeking, but it turned out they were. Britt Johnson eventually recovered every other captive except Millie Durgan, who was supposedly sold and adopted into the tribe. Though her fate was not learned until over sixty years later, she lived a full and happy life as the adopted daughter of a chief. Poor Elizabeth Fitzpatrick never learned whether her granddaughter lived or died, but went to her grave believing Millie Jane was waiting to be rescued..

The photo above is of the woman many believe to be Millie Jane Durgan. The photo was taken when she was 69. She is the one member of the Elm Creek Raid who was not recovered. According to the researchers, Millie was adopted  by Chief Au-Soat-Sai-Mah and given the name Sain-Toh-Oodie (killed with a blunt arrow) by her godfather and concealed from whites by her foster parents. When asked about her, the tribe replied she had died of starvation the first winter. In reality, she grew up pampered and happy as the only child of her foster parents. She married a brave named Goombi and had nine children. Mrs. Goombi is buried near Mountain View, Oklahoma.

Penateka Comanche Chief Milky Way, also
known as Chief Asa-Havie

In June 1865, Comanche Chief Asa-Havie paid a ransom for the black captives, rescued them, and took them to the Indian agent, who turned them over to Britt Johnson. By the time Johnson returned with his family, the Civil War was over and he truly was a free man. He had become famous for getting his family and others back from the Comanches, and he used his status to buy a wagon team and gain freight contracts. He moved his family to Parker County, where he set up his freight business. Johnson became quite successful, heading up wagon teams to haul freight between Weatherford and Fort Griffin. Government contracts went to his company because it was a government policy to favor business contracts with black freedmen. White businessmen gave him their business because his company was reliable and competitive. Not only that, the name Britt had become a local legend in North Texas. There was no shortage of work for their new company, and no shortage of friends in every community.

In 1867, the Federal government adopted a new so-called peace policy that guaranteed Indians on the Territory that the army would not arrest them if they were on the reservation. It could not punish any Indian for any crime without first obtaining permission from an Indian agent. The Indian agents, mostly Quakers, rarely gave that permission. The reservation had become a sanctuary for raiding that made the raids into Texas worse than ever before.

Britt Johnson died as heroically as he lived. On January 24, 1871, while he led a wagon train through Young County delivering supplies from Weatherford to Fort Griffin, a group of either five or twenty-five Kiowas, depending on the account, attacked the wagon train four miles to the east of Salt Creek. Johnson and the two other teamsters with him tried to defend the wagons, but there was little cover. Outnumbered, the teamsters put up a desperate fight. They killed their own horses and mules to make breastworks, bravely resisting to the end. When his two companions fell dead, Johnson desperately held back the attack using his dead horse for cover. After torturing, killing and scalping the men, and looting the wagons, the Kiowa headed toward their sanctuary in Indian Territory. When others, either soldiers from Fort Griffin or another set of teamsters depending on the account, found the site of this attack, they counted 173 rifle and pistol shells around the area where Johnson made his last stand. The men buried the mutilated bodies of Johnson and his men in a common grave next to the wagon road.

In HIGH STAKES BRIDE, I fictionally have Brit Johnson assist my hero, Zach Stone, rescue a boy kidnapped by the Kiowa. Later,the Paneteka Comanche who assisted Brit and Zach, comes to visit Zach at his home in what I hope is a moving farewell. Instead of Chief Milky Way, I made up the name White Eagle. I hope my taking liberty with the history in this instance translates into an enjoyable read. After all, that’s what authors strive for--entertaining our readers. Here’s the cover of that book:

It’s available in print and e-book. The ebook is at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/238238?ref=CarolineClemmons and soon will be available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, etc.

In Print at http://www.amazon.com/High-Stakes-Bride-Stone-Mountain/dp/1479253596/ref=sr_1_36?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348605394&sr=1-36&keywords=caroline+clemmons

For those who might be interested in a more realistic book on Brit Johnson’s life, here’s the trailer of KILLED BY INDIANS 1871:

But that is NOT what HIGH STAKES BRIDE is about. To prove it, here's the blurb:


Mary Alice Price is on the run from dangerous men. She had known that when her stepfather died, she would have to hurriedly escape her stepbrothers. Hadn’t she heard them promise her to the meanest man in Texas as payment for high stakes gambling losses? One misfortune after another devils her until she links up with Zach Stone. He looks sturdy as his last name and invites her to his ranch where his two aunts will chaperone them. She figures life finally dealt her a winning hand.

Zach Stone has the sweetest ranch in all of Texas, at least he thinks he does. All he needs is a wife to build his family of boys and girls to carry on his ranch and name. He’s been jilted and vows he will never even speak to a woman again unless she's a relative. Then he comes across Alice Price and comes up with a crazy plan. He’s figured everything out, and is sure nothing can go wrong with his plan.

But life holds many surprises for Alice and Zach...

Thanks for stopping by!


Sources:
http://www.historynet.com/letter-from-wild-west-april-2009.htm
http://www.abilenetexashistory.com/?p=118
http://www.danielnew.com/nigger-britt.shtml By Daniel D.New
http://celiahayes.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/relatively-unknown-heroes/
Michael E. McClellan, "JOHNSON, BRITTON," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fjo07), accessed September 25, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
Wikipedia
LONE STAR: A HISTORY OF TEXAS AND THE TEXANS, by T.R. Fehrenback