KEY Magazine Fort Worth

All-American Peacemaker
by Don Patterson

Native Texans fondly recall their western heroes, paying homage in particular to early adventurers who helped establish the Lone Star State. Names like Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Jim Bowie, and Col. William B. Travis represent just a few of these time-honored celebrities. One of the most overlooked western heroes is a true Native American – Quanah Parker, the last chief of the Comanche's. Son of Chief Nocona and Cynthia Ann Parker, a captured white woman, Parker was an enigmatic figure who ultimately helped settle the Great Plains. His tribe roamed the area, living off vast herds of buffalo, fighting off the settlers and the American army. He never lost a battle to the white man and was never captured by the Army, but recognizing the futility of war, decided to surrender and merge his tribe with the white man's culture. Banished with his people to an Oklahoma reservation, Parker continued to lead his people in a transformation that became a permanent peace. He learned English, negotiated grazing rights with Texas cattlemen, invested in a railroad, became a reservation judge, lobbied Congress, and pleaded the cause of the Comanche Nation.

Fort Worth visitors can view an impressive statue of this warrior turned statesman. Created by sculptor, Jack Bryant, it stood for many years in Fort Worth's Cowtown Coliseum. It stands today near the entrance of the newly opened Marriott AmeriSuites Hotel in the historical stockyards district, serving as a reminder of the final peace forged between settlers and native Americans.

Parker's great-great grandson, Ben Tahmahkera, helped officiate, offering a prayer at the hotel's recent grand opening. Ben is duly proud of being a descendent of Quanah Parker. Like his great-great grandfather, Ben also has served as a peacemaker. He is currently retired from 27 years' service with the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department and the Mansfield, Texas, Police department. He serves on the Board of Directors for Economic Development of the Oklahoma based Comanche Tribe. Ben remembers Quanah Parker best for his willingness to forgive and to compromise. "He was a very good friend with the Burnetts, the Wagners, and many of the other early settlers,"Ben said. "He let them graze their cattle on his lands and allowed them safe passage. My great-great grandfather's story is a story of savagery, a story of gallant pioneers going against each other, and finally finding peace. It's a love story too, a tale of honor, trust, and mutual respect."

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