The Four Sixes Ranch | Samuel Burk Burnett | Tom Burnett | Anne Valliant Burnett Tandy | Anne W. Marion
The Big House | Oil and the Four Sixes | Horses of the Four Sixes | The Four Sixes Cattle
Four Sixes Supply House | Burk Burnett's Private Rail Car and The Burnett Buggy | End of the Open Range
Managers | Quanah Parker and Burk Burnett | Quanah Parker | M.B. Loyd

Quanah Parker

Provided by Leaders of the Comanche Nation

The man known today as Quanah Parker came from a place in time and culture where surnames were unknown. The identity of a man was conveyed in a single word, in this case “Quanah.” Family oral traditions indicate that Quanah was an Anglo aberration of the word “Kwihnai,” which translates as “eagle” in the Comanche language.

Like the eagle, Quanah was a warrior and leader, and he possessed the vision to take his people from the life of freedom on the Southern Plains to adapt to a new order in captivity. The association that grew between the eagle of the Comanche and the cattlemen of Texas is a part of our history that seldom receives the attention it deserves.

The story of the unique friendship that grew between Quanah and the Burnett family is addressed in the exhibition of cultural artifacts that were given to the Burnett family from the Parker family. The presentation of a cultural relic as significant as Quanah’s war lance was not done lightly. It is a clear indication of the high esteem to which the Burnett family was regarded by the Parkers. The correspondence that exists between Quanah and Samuel Burk Burnett and his son, Tom Burnett, provides a clear picture of a relationship of mutual admiration and respect that existed between these legendary figures.

Very little is known of the early life of Quanah prior to 1875. Sometime around 1850, Quanah came into this world the son of a Comanche war chief, Peta Nocona. Quanah’s mother, Cynthia Ann Parker, had been taken in an infamous raid on Parker’s Fort at the headwaters of the Navasota River in the Republic of Texas on May 19, 1836. Cynthia Ann was 9 years old when taken captive and quickly adapted to the Comanche way of life.

Quanah was the oldest of three children born to Peta Nocona and Cynthia Ann. On December 18, 1860, after almost 25 years with her Comanche family, Cynthia Ann was recaptured by Texas Rangers during an attack on a Noconi camp on the Pease River. Accounts indicate that Cynthia Ann was grief-stricken and morose at the separation from her husband and sons. The young daughter, “Prairie Flower,” was with Cynthia Ann at the time of her capture, but died within three years of captivity. After failed attempts to return to her Comanche family and years of anguish, Cynthia Ann died in 1870.

Texas Rangers had reported that they killed Peta Nocona during the raid on the Noconi camp, but it was not so, according to Quanah, who said he was away with his father at the time of the raid and his mother’s recapture. Quanah also said he assisted in his father’s burial years later on the banks of the Canadian River.

The historical record mentions little of Quanah until his presence in the attack on the buffalo hunters at Adobe Walls on June 27, 1874. Fragmented information exists indicating Quanah had interactions with the Apache at about this time.

This association undoubtedly was in connection with acquiring peyote religion and may have involved Quanah taking an Apache wife. This union was short-lived at best. The exquisite Apache dress, bag and staff in the exhibit may be a remnant of this time in Quanah’s early adult life.

With the buffalo nearly exterminated and having suffered heavy loss of horses and lodges at the hands of military assault, Quanah was one of the leaders to bring the Quahada (antelope band) of Comanches into Fort Sill during late May and early June 1875. This brought an end to the nomadic life of freedom on the southern plains and the beginning of the adjustment to a life in captivity.

Quanah was to make many adjustments during his life on the “white man’s road.” One such adjustment was regarding grazing rights on Comanche lands. Originally, Quanah, like many of his contemporaries, was opposed to the opening of tribal lands for grazing by Anglo ranching interests. However, Quanah changed his position and soon forged close relationships with a number of Texas cattlemen such as Charles Goodnight and the Burnett family.

As early as 1880, Quanah was working with these new associates in building his own herds. In 1884, due largely to Quanah’s efforts, the first “grass” payments for grazing rights on Comanche, Kiowa and Apache lands became a reality. It is during this time period that the bonds between Quanah and the Burnett family grew strong.

The next 27 years would witness a great many historic events played out against the backdrop of this special friendship. The building of “Star House,” Quanah’s large frame home bearing the inverted white stars signifying his rank, is largely attributed to the efforts of Burk Burnett. Appearances by Quanah at the Fort Worth Fat Stock Show and other public events with a large group of warriors was at special request of the Burnetts. The “Parade” lance depicted in the exhibit was usually carried by Quanah at these public gatherings.

The wolf hunt with President Theodore Roosevelt is one of the more well-known events shared by Quanah and the Burnetts. Not as well known is the fact that Mr. Burnett assisted his friend, Quanah, in the purchase of the granite headstones needed to mark the final resting place for Quanah’s mother and baby sister when their remains were moved home to Oklahoma from Texas.

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