The Texas Panhandle was occupied by the nomadic Southern Plains Indians until just after the Civil War. The Spanish claimed the area first, followed by the United States and then the Republic of Texas. However, they had not considered the Indians claim and the result was often hostile conflicts when the early Spanish and European-American settlers moved into this territory. The aggressions between both Indians and settlers would not end until 1876 when Quanah Parker surrendered and moved to the Fort Sill reservation in Oklahoma Territory.
Several Indian tribes occupied the area of the Texas Panhandle, Westward into Western Oklahoma, Eastward into New Mexico and Northward into parts of Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska. The largest of these tribes the Comanche also known as the Comancheria which was also the most powerful and hostile. The animosity between settlers and Indians often brought hostilities, followed by death to both sides. The greatest loss in the end perhaps was the loss of the Indians sovereignty over the area.
This was followed by a vast army of buffalo hunters seeking their valuable hides. Even before Quanah Parker’s surrender, smaller groups of hunters would encroach on the territory at great risk of life to hunt the buffalo. With out the Indians’ protection the buffalo was hunted to near extinction.
The void left a vast area of grass land and a new chapter in Texas history. It was the story of the Northwest Texas cattle kingdom and their huge ranches. As lands grew too small for open range to the North and the huge demand for beef in the East, the Texas Panhandle attracted cattle investors and cattlemen. Charles Goodnight is credited with the start of this migration into the Panhandle in 1876. Many followed and by the mid 1880’s there was over 40 large ranches consuming the Texas Panhandle.
The expansion of the ranching in the Texas Panhandle was also aided by the need for a new capital building in Austin. To raise money the Texas Legislature set aside 3,050,000 acres in the Panhandle for lease. It was a good idea for its time as there was no people to populate the area. Communities that did spring up during this time were mostly associated with the ranches.
With the land readily available the Texas Panhandle Cattle ranches bought up the leases for their cattle. Charles Goodnight organized his J.A. Ranch in 1876 located in the Palo Duro Canyon and covering large sections of Armstrong, Briscoe, Hall, Randall, Donley and Swisher Counties. Other ranches followed; XIT Ranch, Young Ranch, Bad Bar Ranch, LIT Ranch, XL Ranch, Anchor T Ranch, Criswell Ranch and others.
The largest, the XIT Abutted the Oklahoma Panhandle to the North, New Mexico to the West, running South along the Texas/New Mexico Border consuming most of Dallam, Hartley, Oldham, Death Smith, Parmer, Lamb and Hockley Counties. At its peak XIT ranch had 1,000 horses, 6,000 miles of barbed wire fence, over 100,000 head of cattle, and 150 cowboys.
The Southern part Childress County was hosting the OX Ranch as was Hardeman and Cottle Counties. In Northern Childress County along with Collingsworth and Hall Counties was the Diamond Tail Ranch.
In Northern Childress County, a store that supplied the Diamond T Ranch began attracting settlers to the area in 1888. First called Terry after one of those early settlers, its name was changed to Loco a few years later. Other settlements in Childress County began expanding with the coming of the Ft. Worth and Denver Railroad. Childress, Kirkland and Carey were the first towns to form in the county. Kirkland no longer exist today, Carney still has a small population of about 60. The towns or communities that pertain to the “Lost Treasure” are to the North of these towns. All are on the North side of the Red River.
To the North of the Red River the community of Arlie is first recognized in 1888 although it was in existence a few years prior. To the West of Arlie was the afore mentioned community of Loco which had a Post Office as early as 1892. Prior to WW II all the settlements in Childress County were primarily existing on farms raising Cotton and Wheat. The arid climate and soil made farming in the area the hard work of a “poor man’s job”.
In 1932, the depression was hitting our country hard. Childress County was no exception. Farms were being foreclosed in record fashion. The Bank in Hollis, Oklahoma had repossessed a farm in Childress County, Texas just across the Oklahoma line. John H. Scott of Dotson, Texas worked out an agreement to farm the land and share in the proceeds from the sale of the crops until the bank could find a buyer.
John Scott was my Grandfather. His two daughters, Grace and Evelyn had recently married, and his sons-in-laws, Tom Robinson and Raymond Williams needed work. It was arranged for the two sons- in- laws to live in two homes on the Childress County farm, work the land and share in the proceeds. Raymond and Evelyn Williams were my Father and Mother. They helped worked the farm on Buck Creek in Childress county for three years.
It was in the late 1950’s I first heard the story of Red Bucks Treasure at a family get together in Dotson, Texas. Red Buck had buried some of the proceeds from robbing and thieving on the farm in Childress County, Texas and there was a map. The memory of that story faded quickly as new adventures took over my youth.
In 1989, my father, Raymond Williams was living alone following the death of my mother. I would go to Erick, Oklahoma to check on him once a week and spend the day and maybe the night. Often during these times, he would ask me to take him back to the places he had lived.
It was during a trip back to the Childress County farm he began to tell of the three years he and mother lived on the farm with Tom and Grace Robinson. It was in 1933 in late summer a car with California License Plates showed up at the Childress farm. There were four people, whose names had been long lost from my dad’s memory. They inquired about an old road that went from Arlie to Childress and crossed Buck Creek near the Olympus Store and cemetery. They also asked about some old settlements, primitive rock structures that belonged to Dutch settlers along with numerous other questions.
It was determined the old road lay on the east side of the farm and traveled around an embankment that connected to the road that went back to the settlements before continuing towards Childress. They were looking for something and obtained permission to hunt and probe around. After a week they returned to California.
What were they looking for and did they find it?
To be continued.