Perspectives on the 1874 Red River War Indian Campaign in the Texas Panhandle

In 1874, the U.S. government dispatched some 3,000 army troops to the Texas panhandle to forcibly move the Indigenous tribes who occupied the region onto reservations that had been established in western Indian Territory. The military campaign against the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes consisted of a series of battles and skirmishes in what is known today as the Red River War of 1874 and resulted in the defeat and removal of the tribes. This presentation will provide a brief overview of the Red River War and its causes and will discuss the salient results of the archeological investigations that were conducted at several of the battle sites by the Texas Historical Commission during its Red River War Battle Sites Project.

This presentation will be done by Brett Cruse. Brett Cruse is the Chief Archeologist with the Historic Sites Division of the Texas Historical Commission in Austin. After receiving his master’s degree in archeology from Texas A&M University, Brett worked on various archeological field projects in the U.S. south, southwest, and the eastern seaboard. In 1995, Brett joined the Texas Historical Commission and served as the project director of the Red River War Battle Sites Project from 1998–2008. He is the author of the award-winning book "Battles of the Red River War: Archeological Perspectives on the Indian Campaign of 1874".

Come unearth the history of the Red River War from one of the leading experts on the conflict. Brett will be presentation at 1:00pm so make sure to come early to get yourself a good seat!

You may also like the following events from Fort McKavett State Historic Site:

• This Saturday, 23rd August, 07:30 pm, Milky Way Photography Class with Kirk Brandau in Fort Mc Kavett
• Next month, 13th September, 11:00 am, Flags and Chains: Military Surveying Across the Texas Frontier in Fort Mc Kavett
• This October, 18th October, 07:00 pm, Fall Star Party in Fort Mc Kavett

Also check out other Arts events in Fort Mc Kavett, Literary Art events in Fort Mc Kavett.