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The Earliest People
The earliest people who lived in Denton County were probably the Clovis people. They were prehistoric nomadic hunters who may have camped by a pond north of Denton some 11,000 years ago. In 1950, sites of their campgrounds may have been found at the Lewisville Dam construction site on the Garza-Little Elm Reservoir. In 1988, other sites were discovered just below the dam at the new Lake Ray Roberts.
The American Indians
When Texas independence was won in 1836, American Indians were the only
human occupants of this entire part of Texas. It is not definitely known
just what Indian groups occupied this portion of Texas prior to the
discovery of America.
The Wichita Era
For at least three hundred years prior to about 1830, Wichita Indians of Caddodochan background lived here and were virtually untroubled by the settlers. The Wichita Indians were Plains Indians who originally lived by hunting, but by 1800 had adapted to some agriculture in the creek bottoms and cross timbers. For the most part, the Wichitas were peaceful. They lived in grass huts similar to the Caddos. The encroachment of white settlers forced the Wichitas to withdraw from the Denton County region.
The Caddo Era
From 1830 until about 1843, the temporary resident Indians of this region were the Ionies, Keechies, and associated Caddos who made raids upon settlements of the Red River Valley back toward Bonham, Paris, and Clarksville. The frontiersmen in this area struck back in retaliation. In 1843 permanent settlers began to arrive in Denton County. The Indians were no longer residents of the county.
The Caddos were a confederacy of tribes who were primarily farmers who planted crops in large clearings in the piney woods of East Texas. They lived in very large, cone-shaped grass huts, much like the Wichita grass houses. After the mid-1800s, the Caddo never lived in Denton County, but they camped here on their way to trade with the Wichitas.
The Comanche Era
The Comanches were fierce warriors who lived on the Southern Plains and traveled through Denton County. They were primarily hunters and gathers, not farmers, and lived in temporary residences commonly called tee-pees. When they moved, they would load their possessions onto wooden frames made of two poles called a travois.
As the settlers began to arrive, there were conflicts with the Indians. From 1855 to 1859 Denton County settlements were raided occasionally by Comanche Indians from their West Texas reservations. In 1859, these Indians were removed to new reservations in Indian Territory. From then until the close of the Indian troubles in the 1870s, Denton County was raided by Comanches and Kiowas from across the Red River.
Summary
The area now occupied by the city of Denton and Denton County passed through three specific Indian eras, each with a different group of Indians as the primary participants:
- The Wichita Era
This first period extended from before the first Spanish exploration in the 1500s until about 1830. During the Wichita period there were no white people living this region except for frontiersmen who passed through the area.
- The Caddo Era
The second era was from about 1830 until 1843. During the Caddo period, scattered Indian groups temporarily resided here as the white settlers began to move into the area.
- The Comanche Era
The third time period was from about 1845-1873. In the Comanche period,
these nonresident Indians from the reservations in the Indian Territory
preyed on white settlers.
North Texas was a trade route for the Wichita and Caddo groups who traveled between east and west Texas. It is known that the Red River north of Denton County was a trade route between these groups. The ridge that formed the south border of the Red River Valley provided a trail almost 300 miles long without crossing a single stream between Texarkana and Wichita Falls.
There is very little evidence that the Indian population within this region was ever large. There were probably not more than a few hundred at any one time. After 1840, it is doubtful if any American Indians considered Denton County as their permanent residence.
The Early Cherokees of Denton County
James Madison Daugherty's mother and father were part Cherokee. John L. Lovejoy, Sr. had attended a Cherokee school and could read and write Cherokee. Both families were very prominent in early Denton County.
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