A Chronicle of the Plum Creek Shooting Society Agarita Ranch April 2015 Lockhart, Texas We had another great turnout for our My wife, Barely shoot in April. 80 shooters came out and There, is making a enjoyed good weather for 6 stages of rare appearance to shooting fun. Then we had a fantastic pre- help with the scoring. Easter lunch by Sue Freely that really hit We would love to have the spot. This was our last shoot before the some extra help to State match in May, and it was a good put on the match, preview. and you can come Right now we have about 225 shooters enjoy the ambiance signed up for the State match, and a few and camaraderie that SASS Regulator, National Champion applications are still trickling in. If you are always accompanies a Classic Cowboy & PCSS President still considering whether you want to cowboy action shoot participate, your time is running out. Get (even more so for a big match like this). If going! you think you can come out to help, give Some of you may not wish to, or may not Agarita Annie a shout. She can be reached have the time off to shoot in the State at [email protected]. match, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a We are planning a couple of weekend part of the event. We expect to have nearly workdays this month for our final push to 20 vendors at the match, so there will be get ready for State. Saturday April 18th we plenty of opportunities to look for additions will be setting up the range. We are bringing to your shooting costume or leather or guns. back Stages 9 and 10 from hiatus and You already have the Plum Creek Shooting getting all the targets set in the final Society Saturday on your calendar, so even configurations. We will be cleaning up the if you aren’t shooting come on out and see range and painting as well. We will start us. around 9 am and plan to finish around Of course, we always have a need for lunchtime. The club will feed the workers volunteers to help us put on the match. You lunch too. Good opportunity to help the club don’t have to be a shooter to help us out. and get a free look at the target setup for Continued next page. Find Delta Raider ………… 2 The Real Battle of Photos …………………. 12-17 Plum Creek Stories from Jake .……….. 10 starts on page 3 Where’s Plum Creek .…… 11 State. The second workday will be April 27th, the Sunday before the State match. This will be our final clean-up, paint and get ready work day. Hope you can make one or both of those. President - Dragon Hill Dave Enough about work—let’s talk about shooting! David Donaldson Phantom and Joe Darter, with some help from the Austin, TX 512-626-8189 [email protected] Whiskey Kid and Pedernales Drifter, have set some fast and interesting stages for us to shoot at State. Vice President - Joe Darter And the range looks a little different too. We have Tom Morris added some windows on Stages 2, 3 and 9. We have Seguin, TX 210-464-3969 some silhouettes that you have to get by in order to [email protected] shoot and we have a few props you have to deal with. Secretary & And my new, improved mule passed its test and has Editor, Agarita Gazette - qualified for inclusion in the State match! One of the Long Juan things I like about Plum Creek is that we try to offer John Soule you some different shooting experiences every time Austin, TX 512-750-3923 you come. We will deliver on that at State. [email protected] Kudos as well to Delta Raider and Sue Freely, Treasurer - True Blue Cachoo who continue to provide improvements to the range. Nancy Forage Like a Western settlement that prospers, they are Austin, TX 512-775-0699 adding boardwalks between some buildings, a new cross-hatched canopy on the west end of the range Territorial Governor - Jake (near 8, 9, and 10) and a walkway to the hotel and Paladin saloon. That, in addition to the sea of green grass in J.P. Forage front of the Hotel/Saloon, are more great additions to Austin, TX 512-970-4990 an already entrancing venue. A big thanks to them [email protected] for their continuing commitment to Cowboy Action Range Marshal - Delta Raider Shooting. Chuck Leshikar See ya’ at the Agarita! Lockhart, TX 512-227-1389 [email protected] Range Deputy - Lightning McQueen Mentioned in the dispatches Jesus Segura Fentress, TX 512-749-6895 for finding Delta Raider last [email protected] month are: El Sabre, Hairtrigger Hayes, Safety Marshal - Artiman Cowtown Scout, Artiman, Jay Davis Skyhawk Hans, Lucky Lockhart, TX 512-762-7175 Nickel, Boon Doggle, [email protected] Meadow Biscuit Slim, Stage Marshal - P.T. Wildcat Bob, Delta Raider, Flag Marshal - Artiman Czexican Dave, Lefty Leo, Six Goin’ South, Sole Proprietor, Shooting Iron Miller, John Selman and the Manchaca Kid. So much for thinking I had made it more difficult. Page 2 THE REAL BATTLE OF PLUM CREEK by Long Juan of volunteers, militia and Texas Rangers, In early August of 1840, under the light aided by Tonkawa Indians, defeated the of a bright full moon, referred to by early Comanche and Kiowa warriors who had Texas settlers as a Comanche moon, a war participated in the Great Comanche Raid of party of more than 600 Comanche and 1840. Kiowa warriors swept out of the A Texas historical Comancheria and rode into the heart of the marker in Lockhart’s Republic of Texas. The massive raid was Lions Park reads as launched in retaliation for what the follows: Comanche perceived to be the unprovoked The harsh anti-Indian killing of twelve Penateka Comanche war policies of President chiefs and many Comanche women and Mirabeau B. Lamar and children at the Council House peace talks in Mexican efforts to San Antonio the preceding March. weaken the Republic of The Battle of Plum Creek occurred just Texas stirred Indian south of present-day Lockhart, along hostilities. Hatred wooded banks of the creek. A small group Continued next page Page 3 increased after the Council House Fight in Texans wanted the release of white captives San Antonio, March 19, 1840, where 12 held by the Comanche. The Comanche Comanche chiefs were killed. After brought only two prisoners to the talks, one regrouping and making plans for revenge, Mexican boy and a young white girl who had 600 Comanches and Kiowas, including been horribly tortured and mutilated. The women and children, moved across central Texans moved to hold the chiefs hostage Texas in early August. They raided Victoria until the return of other prisoners held by and Linnville (120 mi. SE), a prosperous the Indians. The Comanche attempted to seaport. About 200 Texans met at Good's escape and the result was predictable. Crossing on Plum Creek under Major-General Twelve Comanche chiefs were shot dead in Felix Huston (1800-1857) to stop the Indians. the Council House. Twenty-three more Adorned with their plunder from Linnville, the Indians, including women and children, war party stretched for miles across the were killed in the streets of San Antonio and prairie. The Battle of Plum Creek, August 12, the remaining 30 were taken captive. Six 1840, began on Comanche Flats (5.5 mi. SE) Texans were killed and 10 more were and proceeded to Kelley springs (2.5 mi. SW), wounded. The incident became known as with skirmishes as far as present San the Council House Fight. It ended any Marcos and Kyle. Mathew Caldwell (1798- chance for peace and led to years of hostility 1842), for whom Caldwell County was and war. named, was injured in the Council House fight but took part in this battle. Volunteers under Edward Burleson (1793-1851) For many months after the Council included 13 Tonkawa Indians, marked as House Fight, the region around San Antonio Texan allies by white armbands. Texan lived in fear. Militia men stood ready to ride casualties were light while the Indians lost at the sound of the San Fernando Cathedral over 80 chiefs and warriors. This battle bell. No white traveler on roads ended the Comanche penetration of settled surrounding San Antonio felt safe. The portions of Texas. settlers expected Comanche retaliation, but no major blow fell. By midsummer, it appeared the Indians were gone. Wrong! The dreaded horse warriors had simply In March 1840, Texas officials and a Comanche peace delegation met under truce in an effort to negotiate peace after two Comancheria years of war. The Comanche sought to obtain recognition of the Comancheria as sovereign land of the Comanche. The Continued next page Page 4 retired deep into Comancheria to gather the Guadalupe bottomlands, the unhindered forces and to plot their course of revenge. Indians burned and killed as the Under the Comanche moon of August 1840, opportunity arose. As word of the raid Buffalo Hump, one of the few surviving spread, scattered militia companies and volunteers responded. They were, however, few and far between and were not able to do much more than bury the dead. On the morning of August 8, 1840, the war party neared Linnville on Lavaca Bay about 50 miles from Victoria. Linnville, now a ghost town located about 3½ miles northeast of present-day Port Lavaca, was then a quiet little seaport town that served Comanche war chiefs, moved south with a massive war party.