Wheeler County, Texas

On Sept. 12, 1874 In the Red River War,

Kiowa Chief Lone Wolf and his

warriors fought a U.S. Cavalry force

commanded by Major William R. Price

in the Battle of Sweetwater Creek just north of present-day Mobeetie.

The Cavalry prevailed, but the battle drew attention away from Indian families in the area.

A map from the 1880s indicates the Comanche traveled from Indian Territory to the Palo Duro Canyon via Wheeler County.  Springs and ground water locations shown on the map still exist.

A vintage postcard photograph (above) shows Chief Lone Wolf, Kiowa, in a ca. 1897 portrait. The location is noted as Hobart, Oklahoma.

A Texas Historical Commission online brochure, Red River War of 1874–1875: Clash of Cultures in the Texas Panhandle, gives a comprehensive account of the entire series of battles. The publication includes information about Fort Elliott, built on Sweetwater Creek after the battle as an outpost for Buffalo Soldiers assigned to the area to protect settlers and cattle drovers. The buffalo hunter outpost nearby became Mobeetie, the Panhandle’s first town.

1. • Mobeetie
   

2. • Wheeler
   

3. • Shamrock

KIOWA CHIEF LONE WOLF

FORT ELLIOTT

FLAGPOLE

Wheeler is the county seat of Wheeler County. On the courthouse lawn, a monument honors veterans and a pavilion provides shade. The picture shows it decorated for Christmas.

In Mobeetie, an old flagpole remains from Fort Elliott. It stands not far from the old Wheeler County Jail, now a museum.

OLD JAIL MUSEUM IN MOBEETIE

WHEELER

WHEELER

For more information about Wheeler see www.wheelertexas.org