Treaty Stone from 1850 Peace Negotiations

A re-post of an exhibit at the Bob Bullock History Museum; I think this used to be on display at the Texas Memorial Museum. From the Bullock webpage:

" In 1846, Texas was annexed by the United States, becoming the 28th state in the Union. The change in government meant that the federal government was now responsible for negotiating with American Indians in Texas and for protecting the frontier from attacks. At first, the U.S. Army presence in Texas was so small as to make little difference for the settlers—most of them German immigrants—who continued to move into the traditional ranges of the American Indians. This put the settlers in harm's way and beyond the reach of the troops assigned to protect them.

In 1850, the Texas Hill Country was on the verge of an all-out war when American Indian leaders met for treaty negotiations at the Spring Creek Council Grounds near Fort Martin Scott in San Saba County, near present-day Wallace Creek. The U.S. government was represented by Indian agent John Rollins. Representatives of the southern Comanche, Lipan Apache, Caddo, Quapaw, and various Wichita bands agreed to stay west of the Colorado River and north of the Llano River. Rollins agreed to take responsibility for traders going into American Indian territory.

This stone is one of two placed at the meeting site to commemorate the signing of the treaty. Neither side honored its provisions."

 

The 1850 treaty is not to be confused with the 1847 treaty by Meusebach and the Comanche.

An earlier treaty, the Meusebach-Comanche treaty, was negotiated in 1847, before the establishment of Fort Martin Scott, by John O. Meusebach, Commissary General of the German Immigration Company, and the Penateka Comanche. Meusebach was negotiating on behalf German immigrants settling in and around today's Fredericksburg; he was not negotiating on behalf of the U.S. Government.

The Fort Martin Scott Treaty (referenced here) was a later treaty between the U.S. (which included the state of Texas) with a number of tribes. Quoting Wikipedia it was "an unratified treaty, negotiated and signed on December 10, 1850 by Indian agent John Rollins, U. S. Army Captain Hamilton W. Merrill, Captain J.B. McGown of the Texas Mounted Volunteers (Texas Rangers), interpreters John Connor and Jesse Chisholm, as well as twelve Comanche chiefs, six Caddo chiefs, four Lipan chiefs, five Quapaw chiefs, four Tawakoni chiefs, and four Waco chiefs. The treaty was actually signed in San Saba County but named for the nearest military outpost".

So the Fort Martin Scott treaty took place in San Saba County, but took the name of the nearest fort, that being Fort Martin Scott in Fredericksburg. Still a bit fuzzy as to where the two treaty stones were actually located originally, the site of the meeting, or the site of the fort after which the treaty was named? If you know I'd love to hear from you.

 

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Martin_Scott
See Fort Martin Scott treaty

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meusebach%E2%80%93Comanche_Treaty

Luther, Joseph. Fort Martin Scott: Guardian of the Treaty. 2013.

https://www.fbgtx.org/925/Fort-Martin-Scott-Treaty