it is one of those small moments in history, the raid were cynthia parker is taken, it is one of the small moments in history that in retrospect has astonishingly large historical significance. that was the same year texas one -- won its independence. it was the year of the parker family had built a stockade 90 miles south of texas. we were still far out on the comanche frontier it was almost ridiculous. you wonder how they could bring children. they were way out beyond almost anybody else on the frontier. and in fact one thing to keep in mind if you are thinking about how the american west was settled, people sometimes think there was a sweep across that went north to south along a surge in parallel. it was not. -- certain parallel. it was not. it was all south. the human frontier was in texas nothing going on up north. the great clash was down in the south. five people were killed others were wounded five captives women and children one was cynthia anne parker. in most ways this was a routine comanche raid, they have been doing this against the spanish and anybody else many, many y

we have that captivity of cynthia parker. she bore three children, refused to come back. famous as the white squall who would not return. that story played out. her oldest son was one of parker, the greatest comanche warrior of his age. i will tell you one really great story about him. i consider quanah parker one of the most extraordinary of the 19th century. probably the most formidable comanche warrior of his era. he led the last of the comanches into the terrible dying days of 1875 and the buffalo had all been killed after all the other tribes have surrendered. he moved to the comanche reservation and transformed himself in oklahoma the way that his mother had. she had adapted brilliantly to the comanche culture. now he adapted to the white culture. he went from the fiercest plains warrior to the most successful , influential indian of the period and controlled a small cattle empire, outfoxed the white man to the leasing games . he accumulated a large fortune of almost all of which he gave away to help his fellow comanches. the year is 1871. keep in mind a 35 years aft