Llano Estacado (6)

Nomadic tribes—primarily Comanches and Plains Apaches—dominated this vast plain roamed by countless buffalo herds. Vásquez de Coronado in 1541 likened the empty landscape to a vast sea. The region later became the territory of comancheros, ciboleros, cattle ranchers, and energy producers. Some have suggested that the name Llano Estacado, or Staked Plains, refers to the fortress-like appearance of its northern and western escarpments.