Historical Marker

Comanche Trail Through Palo Pinto County

Historical marker location:

Graford, Texas

( 1.5 mi. S of SH 16 and FM 337)

Plains Indians of the 18th century blazed a trail to a Taovaya village on the Red River from raids on settlements in northern New Spain. The trail linked watering holes and natural provisions crucial to survival for Comanches, Kiowas and allied tribes. At the Taovaya camp, Indians traded for goods brought upriver by French traders. For generations, Native Americans, Spanish military, trade and treaty expeditions, American explorers, and early settlers used the trail. The Comanche Trail entered western Palo Pinto County at the Brazos River near the mouth of Caddo Creek, turning northeast at McAdams Peak and crossing Dillingham Prairie. Part of the historic trail now lies beneath Possum Kingdom Lake. (2007).