Penateka Comanches

The Penateka, or “honey eaters,” were the southernmost band of Comanches; their range extended from the Edwards Plateau to the beginnings of central Texas rivers. The nomadic Comanches followed buffalo as they migrated, depending on the animals for food, clothing and shelter. They also relied on horses and were unmatched in their horsemanship. A major Comanche trail passed through the Camp Verde area. Settlement west of here was avoided due to fear of the Penatekas. By the 1840s, Texas Rangers had some success against the Comanches and in 1855, the U.S. Army’s Second Cavalry reduced raiding in the area; the division had outposts at Camp Verde and Camp Ives in Kerr county. Some of the Penateka Comanches were moved a year earlier to a reservation in what is now Throckmorton County; the group was later moved to the Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Other Penatekas continued to raid the county sporadically through the 1870s. After the Red River War (1874-75), the Comanches were forced onto a reservation established by the 1867 Treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek. Reservation life changed the entire societal structure for the formerly nomadic Comanches. In 1901, their reservation was broken up into allotments, and as many moved away in following years, the group dispersed. In the 1960s, the Comanches worked to rebuild their society and today they are united by common culture across geographic divides. (2010)

Penateka Comanches is a historical marker in Center Point, Kerr County, dedicated in 2009. It is one of 63 historical markers documented in Kerr County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 107 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.8933, -99.1051 near Center Point. The nearest cataloged historic site is One Mile to Ruins of Camp Verde (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Camp Verde, C.S.A., Camp Verde General Store and Post Office, and Camp Verde Community Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507016257. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.