DUANE
Duane's take
The way the marker tells it, here's what happened at Sandies Water Hole — and it doesn't end well for anybody. When DeWitt's Colony was established in 1825, it settled into this stretch of Texas and brought with it a problem that wasn't going away: Native American raids were a major concern from the very beginning. Green DeWitt didn't sit on his hands about it.
He built a fort in Gonzales and went to the Mexican authorities requesting troops and a cannon. A reasonable ask, you'd think. Now, hold that thought.
In 1835, a party of thirteen men — French and Mexican traders — was making its way from Natchitoches, Louisiana, all the way down to Mexico. That is a long road, and somewhere along that road they stopped for the night at a place called Sandies Water Hole, about a mile east of where this marker stands. A large group of what is believed to be Comanche attacked the party.
The engagement lasted several hours. All thirteen men were killed. Every last one of them.
Now remember that cannon Green DeWitt asked for? Those troops he requested? The colonists never received further protection from the Mexican government.
Not after this. And the attacks — they continued at Sandies Water Hole, on into Texas statehood. Some places carry their history quietly.
Sandies Water Hole carried it the hard way.
What the marker says
1835 ATTACK AT SANDIES WATER HOLE NATIVE AMERICAN RAIDS WERE A MAJOR CONCERN OF DEWITT'S COLONY, WHICH SETTLED IN THIS AREA AFTER ITS 1825 ESTABLISHMENT. TO PROTECT THE COLONISTS, GREEN DeWITT BUILT A FORT IN GONZALES AND REQUESTED TROOPS AND A CANNON FROM MEXICAN AUTHORITIES. IN 1835, A PARTY OF THIRTEEN FRENCH AND MEXICAN TRADERS, EN ROUTE FROM NATCHITOCHES, LOUISIANA TO MEXICO, CAMPED AT SANDIES WATER HOLE (1 mi. E). A LARGE GROUP OF WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE COMANCHE ATTACKED THE PARTY. THE ENGAGEMENT LASTED SEVERAL HOURS, RESULTING IN THE DEATH OF ALL THIRTEEN MEN. THE COLONISTS DID NOT RECEIVE FURTHER PROTECTION FROM THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT, AND ATTACKS CONTINUED AT SANDIES WATER HOLE INTO TEXAS STATEHOOD. (2010)