San Caja Hill

Duane's take

The official marker for San Caja Hill in McMullen County: here's how I tell it. There's a hill out in McMullen County that carries a name with more than one story tucked inside it. San Caja Hill.

And the name itself is where things get interesting, because originally it wasn't San Caja at all; it was Sin Caja. Spanish for "without coffin." Sit with that for a moment. Without coffin.

That is not a name a place earns on a quiet afternoon. The marker traces that grim phrase back to December of 1872, and to a fight at Turkey Creek, just a short distance west of the hill. It didn't start at Turkey Creek, though.

It started with raiding Indians who had stolen livestock, chased a young rancher by the name of Andrew Tullis, and dragged a herder to death at the J. Campbell place. Dragged to death.

That's the marker's own language, and it deserves to be said plainly. The day following that killing, thirteen ranchers rode out of Oakville. Thirteen men who'd had enough.

They overtook the band at Turkey Creek (called Hill Creek now) and when the smoke cleared, five Indians had been slain. On the other side, one white man, Sebastian Beall, had a tooth shot out. One tooth.

Out of thirteen men riding into that kind of fight, that is either remarkable marksmanship or remarkable luck, depending on which end of it you were on. The others who rode that day: Caleb Coker, Tim Cude, John Edwards, Bob and Sam Nations, Tobe Odom, Cullen Sanders, Andrew and Woodie Tullis, Rans Tullos, Pleas Waller, and John Wilson. Names worth remembering.

Now, after the battle, the bones of the warriors were placed in a cave in San Caja Hill. And then (and this is where the hill starts collecting mystery on top of history) they disappeared. Vanished.

The marker says they were supposedly removed by members of the same tribe. Supposedly. That word is doing some heavy lifting.

But here's the thing about the name San Caja: "caja" in Spanish doesn't only mean coffin. It can mean box. Or chest.

And that second meaning has spawned a whole other set of legends. There are stories of Mexican bandits who raided wagon trains and stagecoaches traveling the nearby Laredo-Goliad Road; and supposedly hid their plunder in boxes somewhere in or around this hill. And if that weren't enough, there are also tales of silver from the rich San Saba mines, once buried nearby, now lost to history.

So you've got one hill. One name that means either "without coffin" or "treasure chest" depending on how you hold it to the light. You've got a battle, disappeared bones, bandit gold, and lost silver.

San Caja Hill isn't just a landmark out there in McMullen County; it's a place where Texas history and Texas legend decided to share the same cave.

What the marker says

The name, originally "Sin Caja", means "without coffin" in Spanish and may refer to the grim aftermath of the Turkey Creek Indian Battle, which was fought a short distance west of the hill in December 1872. The fight developed after raiding Indians had stolen livestock, chased young rancher Andrew Tullis, and dragged a herder to death at the J. Campbell place. The day following the killing, 13 ranchers from Oakville overtook the band at Turkey (now "Hill") Creek. Five Indians were slain, while one white man, Sebastian Beall, had a tooth shot out. Others in the fight were Caleb Coker, Tim Cude, John Edwards, Bob and Sam Nations, Tobe Odom, Cullen Sanders, Andrew and Woodie Tullis, Rans Tullos, Pleas Waller, John Wilson. The bones of the warriors, put in a cave in San Caja Hill, later mysteriously disappeared. They were supposedly removed by members of the same tribe. Legends of treasure also hinge upon the name of the hill, for "Caja" can mean "box" or "chest." This is thought to refer to money hidden in boxes here by Mexican bandits who raided wagon trains and stages traveling on the nearby Laredo-Goliad Road. Other tales tell of silver from the rich San Saba mines once buried nearby, but now lost to history. 1968