DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, most hills don't amount to much in the grand sweep of Texas history. But this one — this 1,250-foot mound sitting out in Archer County — this one had a habit of showing up right when it mattered.
Let me tell you what I mean. Standing on that mound, you are perched at one of the most quietly consequential spots in the whole state. The Trinity River — a major Texas river — rises just 250 yards west of where you're standing.
Two hundred and fifty yards. You could throw a rope to it. And that's not all.
Water south of this site drains to the Brazos, while water to the north and west drains all the way to the Red River. Three great river systems, all taking their leave from this one high point. The land itself is doing something remarkable, and people noticed.
They noticed for a long time. In 1759, Captain Diego Parilla used this mound to guide him toward battle with Indians on the Red River. Nearly a century later, in 1849, Captain R.
B. Marcy was out here trying to map a California trail, and this mound helped him find his way. Then in 1854, Marcy came back — this time alongside Major R.
S. Neighbors — and the two of them used it as a beacon point while searching for a site for an Indian reservation. And it didn't stop there.
Come the 1870s, this mound was showing up on U.S. Cavalry maps for Indian campaigns. One hill.
Soldiers, captains, majors, three river watersheds, more than a century of history flowing right through it. Some places earn their keep quietly, and this is one of them.
What the marker says
The Trinity, a major Texas river rises 250 yards west of this 1250-foot mound. South of this site water drains to the Brazos, and north and west to the Red. This high point has been important in Texas history. It guided Capt. Diego Parilla to battle Indians on the Red in 1759 and aided Capt. R. B. Marcy in mapping a California trail in 1849. Marcy and Maj. R. S. Neighbors used it as a beacon point in finding a site for an Indian reservation in 1854. It also was on U.S. Cavalry maps for 1870s Indian campaigns. (1976)