Village Creek

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it — every word straight from the record. Village Creek. You might drive right past it today without a second thought.

But this quiet Trinity River tributary has been watching people come and go for a long, long time — nearly nine thousand years, if the artifacts have anything to say about it. Archeological excavations along the creek's course have turned up evidence of several prehistoric villages. Nine thousand years of food-gatherers and hunters, leaving their marks in the earth, layer upon layer, long before anyone else showed up to complicate things.

By the 1830s, the creek had taken on a different character. Several Indian tribes were using it as a sanctuary, and from that sanctuary they were making frequent raids on frontier settlements. The conflict had been simmering, but it boiled over in 1841, when major attacks were reported in Fannin and Red River Counties.

That got somebody's attention. Brigadier General Edward H. Tarrant — of the Republic of Texas Militia, born 1796 — led a company of volunteers into this area on what you'd call a punitive expedition.

They were going after the Indian villages along this creek, and they weren't quiet about it. May 24th, 1841. Following brief skirmishes at several encampments, two scouting patrols pushed toward the mouth of the creek.

And that's where things turned. Both patrols were attacked and fell back to the main camp. When the smoke settled, twelve Indians were dead.

And so was one soldier — Captain John B. Denton. The Battle of Village Creek didn't end the story cleanly.

Many tribes began moving west. Others stayed in the region until the 1843 Treaty signed at Bird's Fort — just ten miles northeast of here — formalized their removal and opened this whole area to colonization. And here's the part that'll stop you cold: much of that battle site — the ground where the scouting patrols were ambushed, where Captain Denton fell — is now underwater.

It lies beneath the waters of Lake Arlington. Nine thousand years of human presence along one creek. And the water just keeps rising over it.

What the marker says

Archeological excavations along the course of this Trinity River tributary have unearthed evidence of several prehistoric villages. Artifacts from the area date back almost 9,000 years and represent a culture of food-gatherers and hunters. In the 1830s the Creek served as a sanctuary for several Indian tribes who made frequent raids on frontier settlements. The conflict grew worse in 1841 when major attacks were reported in Fannin and Red River Counties. Brigadier General Edward H. Tarrant (1796-1858) of the Republic of Texas Militia led a company of volunteers in a punitive expedition against Indian villages in this area. On May 24, 1841, following brief skirmishes at several encampments, two scouting patrols were attacked near the mouth of the Creek and retreated to the main camp. Reportedly twelve Indians and one soldier, Captain John B. Denton, were killed. As result of the Battle of Village Creek, many tribes began moving west. Others were later removed under terms of the 1843 Treaty signed at Bird's Fort (10 mi. NE) which opened the area to colonization. Much of the battle site is now located beneath the waters of Lake Arlington.