Exploring the Edges of Texas

1. Prairie Pathfinder

ChaPTEr 1 Prairie Pathfinder We made our beds under the canopy of the starry heavens, which shone so luminously that there was more pleasure in tracing the various constellations than in endeavoring to sleep. j. w. abert, Gúadal P’a: The Journal of Lieutenant J. W. Abert from Bent’s Fort to St. Louis in 1845 L iEuTEnanT abErT’s mapping expedition was nearing the Texas-New Mexico border on September 3, 1845, when something went wrong. It happened while his men were setting up camp on a patch of prairie beside the Canadian River.Wagons were parked,tents pitched,horses and mules grazed nearby. Suddenly, shouts rang out, and men came running. Abert recorded the incident in his journal: “We were always obliged to burn a place in the prairie, in the center of which the fire is built, some of the people standing by with blankets ready to prevent its spreading too far. In this instance the fire got beyond all control, but fortunately the wind was blowing from our camp and by much exertion the fire was kept from spreading in that direction. The tall reeds which grew so luxuriantly in the valley below us, with a loud crackling noise were . . . swept away by the devouring flame. Soon it reached the trees on the side of the bank and, leaping from bough to bough, quickly despoiled them of their verdant foliage; then, mounting the bluff, was borne rapidly off over the far-spreading prairie.”1 Jim McDonald, manager of Spring Creek Ranch ChaPTEr 1 { 2 } As frightening as the fire was to those in harm’s way, it had long been a natural occurrence on the Great Plains. Thunderstorms brought precious water but also lightning. A single strike could spark a blaze. Driven by the wind, it might burn for days and scorch hundreds of square miles of prairie. Native Americans often set fires to drive game or confuse enemies. Whatever the cause, fire was a boon to the prairie habitat, enriching the soil and keeping the grassland free of trees. Some fires were so intense they created their own weather, as Lieutenant Abert soon discovered:“About 7 o’clock in the evening it had extended to a great distance and was rapidly advancing in a semicircular form . . .The flames having disturbed the equilibrium of the atmosphere, a countercurrent soon bore back a heavy cloud . . . which advanced until directly over our heads, when a severe thunderstorm broke upon us, illuminated by vivid flashes of lightning . . . The crackling of consuming vegetation and the low murmurings of the whirling eddies of wind which skirted the burning edge deepened the impression of this scene of grand sublimity.”2 By morning, the conflagration was far away, and U.S. Army Lt. James W. Abert turned his attention to smoke more sinister than sublime. His expedition had entered Comanche-Kiowa country, and signal fires carried news of its arrival onto the plains ahead. From that point on, Abert’s guides selected campsites carefully, with an eye toward protection from surprise attack.On September 5,with smoke from the prairie fire still visible behindthem,AbertcrossedintoTexaswithfourwagons,sixty-threeheadof horsesandmules,andthirty-twomen,includingelevenFrenchmenandtwo African-Americans.3 The young lieutenant had been sent by Capt. John C. Frémont to “make a reconnaissance . . . along the Canadian River.”4 J One hundred-fifty years later, Isabel and I set out on a reconnaissance of our own. We want to see what remains of the world Abert explored. Having read his report and studied his map, we believe his first campsite Prairie Pathfinder { 3 } in Texas was along Mineosa Creek on what is today the Spring Creek Ranch. We intend to find it. Driving west from Channing on State Highway 767,we pass through some of the most sparsely inhabited real estate inTexas. Oldham County has fewer than two people per square mile, and our highway map shows only five roads in nearly fifteen-hundred square miles. But the wildflower population is immeasurable. Prairie verbena, Indian blanket, pink paintbrush , and purple foxglove bloom in roadside ditches. Scurvy pea and spectacle pod grow there too, beside yellow daisy, chocolate daisy, pink mimosa, and globe mallow. Trees, however, are scarce–not a single one to be seen as we turn off the highway and drive south toward ranch headquarters. Five miles later, we pull up to a cluster of white houses, sheds, barns, and corrals nestled under...