Quanah, Texas

I am in Quanah, Texas, by far the best-named town in Texas. Taking its named from the last great Comanche chief Quanah Parker (son of Cynthia Ann Parker, a frontier woman captured and taken in by the Comanches), Quanah pays tribute to its namesake via a local museum, memorial, and the local football team (as I was coming in to town a sign read "YOU'RE IN INDIAN TERRITORY").

(Short biographical note: Quanah Parker was a leader of the Comanches during the difficult transition years (as a warrior chief before 1875 and afterwards as well, when the Comanches surrendered and agreed to live on the reservations). He had the foresight to understand that the survival of their race depended on their cooperation with the whites.)

Today, I walked in to Quanah a stranger, but thanks to the Tribune Chief's newspaper manager Carol Whitmire and the Chamber of Commerce's Executive Secretary Bertha Woods, I will not be treated as such. After being tipped off by Mrs. Whitmire, Mrs. Woods met me at the library with an invitation to stay at the local Best Western and a meal out at a local establishment, both compliments of the city. In addition (what there's more?), I received a cap, a shirt, a postcard, and a paper describing the history of the town and personalities. Incredible!

A big thank you goes out to these women. I'm still in shock. I'll tour Quanah a bit more tomorrow, then head off into the sunset and the bad weather that is supposedly on its way. By then, I'll be thick on food and thin on adventure, so everything should balance out just fine.

Until next time...