WAS MOUNTAIN NAMED FOR PENATUHKAH WAR CHIEF SANTA ANNA?
Editor's note: In Gladys Hunter's "Historically Speaking: Coleman County, Texas", she writes:
"Santa Anna's first settler, according to the Handbook of Texas, was Duke Jackson, who grazed his cattle onto this region and built the first cabin in the 1860's, a community called Gap slowly developed. In 1879 the Gap had a store and post office to supply the cattle drives. When the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroads built through here in1866, settlers moved from the Gap to the railroad, starting present town. When the Gap petitioned for a post office in 1879 it was changed to the two-in-one mountain...Santa Anna."
Jacob C. Walton is listed as the first postmaster, April 7, 1879, followed by W.C. Brooks, May 8, 1879. Relying on this recorded history, we can derive that Santa Anna turned 115 years old on April 7, 1994. Clay P. Morgan... "Santa Anna Beautiful", written in 1907, tells the Federal census for Santa Anna in 1900 was 736; the Federal census for 1907 was1500. Today, 1994, we stand at about 1300. Although there has been some conjecture through the years about how Santa Anna got its name, the general consensus is that the town is named after the Commence Chief Santa Anna (Santana) as was our mountain.
Linda Pelon of Dallas, who has written a thesis statement on Chief Santa Anna, gives us the following information from her research concerning the naming of the mountain, and subsequently perhaps the town also.
By Linda Pelon:
Santa Anna's Peaks located in Coleman County, Texas is north of the Colorado River and near the area where the Edward's Plateau, Llano Basin, Cross Timbers and Lower Plains meet. Leona Bruce, in Santa Anna's Peak, provide the following description of the twin peaks:
...two low hills, mere flat topped mesas, some 300 feet high. They are the only eminence above the miles of slopes that lift them up to sight for long distances. You can look from the cap rock fifty miles to Salt Gap in the Brady Mountains, or forty miles to Caddo Peaks... landmarks today, as they have been since the white man first came near them, and must have been for eons before that for whatever human explorers, armies, Texas Rangers, and surveyors. They were the focus, the Axis of further travel.
Historical and oral historical evidence support the conclusion that this landmark was named for the "celebrated" Penatuhkah Comanche war chief Santa Anna. There is also a large archaeological site in an area near the peaks containing a feature recognized by contemporary Comanches as a ceremonial place.
Historian Rupert Richardson published The Comanche Barrier to South Plains Settlement in1933. This book is still considered an important source of information about Comanche history. In 1935 he wrote an article for the West Texas Historical Association yearbook entitled "Santa Anna's peak" (please note the possessive). Richardson concluded:
Although though the element of conjecture cannot be eliminated the evidence available points to the conclusion that the hill was named after Santa Anna, a chief of the Peneteka Comanches who seems to have regarded the Colorado and its tributaries as his own country. Indeed the chief died within a day's ride of the mountain that bears his name.
A map included in the report of Col. Samuel Cooper to the Adjutant General of the United States in 1851 located "Santa Anna Peak" near Pecan Bayou and north of the Colorado River. This map also documented an "Indian Trail" connecting the Brazos, the West Fork of the Trinity, and then continuing to the northeast to Warrens Trading House on the Red River.
It is most important to note that the earliest known reference to these peaks in "Santa Anna's" occurred in the 1840's. This was the decade of Santa Anna's greatness. He signed treaties with the Republic of Texas, the United States and the German settlers of Fredericksburg. In 1846 he became the first Comanche diplomat to visit "the Great White Father" in Washington. Richardson reported that an earlier map, prepared by Stephen F. Austin in 1829, "carries the insertion "High Peak" some distance north of the Colorado river and west of "Pecan River" in the general vicinity of the mountain or mountains known today by the name Santa Anna.
It is well documented that Comanches inhabited the area of Pecan Bayou and that Comanches used a smoke signaling communication system. It seems reasonable to conclude that Santa Anna Peak, "the only eminence above the miles of slopes that lift them up to sight for long distances", would have been an important link in the smoke signaling system. Oral historical information supports this conclusion. The following information was collected in the late1800s and early 1900s by J. Emmor Harston, the son an Indian trader and adopted member of the Comanche tribe. He spoke the Comanche language and collected information from some of the last surviving chiefs of the horse culture. He was a dedicated advocate for Comanches throughout his long life. In his book Comanche Land he reported:
The meeting place for the Sata Exiponi or Dog Soldier secret organization was at Conas (the warrior training camp at Santa Anna's Peaks) was unusual and deserves mention. It was an underground secret cavern located midway up the steep east end of Santanna-now known as Santa Anna-Mountain. In order that it might be doubly secret, there was no entrance except by means of rawhide ladders let down from the top of the High Point. In this Dog Soldier cavern, in perfect secrecy, meetings were held at stated intervals of the moon. Subjects of importance to the Comanches were discussed and decisions made.
It was on this High Point that "the firerock fell", and it was there the "eternal fires" were kept burning. Here also was the center of "fire and smoke communication". The fire rock, which tradition said was sent them by the Sun, was given an honored position in the secret chamber. Civil Chief Mope Chocope informed Dr. J. J. Sturm and the "the fire rock as kept there for 100 years-until the cavern began to cave in." They waited too long.
About 1805 this cavern caved in burying the fire rock beneath tons and tons of sand. It was unearthed by the Comanche women and plans were immediately made to move it to the training camp on Red Rover. This task was undertaken by the Antelope Eaters tribe of Comanches. The heavy rock was placed on poles and dragged, at intervals, for two years. In July, 1836 (the date should be 1856; the date on the source, a letter written by agent Neighbors, it not clear and can easily be misread as 1836), the meteorite, or "fire rock" was taken to San Antonio by Major Robert S. Neighbors. There it remained until 1859 when moved to Austin. I now may be seen in the Texas Memorial Museum.
Another intriguing piece of evidence was found linking these peaks to Santa Anna. A rock sculpture of an eagle and a boulder with the head of an Indian carved into it were found on one of peaks a few decades ago. The eagle was destroyed by an attempt to separate it from the attached rock. The carving of the Indian head still exists. It was moved to Arkansas and now sits on a mountaintop there. The owner of this boulder sent photographs wrote, "The picture (personal correspondence, 2-92." Santana is a spelling/pronunciation variation used in references in Santa Anna by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, stationed at Fort Martin Scott in Fredericksburg circa 1850. This is very close to the spelling/pronunciation used by the German settler or Fredericksburg, Santanna. No one in the town of Santa Anna could provide any information regarding the origin of the carved boulder or eagle. Mrs. Harris believed it was a representation of Satanta, a Kiowa chief who became notorious in later decades of the 1800s. The confusion of Santana is common mistake and will be discussed more thoroughly.
The most popular alternative theory to the theory that the Peaks are named for Santa Anna/Santana/Santanna is the theory that the Peaks were named for the Kiowa Chief Satanta. This belief became part of oral tradition of the town of Santa Anna. Rupert Richardson considered and discounted this theory. He stated (Richardson 1935:48-49):
A persistent theory, often repeated as a fact is that the name (Santa Anna) is a corruption of the work Satanta, and that the hills and the community at their base were named after the well-known Kiowa chief who bore that name. This is an error, first because Set-t-ain-te, White Bear, was never associated with the Santa Anna country, except perhaps to make infrequent raids into it. The country of Satanta and his Kiowa warriors lay to the north of Red River and there never was any occasion for either white man or Indians naming a natural object in Coleman country after an Indian who belonged to another region. Furthermore, a fact that justifies dismissing the Satanta legend with-out further examination is that the mountain was named in the late forties, before Satanta, who was born about 1830, had attained any distinction whatever.
Extensive additional research completed over the past four years found no additional information which would invalidate Richardson's conclusion. It is not surprising that many people would make the same mistake as Mrs. Harris in confusing the two names. The words Santana and Satanta are very difficult to distinguish, even with conscious effort to do so.
The only other alternative theory suggested to this researcher was that the peaks could have been named for another person named Santa Anna. I have found no references to any other Santa Anna associated with this area. It seems unlikely that the peaks would have been named for some other mysterious Santa Anna absent from the historic record during the decade when Santa Anna, called "perhaps the greatest Comanche war chief' by Texas ranger historian James Greer, and his band occupied the area around the peaks.
Historical documentation supports the conclusion that Santa Anna Peaks were named for the great Penatuhkah war chief. Information collected from some of the last surviving chiefs of the Comanche horse culture included detailed descriptions of the importance of these landmarks as a meeting place for all Comanches and as the center of their smoke signaling communication system. Maps indicated the peaks were first called Santa Anna's during the decade of greatness for Santa Anna and his band. No adequate argument has been made to support any other theory. I am convinced that these peaks were named for Santa Anna/Santana/Santanna. What do you think? Please share your opinions and comments by writing to the Santa Anna Historical Development Organization
As printed in the Santa Anna News on Thursday, May 5, 1994 by Polly Warnock, editor.
