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Star House and Quanah Parker
- What is Star House?
Star House is an historic 12-room, 2-story wood frame home built in 1889 for Quanah Parker of the Comanche Nation. While some sources say it was built by the U.S. Army, historian Bill Neeley argues it was funded by Texas cattlemen. It was originally built near Fort Sill, and was a major landmark in the region. Among the notable guests were British Ambassador Lord Brice; American President Theodore Roosevelt; Commissioner of Indian Affairs R. G. Valentine; Texas cattlemen Charles Goodnight, Burk Burnett, Tom Burnett, and Dan Waggoner; General Hugh Scott, General Nelson Miles, and General Frank Baldwin; Sioux Chief American Horse, Comanche Chiefs Wild Horse, Isa-tai, and Powhay; Apache medicine man Geronimo and other Indian leaders. It was moved when the Army expanded the artillery range at Fort Sill.
- Who was Quanah Parker?
Quanah Parker was born in Texas or Oklahoma sometime around 1845. Quanah Parker's mother, Cynthia Ann Parker ("Nadua" meaning "Someone Found"), was captured in a Comanche raid on Fort Parker when she was nine years old. She was adopted into a Comanche family, became a wife of Chief Peta Nocona, bore his children, and refused multiple attempts to ransom her, pointing to her young sons as her reason to stay. She was recaptured with her young daughter when Quanah was about 15. Quanah became a Comanche warrior ("the Eagle") sometime between 14 and 16 years old, and became a war chief a few years later. After the Red River War of 1874-75 (a sustained conflict between Comanche, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Arapaho warriors on one side and the buffalo hunters, the U.S. Army, and the Texas Rangers on the other), Quanah led the Quahada band of Comanches to surrender and go onto the reservation in Oklahoma. He believed cattle and education were the future of the Comanches, and worked to negotiate payments to the Comanches, Kiowas, and Apaches for grazing rights on their reservation land. He is remembered for his leadership, dignity, business acumen, generosity, and intelligence.
- Is Star House owned by the Comanche Nation?
No, it has always been a private dwelling, and privately owned. To quote historian Bill Neeley's article on this site: "From the time the Chief's house was completed in 1889, extended family, whether by birth or adoption, lived in it or frequently visited. After Quanah's death in 1911, his daughter Neda Birdsong lived in the house until 1956, when Fort Sill expanded the artillery range to include the site of Star House. The Army moved the house next to the highway between Cache and the National Wildlife Refuge a short distance to the north. There it set until Herman Woesner, owner of Eagle Trading Post in nearby Cache, moved the house to his land about a mile west of the Trading Post. Other historical buildings were added, and rides were built to form an amusement park. Visitors could enjoy the various rides at the park and visit Star House on a tour conducted by Mr. Woesner." Star House is still at this location, near the Eagle Trading Post, and is owned by the nephew and niece of Mr. Woesner.
My Comancheria Institute
- What is My Comancheria Institute?
My Comancheria Institute is an educational nonprofit that documents and preserves the various native and immigrant cultures and histories intertwined in historic Comancheria. MCI is establishing local and regional My Comancheria chapters and conducting events for all age levels to communicate and embrace the shared past through books, films, podcasts, oral history videos, compelling media stories, presentations, websites, and age-level curricula in print and online. To get involved, click here.
