Appendix A: A Letter from Townsend to the Mangum Sun-Monitor on September 2, 1902.


Just out of Ft. Cobb on the south bank of the Washita, we saw the oldest house in Oklahoma. It is a common ordinary looking log hut which has nothing in its appearance to suggest this distinction. It was built by the first company of Uncle Sam's Blue coats that ever camped upon the Kiowa domain, and is near the site of the fort, which was soon afterward built of adobe and called Fort Cobb. This crude monument of man's architectural ability has withstood the storms of almost 50 years and is yet to be seen meekly keeping sentinel over the civilization of which it was destined to mark the beginning. All Oklahoma should be informed of this "foundation stone" upon which, so soon, such a magnificent structure has been built, so that if possible they could visit and worship at its shrine and thus commemorate the heroic work of its founders.

Next we came to Anadarko and from the view one gets of it from the train one would imagine that he had entered it from the back door and that it consists entirely of back alleys. Anadarko may be a good town, but if it is it has a very poor way of showing it to the passerby.

After leaving Anardarko we came to another historic place near the railroad in the residence of ___ Martinez, a mexican of pure descent, who was captured by the Kiowa's during one of their marauding trips, when he was only seven years of age. When the soldiers located at Fort Cobb they noticed his peculiarity to the Indians and investigation revealed the facts as above, briefly stated; they returned him to his people, but he had learned to the Kiowa's and their wild life and did not take kindly to civilization. Like Cynthia Ann Parker he longed for his old haunts and old associates, and at the first opportunity returned to them. Martinez today resides in a handsome home surrounded by his vast fields, having yielded later to the power of civilization.

"Chickasha" was yelled in fog horn tones and we alighted to change cars and get dinner. Here our organization was first brought into play. Capt. Blalock ordered his company to the corner restaurant where Forager Cleare ordered a "straight up" dinner for twelve with six to it, with water and tooth picks on the side. The chaplain offered "thanks" and all the officers feel into line just in time to prevent the lone private from taking the whole brunt of battle on his own stomach.

Lieut. Dodson got his drinks mixed and on returning to the depot, being tired from over exertion - at the table - leaned against, what he took to be a post, but which turned out to be an angular African of the negro gender.