The Battle of Village Creek occurred on May 24, 1841, on the embankments of Village Creek. The battle, which evolved into a running gunfight between the Republic of Texas militia and the Village Creek tribes, was attributed to the increased Native American raids on

Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to peopl ...

settlements in the Red River counties.

Village Creek

The Village Creek area is a stem of the West Fork Trinity River. The water stream routes southwest from Arlington, Texas, and tapers just south of Cross Timber, Texas. The Trinity River tributary, which extends 23 miles to the south of the West Fork Trinity River, provided a sanctuary for many Indian tribes. The Caddos,

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

s, and

Tonkawa The Tonkawa are a Native American tribe indigenous to present-day Oklahoma. Their Tonkawa language, now extinct, is a linguistic isolate. Today, Tonkawa people are enrolled in the federally recognized Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. ...

s established a series of habitats or villages along the banks of Village Creek.

Village Creek conflict

On May 14, 1841, General

Edward H. Tarrant Edward H. Tarrant (1799August 2, 1858) was an American politician who served the Republic of Texas and the State of Texas by fighting multiple indigenous nations for two decades. He, along with John Nealy Bryan, John B. Denton, John H. Reaga ...

organized a company of about 70 volunteers from the Red River counties at Fort Johnston. The Republic of Texas militia had scouting detachments which were commanded by Captains John B. Denton, Henry B. Stout, and James G. Bourland. During the morning hours of May 24, 1841, the militia force encroached the Village Creek area from the south in the vicinity of Cross Timber, Texas. After capturing a native inhabitant who provided locations of the area villages, Captains Denton, Stout, and Bourland led scouting units north toward the West Fork Trinity River. The militia

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

s carried out the command of burning

hut A hut is a small dwelling, which may be constructed of various local materials. Huts are a type of vernacular architecture because they are built of readily available materials such as wood, snow, ice, stone, grass, palm leaves, branches, hid ...

s along the creek banks. As the scouting detachments progressed north, the command encountered larger villages and an increasingly stronger tribal force. Captains Denton and Stout were wounded near thickets bordering the Trinity River. Captain Denton was the only fatality, while Captain Stout and Captain Griffith were wounded. The Village Creek tribes had twelve fatalities, while many of the inhabitants were wounded during the conflict.

Bird's Fort treaty

On September 29, 1843, the

Treaty of Bird's Fort The Treaty of Bird's Fort, or Bird's Fort Treaty was a peace treaty between the Republic of Texas and some of the Indian tribes of Texas and Oklahoma, signed on September 29, 1843. The treaty was intended to end years of hostilities and warfare be ...

was agreed upon at Fort Bird between the Village Creek tribes and the Republic of Texas, which opened the Red River counties for settlement by frontier pioneers.

Archeological research

VillageCreek TarrantCounty Shaded Relief Map

Archeological excavations have been conducted within the Village Creek area. Prehistoric artifacts have been discovered which date back around 9000 years, indicating a culture of food-gatherers, hunters, and village inhabitants. Today, much of the Village Creek conflict site is beneath Lake Arlington, which has a surface area of 1,939 acres and was impounded in 1957.

Historical record

The Village Creek battlefield received a historic marker in 1936. The Village Creek area was recognized as an archeological site and received a historic marker in 1980.

References

{{Texas History Navbox Village Creek Battle of Village Creek Village Creek Village Creek May 1841 events