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 San Caja Hill Posted by:  Raven
N 28° 27.818 W 098° 32.873
14R E 544261 N 3148646
A marker on a non-descript desolate piece of terrain by TX Hwy 16 at the northern edge of Tilden (McMullen County), denoting the history of a gruesome skirmish against the native Indians in 1872 (the "Turkey Creek Indian Battle").
Waymark Code: WMZ8YP
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/01/2018
Views: 4
The marker's description of the so-called "Turkey Creek Indian Battle" is pretty self-explanatory; below is some additional information about the site being referenced, per the Texas State Historical Association's Online Handbook: San Caja Hill, also known as Lomo San Caja, with an elevation of 482 feet, is one of a group of hills in southern McMullen County (at 28°16' N, 98°23' W). The site was visited in 1689 by Father Damián Massanet, who called the elevations Sierra Sacatsol. The name San Caja is supposed originally to have been Sin Caja, meaning "without coffin." The change to San Caja was probably made by English-speaking persons who assumed that the site was named for a saint. The word caja, which also means box or chest, is said by some to refer to hidden treasure. According to legend, Mexican bandits at one time had headquarters in a cave in the west side of the mountain where they hid the loot from raids on wagontrains traveling between San Antonio and Laredo. The surrounding low rolling to flat terrain is surfaced by sandy and clay loam that supports scrub brush, cacti, and grasses.
Marker Number: 4529
Marker Text:
(Located 14 miles South)
The name, originally "Sin Caja", means "without coffin" in Spanish and may refer to the grim aftermath of the Turkey Creek Indian Battle, which was fought a short distance west of the hill in December 1872.
The fight developed after raiding Indians had stolen livestock, chased young rancher Andrew Tullis, and dragged a herder to death at the J. Campbell place.
The day following the killing, 13 ranchers from Oakville overtook the band at Turkey (now "Hill") Creek. Five Indians were slain, while one white man, Sebastian Beall, had a tooth shot out. Others in the fight were Caleb Coker, Tim Cude, John Edwards, Bob and Sam Nations, Tobe Odom, Cullen Sanders, Andrew and Woodie Tullis, Rans Tullos, Pleas Waller, John Wilson.
The bones of the warriors, put in a cave in San Caja Hill, later mysteriously disappeared. They were supposedly removed by members of the same tribe.
Legends of treasure also hinge upon the name of the hill, for "Caja" can mean "box" or "chest." This is thought to refer to money hidden in boxes here by Mexican bandits who raided wagon trains and stages traveling on the nearby Laredo-Goliad Road. Other tales tell of silver from the rich San Saba mines once buried nearby, but now lost to history.
(1968)
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