The Canadian River was crossed by many ancient traces and roads. Indians, Spanish explorers, wagon trail traders, and federal troops on their way to the gold fields of California all had to cross the Canadian River near this spot.
Today this historic river crossing is traversed by a lovely iron wagon bridge, which has been restored to pedestrian bridge, allowing local tourists to walk in the footsteps of those mythical Spanish explorers, rugged Santa Fe Trail traders, and excited gold rushers.
A nearby state Historic marker explains the centuries of history here:
"CANADIAN RIVER TRAILS
Trade, exploration and hunting trails along the Canadian are older than recorded history-old when used 1541 by Spaniard Coronado hunting golden cities of Cibola. Route in 1840 for Josiah Gregg and 34 Missouri men with goods worth $25,000 headed for trade in Santa Fe. Used by 1849 parties escorted by U.S. Army Captain R. B. Marcy on way to California Gold Rush. Hunters, cattlemen, settlers used Canadian River Trails in1870s and 80s, as Panhandle was opened to civilization. River's name,"Canadian," came from Spanish for "boxed-in." (1966)"
From the City of Canadian's website: (
visit link)
"From its earliest documented history as a long line of apartment and town home dwellings on the bluffs along the Canadian River in the 1100's through today's present rebirth, Canadian has always inspired the imagination of those who visit and the loyalty of those who call it home. In 1544, long after the culture that had built those apartments along the western side of the panhandle disappeared, Coronado and his band wrote romantic descriptions of a land with stirrup high grasses and warned of a fierce and dangerous river.
Fortunately for the Apache and later Kiowa and Comanche Indian tribes of the Canadian River area, settlers avoided the area for many years due to continuous, perhaps exaggerated reports by government surveyors and cavalry troops of the volatile Canadian River and its treacherous quick sand, scorching summer winds and winter blizzards. These tribes followed the buffalo herds across this part of Texas and into Oklahoma and Kansas, making camp on the Canadian River and Red Deer Creek in the north part of Hemphill County and Gageby Creek and the Washita River in the South for several decades after Central and South Texas was “civilized.”
The first white settlers were only a bit more settled than the Indians themselves. These first ranchers, arriving in the 1860’s and 70’s followed their own herds of longhorn cattle, moving from one good patch of grass to the next, watering in the three dozen creeks they identified between the two rivers, picking up strays from the old Spanish herds and generally coexisting in peace with the Kiowa and Comanche Indians. That peace was forever shattered when buffalo hunters, Buffalo soldiers, the United States Cavalry and the railroad invaded the area in rapid succession.
When the United States Government authorized the hunting of buffalo, trails opened from here to Dodge City, Kansas, the closest town of any size, south to Fort Griffin, in Shackelford County, Texas and from Fort Elliott at Old Mobeetie to Fort Supply. These well-used and well-defined trails, used by hunters, then the army, also brought adventurers, desperadoes, more ranchers, the railroad and fences to Hemphill County.
Visitors to Canadian today are fascinated to find that this really was the wild, wild west made famous in Western movies, TV shows and the dime novels of the time. The most famous heroes, outlaws, Indian chiefs, battles and Texas Rangers seemed to have all converged here. And, you can easily relive that tumultuous time of the 1870’s and, 80’s, with history here being almost fresh enough to reach out and touch, and lovingly preserved by those whose roots run deep in this land. . . ."