Quitaque's Comanchero Museum Reopens April 10
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021
Article from the Caprock Courier "staff reports", Vol. 113 No.15, page 1, Thursday, April 15, 2021
Inside the museum, April 2021.
Inside the museum, April 2021.
After a year of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Quitaque's Comanchero Canyons Museum last week resumed Saturday openings from 10 a.m to 4 p.m.
"We also have set June 5, 2021, for our annual Rendezvous celebration that will have some unique additions," said museum board president Jerry Leatherman. The Rendezvous was just beginning to seal its reputation among the year's must-attend events related to local heritage of the region, when the Covid-19 lockdowns hit.
New exhibits this year include a display of over 100 rings and brooches discovered last year in northeast Floyd County by board members Jerry Leatherman and Ronnie Carpenter. Evidence points toward these "drops originating from the ill-fated 1841 Texan Santa Fe Expedition. The approximately 300 "pioneers" on that trek consisted of militia, merchants, and servants. They spent 22 days unhappy in various camps in the area of what would become Floyd, Motley, Hall, and Briscoe counties while searching for a way to get their wagons up the caprock. Kiowa Indians who inhabited the area at the time constantly harassed and killed Texans who, near starvation, strayed too far from the camp and cannon.
Also new in 2021 are 13 Kenneth Wyatt paintings donated by the family of Billy and Pete Meyer. Subjects include Native Americans, U.S. cavalry and cowboys.
At the museum's June 5 Rendezvous, a hamburger lunch will be served and once again, visitors are invited to bring their own artifacts for help in identifying or admiring. And stay tuned for details on the participation of the Missouri stagecoach, which is returning to the area in late May and early June, "the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise!" said Leatherman.