Medicine at the Mounds

Medicine Mound was a town, briefly. The Medicine Mounds are things, living things older than history. These craggy rock outcroppings on a vast plain seem alien, foreign to what surrounds them. The mineral waters and herbs that come from the ground at the base are sacred and powerful, but at the top of the tallest mound is where a helping Spirit resides. With a view of over 60 miles, it keeps watch over the Nermernuh, the People, we know them as Comanche.

As the legend goes, a healer sought this place long ago with an ailing child. Everything that could help had been tried, but nothing had worked. The man wanted to be closer to the Spirit to pray for the health of the child, and these hills were the highest place in the Comancheria. As he climbed the biggest hill, the weight of the journey lifted. This place was special. As he prepared his medicine, he felt the presence. He knew his efforts were already working. As he descended and approached, he saw the child was already better. The medicine was hardly necessary. Such power was sought and found here for generations. 

The town of Medicine Mound lies just away from the hills. It’s now just 2 buildings. They were built in the dying days of the real town. It was originally made of clapboard and had burned to the ground in 1932, almost as if it wasn’t meant to be there, or wasn’t wanted by something bigger. Quanah Parker, the last chief of the Comanche Nation, took part in ceremonies and worshipped at the Mounds, the town was established the year of his death. It rose, dwindled, and declined in a generation. By the 1950’s it was mostly consolidated with the prospering and ironically named neighbor of Quanah, 12 miles away. By the 1980’s there were fewer than 50 residents in the surrounding area of Medicine Mound.

The Mounds were purchased in the 1990’s by a foundation in Dallas with the hopes of keeping it out of the hands of those who would do harm through exploitation or development. Strange as it is, the Comanche now must seek permission to worship at their sacred grounds. There is a celebration, however, of the Mounds every summer and attendees can see cultural ceremonies from tribal elders and see the Mounds from the perspective of the protective spirit. The Parker family attends regularly. 

Depending on which way you approach the abandoned town of Medicine Mound, there is one last subtle touch of irony to be noticed by anyone keen enough to pick up on it. The only living things to greet visitors coming to town from the west are a few horses, the pride and essence of the once thriving Comanche culture. The removal of those same horses meant the end of a way of life.  They are very friendly and most welcoming.