Quanah Parker

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Quanah Parker: Adventures at Star House

 

Introduction

My Adventures at Star House occurred in the Spring of 2010, while on a road trip traveling through Texas and Oklahoma. At that time, I was on a spiritual mission and quest to learn as much as I could about a newly acquainted guide and past life connection of mine named Big Tree. A Kiowa Indian, Big Tree lived between the years of 1841 and 1929, and spent much of his life in areas of Southwestern Oklahoma and parts of Texas. In my attempt to learn and embrace everything about his essence, I would find myself being inadvertently led to Cache, Oklahoma — standing right inside Quanah Parker’s Star House.

 

Starbucks, Longhorns and Army Guys

It was the third day of my expedition into all things Big Tree,and my friend R and I woke up in the groovy little city of Lawton, Oklahoma. Our itinerary for the day included getting an early start and visiting the Museum of the Southern Plains, stopping somewhere in Lawton for lunch, then making our way towards the Quartz Mountains. We were making good progress with our to do list, as it was close to noon and we had already visited the museum.

We found ourselves in a Starbucks parking lot, coincidentally — but not, parked right next to an SUV driven by an Army Soldier. R and I were in a heightened state of “mindless contemplation” about our next maneuver for the day, when a decision eventually revealed itself. The decision, involved me getting out of our car and walking to the driver’s side of the truck where Army guy sat drinking his coffee. I would then ultimately ask if he could recommend anywhere cheap — yet good, to eat lunch. If you have read my story about Big Tree, then you are already aware of the merits I place on great hole in the wall restaurants.

Having made my way over to Army guy’s truck, I knocked on his window, and began asking him for some “tasty — but cheap” recommendations. He immediately suggested The Meers Store — a reputedly popular hangout for locals and tourists alike. It sounded great, but would in the end discover, Meers, famous for serving burgers made from Texas Longhorn Cattle, was not a very vegetarian friendly place. In fact, other than a grilled cheese sandwich and order of greasy onion rings, Veg-heads such as myself, find themselves out of luck! Good thing I wasn’t made aware of this beforehand — as my visit to Star House may not have manifested.

 

The Trading Post

Army guy instructed us to take a left turn out of the parking lot, explaining the main road would eventually turn into a country road, and lead us right to Meers. He was right! We did find ourselves on a country road. In fact, we found ourselves out in the middle of nowhere! R and I looked nervously at each other as the “oh my gosh we are lost” panic began to set in. All of a sudden I saw a road sign indicating “Cache, Oklahoma”. I vaguely remembered from my trip research, Quanah Parker’s Star House being located in Cache. I also recalled crossing it off our list of “places to go”,thinking it was too far out of the way. Apparently not!

I excitedly told R about my hazy recollections regarding Quanah Parker. I asked her if she would mind us taking a detour and stopping by Star House if we could find it. I mean after all — we were led right into the general vicinity, so I definitely didn’t want to waste an opportunity. I wanted to learn as much as possible about every aspect of Indian History — even if at the time, I wasn’t aware of the direct connection between Quanah and Big Tree. R agreed wholeheartedly it would be cool to find Quanah’’s House, so we proceeded to the next immediate course of action — actually finding his house.

Even though R and I like to “claim” we are old school and use paper maps, compasses and such things during our travels — we quickly broke out her electronic gizmos and googled Quanah Parker’s Star House. We not only wanted to get directions, but also wanted to make sure my memory served correctly and his house was in fact — in Cache. Armed with electronic maps and affirmations we set off once again. We did our best to locate Quanah’’s house, but after 15 minutes of driving around in circles — it was time to relent.

We pulled into a Dollar Store parking lot and accosted the first person we saw — a woman walking to her car. We felt a bit moronic asking for directions — I mean Cache isn’t a very big place, and how could we miss a big house with stars on it? To our relief as in “whew, maybe we aren’t such morons after all”,the woman explained the house stood on private property and we could stop by the Trading Post to locate one of the owners for a tour. Here I was assuming Star House was a historical landmark, and like every other museum it would be easily accessible to the public — not!

We drove over the railroad tracks as instructed, and there we found the Trading Post. Inside we found a chaotic scene as the lunch rush had just finished, and everyone was busy trying to close up. We noticed some people who seemed to be lingering around the place, and asked if they could point out the person we needed to speak with for a tour of Star House. They directed us to a man named W, who at that time was busy counting money and closing up the register.

This man named W didn’t give the impression he wanted to be disturbed, so I waited for a while before I approached him. A short time passed and I finally made my move. Apparently, I didn’t wait long enough, because he didn’t seem too keen to give any information or help with my desire to visit Star House. He responded to my inquiries in a very abrupt manner, telling me someone else usually does the tours, and they were not available. He also informed me, people are suppose to call and schedule their visit — not just merely “show up”.

I continued trying to work my magic and reason with W, explaining to him how we inadvertently stumbled onto Cache, and how important it was for me to visit Star House. At one point in our futile conversation, he did mention he was able to give the tour — then hastily said he was too busy, and didn’t offer any alternative solutions. Everything seemed to come to a screeching halt as W suddenly gathered his things and went off into the other side of the building. That was it — I stood disillusioned and defeated. This just wasn’t happening!

 

Change of Heart

I looked at my friend R and asked for her input. She shrugged her shoulders and said, “I guess this wasn’t meant to be, we will have to try some other trip — lets get out of here!”. For some reason, well probably more to do with my Indian guides prompting me, I felt if I lingered at the Trading Post just a little bit longer — perhaps our luck would change. I expressed these feelings to R, but she didn’t seem to share my sentiments. She walked out the door and began heading towards the car.

All of a sudden, as if Quanah and my Indian guides Guipago and Big Tree had intervened themselves — here comes W out of his office, carrying a big set of keys and heading straight towards me. Appearing as though he just had a major energy shift, W gazed at me and said, “Are you ready to go? I don’t have much time, but I can take you for a short visit”. I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears! Was this actually happening? Was this sudden and unexpected reversal the handiwork of Quanah, Guipago and Big Tree themselves?

I was ecstatic! I couldn’t grasp the turn of events — but never mind — I was going to Quanah’s house! I ran over to the car where R had been sitting with the motor running, ready to move on. She looked at me in surprise as I banged on the car window and said, “Come on! He is going to take us!”. She quickly turned off the motor, jumped out, and together we headed for W’s truck. We piled into the cab, and as R and I sat there speechless, no doubt caused by the sudden twist of fate, we began driving down the road towards our destination.

I was sure that Big Tree, Guipago and Quanah himself had managed to have a little conversation with W in the backroom that day. W not only had an obvious change of heart — he actually seemed to be excited to take us! As we drove towards Quanah’s house, W had become extremely animated and chatty. He talked incessantly about the history of the Parker Family, Star House, and the storms that had recently torn through Oklahoma — pointing out various damaged trees along the way.

 

The Welcome

We were driving down a country road, when we came upon some private property. W pulled the truck over, then hopped out to unlock the gate. We continued on, driving past what appeared to be part of an old carnival and some other random buildings. All of a sudden, there it was! Quanah Parker’’s Star House! My present feelings of elation were replaced with those of sorrow. My heart sank, as I sat gazing at such a significant piece of Native American History that was now clearly in a state of decay. I became instantly transfixed by the dilapidated house, trying to visualize how magnificent and full of life it must have been in the days of old.

While lost in my imagination, W had jumped out ahead of us to unlock the front door of the house. Still deep in my own thoughts, I slowly made my way toward W, where he stood with R waiting on the grassy area in front of the house. We stood there attentively as W continued giving us background information on Quanah and Star House. He could not have been nicer or more informative, but somehow, as he spoke, I still found myself drifting off into never-never land.

We were still standing in the grass, when all of a sudden the front door of the house began to open. It opened very slowly, then all of a sudden — abruptly slammed shut. I immediately sensed the energy of a very high spirited child as the culprit — a male child who was very excited about having visitors, and wanting to check us out. The door continued to open and slam close about 5 times when all of the sudden, Quanah himself came to the door to see what the commotion was.

There he was, in all of his stately energy — standing at the front door to welcome us into his house. He had been expecting us, and was happy we had made the journey. I found myself becoming slightly giddy and nervous in his presence, for he was larger than life. I couldn’t tell R what was going on, but knew by her snide glance at me — she was hip to the happenings. W, on the other hand, was still giving his tour speech, and hadn’t given much credence to the door opening and shutting — except a brief comment about the wind being the perpetrator. As usual in these situations — there was no wind that day.

As we walked through the front door of the house, I silently thanked Quanah and the other spirits for their warm welcome. I was embarrassed to know so little of Quanah’s life, but I did fully understand the incredible privilege it was to be invited into his home — especially by Quanah himself. I knew he had played an integral role in getting me to Star House. I was not only extremely grateful — I felt incredibly honored that someone of his brilliance was assisting me on this particular part of my spiritual journey.

 

Puzzle Pieces

We all stood in the hallway by the front door as W started heading towards the left area of the house. With the guidance of Quanah and my psychic vibes on overload, something to the back right of the house was calling me. I asked W if we could head to the right instead of the left, and after a bit of reluctance to stray from his normal routine, he agreed. We began walking and ended up in the Dining Room — standing in front of a long wooden table.

Wow! The energy in the Dining Room was absolutely amazing! I found myself immediately drawn to the head of the table, where I stood looking across at all the surrounding chairs. The room became hazy and I could feel myself slipping away into an altered state of consciousness. Without even trying, I was transported back to another era, another time. I could hear the low din of voices from people past, and sense the unique atmosphere of an age gone by.

I was totally lost in another dimension when I was suddenly jolted back into the current reality by my friend’s voice. There at the other end of the room, sitting on top of an old stove, was a small framed sign. R said, “Hey, look at this!” and pointed down to the writing. The sign indicated Quanah had many special guests at his house, and they had sat right at that very dining room table. There were several historical figures listed, two of those — just happening to be Big Tree and Guipago.

I was still dizzy from my recent little “journey” when reading the names of Big Tree and Guipago on the placard. In fact, I almost passed out! I was completely thrilled. There they were — right there in black and white. They had been “buds” with Quanah, and had sat at that very table where I stood. Suddenly, this was all beginning to make perfect sense. I now understood why Quanah was an important piece of the puzzle, and it was clear why he had been helping me on my quest to know Big Tree.

 

Quanah the Prankster

In a complete state of euphoria, and still reeling from my experience in the dining room, W led us into another room — the living room. We stood there in the middle of the room as W continued with his dialogue. I tried like hell to focus on his words, but was once again distracted. The culprit this time? There was an old rocking chair that sat in the room, and Quanah was standing next to it. How can one possibly be attentive, when they are standing next to the energy of Quanah Parker? Not an easy feat, believe me!

Without a moment more, all of the sudden the rocking chair began moving. Yes — the rocking chair was now rocking! Guess who? R and I looked at each other, both grinning in acknowledgement of what was happening. I began laughing out loud as W seemed to purposely try “not to notice” the movement. I couldn’t figure out if he was truly oblivious — or if he experienced these things all the time, and was trying to spare us from freaking out. Whatever the case, the chair appeared to be picking up speed.

This was the type of paranormal activity that ghost hunters only dream about, and here I was experiencing the mother lode — compliments of Quanah Parker. It wasn’t like one of those cheesy scary scenes where everyone is running around, screaming in horror. In fact, the situation was absolutely hilarious and I could barely contain my amusement. Quanah, who among his many other notable qualities, possesses a nice blend of sarcasm, prankster and comedian. He was determined to get W to stop talking and notice him. The more W ignored the moving chair — the harder Quanah would rock it.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of Quanah rocking like a madman, and me, doing my best to hold in my laughter, I looked at W with one of those “Are you serious dude?“ expressions. I attempted to divert his attention, by pointing towards the out of control rocking chair. At the exact moment W ceased his conversation, and looked toward the chair — the rocking movement immediately stopped. It is very hard to explain away, a rocking chair that went from 0-100 in a few minutes — then suddenly came to a complete stop. W, however, could explain the phenomenon — it was once again the wind.

I didn’t want to get into a major discussion with W about the complete lack of wind outside that day, or even how there was no ventilation in the house to cause a breeze. I especially didn’t want to let him know that I was a Psychic, as my intention was pure and I was definitely not there to ghost hunt. In fact, I don’’t agree with ghost hunting — if a spirit or energy wants you to experience them — they will come to you! Anyway, it really didn’t matter whether W was a believer or not — I was delighted to be there, and extremely thankful and respectful of his time.

 

Walking Through Dimensions

My stomach still hurt from holding my laughter during Quanah’s rocking chair episode, when W led us into other areas of the house. We had just finished touring the downstairs bedrooms, when we found ourselves standing back in the living room. Once again, W was giving historical details about Star House, when all of a sudden — bam! From the hallway area, came this brilliant light, which can only be described as other worldly. R and I immediately looked at each other, silently communicating “Whoa dude! Did you see that?”.

The light seemed to be increasing in brightness and hue, when we heard a bizarre loud noise. The sound can only be described as some type of huge surge or bolt of electricity. W seemed to be oblivious to all of this, as he continued chatting. R and I, on the other hand, stood paralyzed in amazement, as we glanced back and forth from the hallway to each other. All at once, we heard an intense crackling sound. A bit freaked out, R and I looked at each other once again, both with our jaws hanging down to the ground.

Without any other warning, the powerful crackling sound and the light that had been so luminous, simultaneously ceased. I stood there in awe, as I felt a great sense of peace come over me. The energy in the house completely shifted, and I knew in my heart what had just happened. Quanah was gone. The radiant light and odd electrical sounds were those of him walking through another dimension. He came to be with us on our visit — and now he was journeying again — back through time and space.

I was sad to see Quanah go, but felt peaceful and privileged that he allowed me to experience him on such a profound level. When he left, everything else on the tour would be a complete blur. I vaguely remember going through the upstairs of the house and feeling a great sense of melancholy. I couldn’t be certain though, who the emotion actually belonged to — perhaps it was partly my own. I longed to be back with Quanah, Big Tree and Guipago, but knew it wasn’t the time. I had to snap myself back to the current reality.

I said goodbye to Star House and we all headed back to the Trading Post. I thanked W profusely for his generosity and his time. He didn’t have to take us that day — but I was so grateful he did! Before we left, I gave him my best effort at explaining how much the visit to Star House meant to me. In the end, I believe W is much more perceptive than he lets on — and that he truly understood the impact and significance of the encounter. I hoped our paths would someday cross, and that once again, I could say hello to Star House.

 

Goodbyes and Grilled Cheese

It was getting late and was time to go. My friend R and I said our goodbyes to W, and once again got on the road. It was now close to 4 pm and we were famished. We hadn’t eaten all day — but couldn’t care less. We were completely carefree as we drove down the road, laughing and reminiscing about our extraordinary adventures. Thanks to the guidance and handiwork of Quanah, Big Tree and Guipago — not to mention that strategically placed “by chance” Army guy — we were on cloud nine.

We drove for several minutes, when we saw a building surrounded by an incredible mob of people. This must be it! This had to be the infamous restaurant we were told about earlier in the day. We parked the car, got in line with the others, and after 30 grueling minutes of waiting in line — we finally managed to get a table. As I sat across from my friend watching her heartily devour a gigantic longhorn burger — I reluctantly nibbled my pathetic grilled cheese and greasy onion rings. I didn’t care — I went to Quanah Parker’s House!

 

© 2011 by Kathleen A. McCoy.
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Kathleen A. McCoy.

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Quanah

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Quanah’s Star House

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Another view of Star House

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The Dining Room

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The Living Room

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The “Infamous Rocking Chair”

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Upstairs Bedroom

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Kitchen

8 Responses to Quanah Parker

  1. He’s my great x 5 grandfather. Great article.

    • Kathleen says:

      Hi Ricky:

      Thank you for reading my post about your great great great great grandfather. Did I get that right? P:) That is really neat you are related to him. How many people walking around can say that?! I bet you know some interesting stories about him that have been passed down through the generations.

      Hopefully my little story did him some justice!
      Great to meet you,
      kathleen xx

  2. Lawana Turner says:

    I loved this my grandfather named his son Quanah and his other son star. He met Quanah Parker and did this to honor a great warrior. Keep up the great work lawana

    • Kathleen says:

      Hi Lawana:
      Thank you so much for your comment and letting me know you enjoyed my post! It is so neat that your grandfather met Quanah Parker and named his sons after him. Sounds like your grandfather was pretty interesting as well! P:)
      Thanks for sharing this with me/us,
      kathleen xx

  3. K.C says:

    You might enjoy reading “The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend” by Glenn Frankel . Quanah and his family figure prominently in the history of west Texas and the making of John Ford and John Wayne’s greatest movie about the American West.

    • Kathleen says:

      Hi K.C:
      Thank you for your suggestion! While I have not read it myself, I am sure it will be a helpful tool for anyone who wishes to learn more about Quanah Parker.
      Peace,
      kathleen xx

  4. bernard john says:

    A GREAT ACCOUNT OF A FASCINATING EXPERIENCE! THANK YOU!
    I AM A STUDENT OF ALL THINGS INDIAN , AND AN ARTIST/MUSICIAN IN WALES U.K.
    I HAVE PAINTED A PORTRAIT OF QUANAH IN THE PAST
    HAVE MANY INDIAN CONTACTS AND ARTWORKS.
    MITAKUYE OYASIN

    • Kathleen says:

      Hey Bernard!
      Thanks so much for your nice comment! I really appreciate you taking the time to read my stuff and going one step further to leave a reply. I would really love to see your portrait of Quanah. He is a pretty groovy dude isn’t he? P:)
      Also I would like to thank you for “Mitakuye Oyasin”. I had never heard or seen that before. It is beautiful and truly sums up everything I have been taught through my Native American spirit guides as well as my own personal belief system. So…. gratitude back at you! P:)
      kathleen xx

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