Atakapan Indians of Orange County
The Atakapan Indians, a tribe associated with southeastern U. S. bands, lived in this area for centuries. Studies have suggested their presence covered a large region of southeast Texas. Their name comes from the Choctaw Indians, and means "Man-Eaters".
It is believed that Indians encountered by Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca in 1528 along the Gulf Coast may have been Atakapans. The first documented contact with the tribe was by French sailor Simars de Bellisle in 1719. Put ashore with four others to collect fresh water, the men were abandoned and de Bellisle, after the deaths of his companions, was made a captive of the Indian tribe for a time.
Later contact with the Atakapans included trade with French and Spanish explorers. The tribe was evidently a fairly loose confederacy of small, scattered bands. Archeological evidence suggests they subsisted mainly on small game, fish, and wild plants, and evidently were not farmers. Shell middens found indicated the existence of Atakapan campsites in this vicinity.
The tribe disappeared from Texas in the early 19th century, either becoming extinct or integrating into other tribes.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
Erected 1986
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities.
Location. 30° 5.461′ N, 93° 43.859′ W. Marker is in Orange, Texas, in Orange County. It is on West Front Street west of Second Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Orange TX 77630, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Texas’ Golden Triangle. It is also in the American South, on the Gulf Coast, and in the Piney Woods. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Old Niblett's Bluff, C.S.A. (here, next to this marker); Site Of End Of The Line Station (here, next to this marker); Hugh Ochiltree (here, next
More about this marker. Located in the Ochiltree Inman Park
Credits. This page was last revised on January 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 22, 2018, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 1,159 times since then and 128 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 22, 2018. 4. submitted on January 20, 2026, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas.
