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Comanche in Comanche County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
 

The Comanche Chief

 
 
<i>The Comanche Chief</i> Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 11, 2014
1. The Comanche Chief Marker
Inscription.

Army engineers laid out a military road in this area in 1850. By 1855 thirty to forty families had settled in the vicinity. Comanche County was created in 1856, and Comanche became the second county seat in 1859. Its citizens, who entertained dreams of greatness for their town, envisioned a newspaper. Geraldo Alonzo Beeman, an experienced newspaperman, obtained an idle printing press and became the first editor of The Comanche Chief. Its first issue published on August 21, 1873, the Chief's main goals were to draw more settlers to the area and to lobby for the protection and improvement of the lives of Comanche residents. The paper was instrumental in securing a Texas Ranger force for the area and in promoting legislation for placing public school lands on the market.

By 1873, after the last of the Comanche tribe in the area was relegated to a reservation in Oklahoma, the town began to grow. The Comanche Chief was influential in social and political life, from chronicling the daily events of the neighborhood to lobbying for proper representation in the state legislature. It found its way to other regions of the country, advertising the advantages of the Comanche area and attracting new settlers. Sixteen-year-old Robert Thomas Hill (1858-1941), later called the Father of Texas Geology, began working
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at the Chief with his brother Joe in 1874. The Hills became co-editors of the paper and operated it together until Robert went to Cornell University in 1882.

Other newspapers were organized and discontinued over the decades, but The Comanche Chief thrived; it was sold to the Wilkerson family in 1925. One hundred and forty-two years old at the dawn of the 21st century, "The Comanche Chief" is recognized as the oldest business in Comanche County.
 
Erected 2000 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 12519.)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: CommunicationsEntertainmentIndustry & CommerceMan-Made Features. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.
 
Location. 31° 53.909′ N, 98° 36.323′ W. Marker is in Comanche, Texas, in Comanche County. Marker is on Grand Avenue west of Houston Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 203 West Grand Avenue, Comanche TX 76442, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Huett Building and Carrera Glass (within shouting distance of this marker); The Chilton-Harelik Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Ritz Theater Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Royal King
<i>The Comanche Chief</i> and Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 11, 2014
2. The Comanche Chief and Marker
(within shouting distance of this marker); Durham Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Texas Longhorn (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of John Wesley Hardin's Murder of Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb (about 400 feet away); Old Cora Courthouse (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Comanche.
 
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
 
Also see . . .
1. The Comanche Chief. (Submitted on March 14, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. History of Comanche, Texas. (Submitted on March 14, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
 
Additional keywords. The Comanche Chief
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 14, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 676 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on March 14, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

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Mar. 28, 2024