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 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 11468.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this
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Location. 30° 5.461′ N, 93° 43.859′ W. Marker is in Orange, Texas, in Orange County. Marker 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.
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 to this marker); George Alexander Pattillo (here, next to this marker); John Harmon (here, next to this marker); The Sawmill Industry in Orange County (here, next to this marker); Dr. William Hewson and Dr. David Caldwell Hewson (here, next to this marker); American Legion Post 49 Memorial (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Orange.
More about this marker. Located in the Ochiltree Inman Park
Credits. This page was last revised on April 22, 2018. It was originally submitted on April 22, 2018, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 487 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 22, 2018.
