1844 Tonkawa Encampment

Dance to the sound of the water drum and gourd rattle in our earliest historic area, a real Tonkawa tribal campsite that dates back several centuries. Experience what life in Central Texas was like in the days when Texas was still a Republic — and before. The centerpiece of the site is a massive, centuries-old oak tree that once shaded the Native People who camped beneath it. Just down the hill, if you listen closely enough, you can almost hear horses and cattle fording Walnut Creek at a spot where the Chisholm Trail crossed through the area in  the 1870s, long after the Tonkawa were gone.