Although the history of Palo Duro Canyon is rich in Indian lore, it was
the coming of the white man that heralded the development of the area.
Today it is generally believed that Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was
the first white man to view the canyon. Coronado and his men are thought
to have camped here during the winter of 1541, as they crossed the High
Plains in search of the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola.
[Illustration: Fig. 2. Place map of Palo Duro Canyon.]
Later, during the 17th and 18th centuries, the canyon was a favorite
resting place of the buffalo hunters and Indian traders who frequented
the Plains. The canyon was also popular during the first half of the
19th century, for it was then that it was occupied by the Comanches and
served as a trade center for the Spaniards and Indians who came from New
Mexico. These traders, called _comancheros_, bartered for loot taken by
the Comanches on their raids of early settlements and wagon trains that
passed through the Panhandle-Plains region.
This same era marked the beginning of American interest in the Palo Duro
country. During this period the area was visited by several expeditions
including those of Long and Pike and the Texas-Santa Fe Expedition of
1841. However, the canyon was not fully explored or mapped until 1852.
This important survey was carried out by a party which was under the
supervision of Captain R. B. Marcy.
But it was not until 1876 that the first white man established permanent
residence in Palo Duro Canyon. In 1876—just two years after McKenzie’s
rout of the Comanches—Colonel Charles Goodnight herded more than 1,600
head of cattle into the canyon. Here he laid out his first permanent
ranch and lived in a primitive earthen dugout. Not only was Goodnight’s
Palo Duro Ranch the first in the canyon, it is also thought to have been
the first commercial cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle. In later years
Colonel Goodnight formed a partnership with John Adair of Ireland, and
together they developed the famous JA Ranch—a vast spread of some
600,000 acres. Today’s visitor to Palo Duro Canyon can visit a partially
restored dugout similar to that occupied by the canyon’s early settlers
(fig. 30).
[Illustration: Fig. 3. The face carved on this boulder can be seen
along the track of the Sad Monkey Railroad (p. 35). It is believed
to have been carved by Indians.]
[Illustration: Fig. 4. The war bonnet, war lance, and head feathers
of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker can be seen at the Panhandle-Plains
Historical Museum in Canyon. (Photograph courtesy Panhandle-Plains
Historical Museum.)]
From the late 1800s until about 1930, the Palo Duro country remained the
domain of the Panhandle-Plains cattleman. It was, nonetheless, a
favorite picnic and camping spot of the residents of nearby towns and
cities. In 1933 the recreational potential of the canyon was finally
recognized and land for the Palo Duro Canyon State Park was purchased by
the State of Texas with money obtained through a public revenue bond
issue. Today, most of the park revenue received through gate admissions,
concession receipts, and mineral leases goes into a fund that pays off
the remaining balance of the revenue bonds. During the initial phase of
the park’s development, most of the improvements in the area were made
by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps who worked under the
supervision of the National Park Service.
Currently, Palo Duro Canyon State Park is visited by approximately
300,000 visitors each year and is one of the State’s more popular
recreational and scenic areas.