Historical Marker Program

Peace on the Plains

Greer County
Location: at junction of OK-44 and old US-283 near Quartz Mountain State Park
Coordinates: 34.856531, -99.330696
Material: Aluminum
Sponsor(s): Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Department of Tourism
Topics: American Indians; Military; Westward Expansion, 1803–1861

A Wichita village approximately fvie miles southeast of this marker’s location was the scene of the first meeting between the federal government and Native American tribes of the western Great Plains in present-day Oklahoma on July 21, 1834. The US Dragoon regiment, under the command of Colonel Henry Dodge, camped one mile away from the village, which contained more than 200 grass lodges. Noted officers and civilians who accompanied the dragoons included Captains David Hunter and Nathan Boone, First Lieutenant Jefferson Davis, former North Carolina governor Montfort Stokes, and artist George Catlin.

Note: This marker has been reported for containing inaccurate language. Dragoons under the command of Colonel Dodge first encountered a Comanche village on July 14, 1834. Colonel Dodge was unable to arrange negotiations due to the Comanche chief being away, so the expedition moved westward and encountered a Wichita village on July 21. Formal negotiations between the US government and the Wichita commenced on July 22. Negotiations with the Kiowa and Comanche began the following day.