Bird's Creek Indian Fight

Type: General Entry

Published: 1976

Updated: November 1, 1994

The Bird's Creek Indian Fight occurred on May 26, 1839, near the site of present Temple, when a ranger force of thirty-four men under the command of Capt. John Bird came in contact with more than 200 Caddo, Kickapoo, and Comanche Indians. The Texans were victorious but suffered several casualties, including Captain Bird. A Comanche chief was killed in the fight. The creek on which the battle was fought became known as Bird's Creek. Two markers near Temple commemorate the event.

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Rupert N. Richardson, The Comanche Barrier to South Plains Settlement (Glendale, California: Clark, 1933; rpt., Millwood, New York: Kraus, 1973). Harold Schoen, comp., Monuments Erected by the State of Texas to Commemorate the Centenary of Texas Independence (Austin: Commission of Control for Texas Centennial Celebrations, 1938). Temple Daily Telegram, April 17, 1936. George Tyler, History of Bell County (San Antonio: Naylor, 1936).

Time Periods:

Republic of Texas

The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.

Anonymous, “Bird's Creek Indian Fight,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed May 25, 2022, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/birds-creek-indian-fight.

Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

Original Publication Date:: 1976
Most Recent Revision Date:: November 1, 1994

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