Research for the Penatuhkah Comanche Trails began in 1991 with a small group in Santa Anna, Texas. In 1993 they visited the Comanche Tribal headquarters in Lawton, OK and invited the Comanche Nation to come to Santa Anna to evaluate of cultural resources that our research team believed were Comanche Cultural Properties. The Tribal Council/Business Committee accepted the invitation. They sent their education director who recognized one of the suspected TCPs as a Comanche sacred site. Tribal Chairman Wallace Coffey and a Comanche delegation returned to this area of West Central Texas accompanied by the late Thomas Wahnee, a Comanche traditional spiritual leader and Elder, to re-bless this site and “release the ancestors.” This was the beginning of a relationship between area ranchers, researchers, and area residents that has lasted over 30 years. We are currently building relationships with a new generation of Comanche leaders and an expanded number of Texas stakeholders.

 

The Penatuhkah Comanche Trails partnership was founded in June 2019. It currently includes ten community Chambers of Commerce and Visitor Centers, five local museums, Texas Midwest Community Network, Texas Forts Trail, Frontier Texas, National Park Service, and The Comanche Nation of Oklahoma.

 

We were fortunate to have National Park Service assistance shortly after the founding of the PCTP. A grant funded by the NPS Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance program (RTCA) provided planning and technical assistance which resulted in a strong start for this new organization. Unfortunately, the COVID epidemic interrupted our planning process but organization and development continued. The PCTP is now celebrating the preview of our Texas Penatuhkah Comanche Trails through May 2025. We welcome new partners and tourists within our trail region!