Historic Indian Battle Fought, 105 Years Ago

Enid Newspaper 1943

WOODWARD, June 26- (Special) The Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians, who back in those days had their own United Nations, whipped thel Kiowas and Comanches, who also had a defense alliance, one hundred and five years ago today and thus gained permanent control of this portion of old Indian Territory. This was the second and decisive battle between the two allied armies of the redskins for control of this area, an extensive area of buffalo and other wild game and therefore important from a food viewpoint.

The Comanches and Kiowas had been here first and were averse to trespassers. Other tribes came here to hunt buffalo but only for that purpose and then returned to their homes back in Missouri, up in Kansas and elsewhere. But the Cheyennes and Arapahoes came to stay. They desired permanent occupancy here and were opposed by the Kiowa_Comanches The two battles were for blood and many warriors were killed on both sides.

The battle between these tribes was fought In 1838 not far south of the junction of Wolf and Beaver creeks, which later was to become the location of Fort Supply. To commemorate this battle, the Kiwanis club of Woodward placed a marker at a roadside picnic grounds. ten miles northwest of Woodward.

Two years after this 1838 battle permanent peace existed between the several tribes.

The Cheyennes and Arapahoes were accustomed at that time to take whatever they wanted in hunting grounds and they had no hesitancy in fighting the Kiowa-Comanches for this area. The Cheyenne-Arapahoes were occupying the Black Hills country in 1804, moved south to the Platte river valley in 1827, and southward again into the Arkansas river valley in 1832. The next step was against the Kiowa -Comanches here. The latter two tribes moved south ward to the Red river valley.

Following the battles in this area the Cheyennes and Arapahoes became very chesty and continued to mop up on immigrant trains of colonies of white people westward. Eventually General Phil Sheridan in 18874 determiiaed to put an end to the menace. He had Fort Supply established as a base of operations for General George CUster and his seventh U. S. cavalry, and in the early winter of 1868 the two Indian tribes were defeated completely by Custer in the battle of the Washita.

WILLIAM E. GWYNN CLAIMED BY DEATH

Enid 1943

WOODWARD, June 28.-(Special) A stroke has caused the death here of William E. Gwynn, homesteader in 1900 of a half section farm which he sold recently as the nucleus of a site for the Woodward Army Air Base, six miles west of this city. Within five more days he would have been 82 years old, a native of Cleveland, Ohio. An extensive wheat farmer, he also was an extensive grain buyer over a long term of years. He came here from Missouri 43 years ago. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Mary Gwynn; two daughters, Miss Bernice Gwynn and Mrs. Elsie Render of Panhandle, Texas; and a brother, Ben F. Gwynn of Hitchcock, Texas.

INJURED AT AIR BASE

1943

WOODWARD, June 28.- (SpecIal) Lyle Shellhart of this city is recouperating in Wesley hospital at Oklahoma City from severe Injuries received when he fell from the roof of a building, under construction at the Woodward Army Air base. He struck 18 feet below on the floor, breaking several bones and being injured otherwise. Shellhart is a building contractor on an army job.

FALLS IN FRONT OF DISC

1943

WOODWARD, May 31-(Special) Fred Schaffler, Woodward county farmer of the Opal neighborhood, is nursing numerous injuries but thankful to be alive. While working in the field, putting in a roughage crop, he fell in front of the disc. He is still unable to walk but doctors have told him that he has no broken bones.

PURPLE HEART IS 25 YEARS COMING

Sunday, June 13, 1943

WOODWARD, June 12--(Special) -Recognition In the form of the Purple Heart award has come to Richard J. (Dick) Woodmansee, county clerk here for the past ten years, twenty-five years after being wounded in France while a member of the medical corps with the 357th Infantry, ninetieth division..

The date of Woodmansee's being wounded in France was October 23, 1918, while he was administering first aid to wounded soldiers during battle. He was a victim of mustard gas and remained in a hospital for two months afterward..

Woodmansee was overseas in France and later with the army of occupation in Germany for approximately twelve months. He landed back in the United States at Newport News on June 1, 1919. His experience in battle was in the Meuse drive and at Bantcheville, near Romagne, at the time he was wounded. While with the army of occupation the regimental head quarters were at Hillesheim..

Woodmansee is a native of this section of Oklahoma and was a resident of Shattuck at the time he enlisted in world war I. Immediately afterward he located in Woodward and has lived here the intervening twenty-five years.

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