WASHITA RIVER
REYNOLDS CREEK
HORSE CREEK
PICKETT RANCH CREEK
PAT'S CREEK
BARTON CREEK
RED DEER CREEK
WASHITA RIVER
The Washita River rises in southeastern Roberts County
(at 35°38' N, 100°36' W) and flows east for thirty-five
miles, crossing southern Hemphill County to enter Roger
Mills County, Oklahoma. From the state line the stream
flows southeast for 260 miles to its junction with the
Red River (at 33°55' N, 96°35' W) in Johnston County,
Oklahoma.
On its course through Texas, the river flows through flat
to rolling country where clay and sandy loams support
brush and grasses. Since the stream was a favorite
campground for nomadic tribes, the upper Washita was the
scene of much military activity during the sporadic
Indian wars; Col. George A. Custer's attack on Black
Kettle's village, known as the battle of the Washita,
occurred near present-day Cheyenne, Oklahoma, on November
27, 1868.
The Indian siege of Capt. Wyllys Lyman's wagon train took
place near the Washita in Hemphill County on September
9-14, 1874. Hide hunters frequented the upper Washita, as
did early ranchers, for whom the stream was a favorite
place to water their herds. In recent years a series of
dams and small reservoirs has been constructed along the
Washita and its tributaries in Hemphill County.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Lester Fields Sheffy, The Francklyn Land
& Cattle Company (Austin: University of Texas Press,
1963).
REYNOLDS CREEK
Reynolds Creek, also known as Timber Creek, rises at the
junction of its east and west forks (at 35°40' N,
101°01' W) in southwestern Roberts County and flows
north for fourteen miles into the Canadian River (at
35°55' N, 101°04' W).
It was once part of the Francklyn Land and Cattle Company
properties. The creek flows through locally depressed
flat terrain surfaced with clay and sandy loams.
The area vegetation consists primarily of water-tolerant
grasses and hardwoods.
HORSE CREEK
Horse Creek, once known as St. Clair Creek, rises five
miles northwest of Miami in southeastern Roberts County
(at 35°45' N, 100°43' W) and runs north for sixteen
miles to its mouth on the Canadian River three miles east
of Three Corrals Creek (at 35°58' N, 100°41' W).
Its course crosses recharge sand and wash deposits on
flat to rolling terrain. Soils of the area are generally
darkbrown to reddishbrown, neutral to slightly
calcareous sandy loams, clay loams, and clays. Vegetation
consists primarily of scrub brush, grasses, and
watertolerant hardwoods and conifers.
In 1933 an archeological excavation near Miami, Texas,
discovered skeletons of five dismembered Columbian
mammoths, three Clovis projectile points, and a scraper.
The proximity of the bones and artifacts prove the
existence of Pleistocene biggame hunters in the area of
Horse Creek.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Frederick W. Rathjen, The Texas Panhandle
Frontier (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1973).
PICKETT RANCH CREEK
Pickett Ranch Creek rises (at 36°06' N, 100°43' W) at
the edge of the breaks in southern Ochiltree County and
runs south for eight miles to its mouth (at 35°59' N,
100°43' W) on the Canadian River, in north central
Roberts County.
The terrain is flat to rolling with local escarpments.
Brush and grasses grow in the mostly deep, fine, sandy
loams along the banks of the creek. The stream was once
part of Henry W. (Hank) Cresswell's Bar CC ranges.
PAT'S CREEK
Pat's Creek rises in southwestern Ochiltree County (at
36°04' N, 101°03' W). Two branches, Pat's Creek
(formerly known as Walker Creek) and the East Fork of
Pat's Creek, flow together and then join the Canadian
River (at 35°57' N, 100°58' W) to the south.
Most of the creek, including its two forks, lies within
Roberts County. The distance from the source of each fork
to the confluence with the Canadian is about six miles.
The creek flows through flat to rolling terrain where
sandy loams support brush and grasses. The area was once
part of Henry Cresswell's Bar CC Ranch range.
BARTON CREEK
Barton Creek rises at the edge of timber brakes in
southeastern Ochiltree County (at 36°05' N, 100°35' W)
and flows south for eight miles to its mouth on the
Canadian River, in northeastern Roberts County (at
35°59' N, 100°34' W).
The stream was formerly part of Henry Cresswell's Bar CC
property and was probably named by him for his neighbors,
the Barton brothers. The terrain is flat to rolling with
local escarpments. The soil, mostly thick, fine, sandy
loam, supports hardwood forest, brush, and grasses.
RED DEER CREEK
Red Deer Creek rises at the breaks of the Llano Estacado
northeast of Pampa in northern Gray County (at 35°33' N,
100°60' W) and flows northeast for thirty-five miles,
across southeastern Roberts County through Miami, to its
mouth on the Canadian River, near Canadian in western
Hemphill County (at 35°56' N, 100°23' W).
Robert Moody established his PO Ranch headquarters on Red
Deer Creek, and the stream's upper waters were part of
the Diamond F ranges. The area is flat with local shallow
depressions; water-tolerant hardwoods, conifers, and
grasses grow in clay and sandy loam soils.
This page was last updated February 6, 2000.