Indian Depredations at Spicewood Springs

The following story is from Indian Depredations in Texas, J.W. Wilbarger, 1888. It recounts a tragic story of children and their encounter with Comanches in what is now an affluent neighborhood in Northwest Austin, Texas, at an old watering hole known as Spicewood Springs.

Mrs. Simpson’s Children

“..The following account of the capture of Mrs. Simpson’s children will illustrate the audacity of the Indians as late as 1842, in what is now the heart of the city of Austin. In the latter part of the summer of 1842, when Mrs. Simpson, a widow lady, was living in the city of Austin, on west pecan street, about three blocks west of the avenue. She had three children, two boys and one daughter ... Late one afternoon in the summer of 1842, when the sun was about two hours high, Mrs. Simpson’s two youngest children, the daughter about fourteen, and Tommie about twelve, went onto the valley about 150 yards from the residence of Mrs. Simpson to drive up the cows for their mother to milk, it being a customer in those days to milk very early for fear of the Indians. When the children had reached the little branch .. a bunch of Indians sprang out from behind the bushes growing along the side of the branch, where they had concealed themselves, seized the children, mounted their horses and made out for the mountains. Mrs. Simpson screamed and gave the alarm, when a body of citizens immediately put out the pursued, some on foot, not taking the time to get their horses, while others saddled their horses and gave a hot chase. The Indians passed out about where the residence of Governor Pease now stands, going in the direction of Mount Bonnell. At one time the citizens came within sight of the redskins just before reaching Mount Bonnell, but the Indians, after arriving at the place, passed on just beyond to the top of the mountain, which being rocky, the citizens lost the trail and were unable to find where the savages went down the mountain. After the Indians had gone some six miles from Austin and had arrived at Spicewood Springs, which is situated in the edge of the mountains .. they brutally killed the girl in a horrible manner. They kept the boy a prisoner for some eighteen months, when he was traded off to some Indian traders, who returned him to his mother. It was learned from Tommie after his return home that his sister fought the Indians so desperately they determined to kill her. He stated that he did all he could while at the springs to persuade her to stop. He said that the Indians brought her to a near by hill and scalped her. Judge Joseph Lee, in company with Tommie and some citizens went and found the remains of his sister ..”

TerraServer

Click on image to go to TerraServer.  Red circle shows hollow area of springs.  Arrows show direction of flow of two streams that feed into Spicewood Springs.  The main road running North-South is MOPAC ( Loop 1 ).  The Balcones Fault line runs just to the West of MOPAC and the start of the "mountain" area mentioned in the story.

1902 Map

Below is a segment of the Austin Quadrangle, 1902 USGS Austin Folio #76.  In 1902 the incident described in this story had happened only 60 years before, so many of the roads shown in the map were probably trails in place in 1842, particularly in this part of North West Austin where modern development came late.  The map shows the relation of downtown Austin where the story begins, Mount Bonnell where the Austin citizens lost the trail of the Comanches, and Spicewood Springs.  Based on the topography of the region, there are only a couple of routes the Indians could have taken from Mount Bonnell to get to Spicewood Springs.

Photos

The "rocky" areas of Mount Bonnell where Austin citizens lost the trail of the Comanches.  Austin in background.

From Mount Bonnell looking North in the direction the Comanches traveled to read Spicewood Springs.

Spicewood Springs today is near the intersection of Hart Lane and Spicewood Springs.

The springs as they look today .. as with many historic Texas springs, all but dry. 

On a hill like this one surrounding the springs is where the Comanches scalped the Simpson girl.