A mural honoring the Last Comanche Chief, Quanah Parker, was dedicated in the summer of 2022 in downtown Quanah, Texas. The project pays tribute to the role of Parker in the city’s founding.
The Quanah Economic Development Corporation commissioned the mural as part of ongoing efforts to revitalize the downtown area and attract new investment to the city. The mural is located at 305 S. Main in downtown Quanah.
Renowned Comanche Artist Quanah Parker Burgess designed the mural. Burgess is the great-great-grandson of Chief Parker and a 4th generation artist. The Alliance Art in Public Places Project Manager Ferdine LeBlanc assisted with the installation.
The dedication for the mural was held in conjunction with the 2022 Quanah Parker Medicine Mound Gathering in downtown Quanah.
About Quanah Parker
Quanah Parker, son of Peta Nocona and Cynthia Ann Parker, was born about 1845. A respected Comanche leader, Parker is often described as having lived between two worlds. He fought against white expansion in the area in the 1870s and later worked to preserve the Comanche legacy and culture in a rapidly changing America. A nomadic hunter, leader of the Quahada, cattle rancher, and friend of American presidents, Chief Parker, maintained close ties to the City of Quanah.
In 1884, the city of Quanah was founded and named after Parker. He was an early investor in the Quanah, Acme, and Pacific Railway, established in 1902 as a stop on the Fort Worth and Denver Railway. Parker died at his home in Cache in 1911. The reservation government was reorganized after his death, replacing the position of chief with the position of chairman, making Quanah Parker the last chief of the Comanches.
About the Artist
Quanah Parker Burgess is from the Quahada (Antelopes or Antelope Eaters) and Penateka (Wasps) Band of Comanches. He is named after his great-great grandfather, Quanah Parker. He is a 4th generation artist and has been painting professionally since 1996, selling his first paintings at the World Olympics in Atlanta. Burgess gives much credit to his fellow Native artists before him, of whom he studied their techniques by simply looking at their work and admiring their creative beauty.
You can find his previous works here.
“My art is about the history and beauty of my Native American heritage and culture.
It’s powerful and has a soul.”
-Quanah Parker Burgess
Artist Rendering
The mural, designed by Burgess, prominently features Quanah Parker on horseback flanked by Comanche warriors. The mural depicts the Medicine Mounds and the surrounding landscape. Burgess created the painting (below left) to express his concepts for the mural design.
Project Progression
