Day Trips: “Peace Circle,” Grapevine
Statues depict meeting between Native Americans and Sam Houston
By Gerald E. McLeod, Fri., July 1, 2022
The "Peace Circle" in Grapevine commemorates Sam Houston's efforts to foster peace and friendship with Native American tribes.
Unveiled last September, the 11 bronze statues stand in front of Grapevine Main Station, a multiuse terminal for the TEXRail commuter line between downtown Ft. Worth and DFW International Airport. The new development includes Hotel Vin, a food court, and an entertainment venue, all within walking distance of downtown and the Grapevine Vintage Railroad.
The statues represent Sam Houston and Native American chiefs from the Delaware, Chickasaw, Waco, Tawakoni, Keechi, Caddo, Anadarko, Ioni, Biloxi, and Cherokee nations. Artist Linda Lewis, a Lubbock native, depicted the chiefs in traditional attire. The attention to detail is accentuated by the statues being 1.25% larger than life-sized.
President Sam Houston came to Bird's Fort to try to separate the Native Americans and white settlers moving into the newly formed Republic of Texas. Missing from the negotiations and signing of the Bird's Fort Treaty on September 29, 1843, were the Comanche and Wichita tribes, two of the most prominent groups on the North Texas plains.
The 24-point treaty established a border at Ft. Worth on the Trinity River. It was one of the few Indian treaties ratified by the Republic's senate.
Established in 1841, Bird's Fort was only used for a few years before the few buildings were abandoned. The exact location of the fort is estimated to have been at present-day Euless or Arlington.
The chiefs refused to enter the picket-walled encampment because of previous treachery by the whites. Instead the negotiations took place at Grapevine Springs. The "Peace Circle" is a reminder of the Native Americans' struggle for a homeland against the flood of white settlers.
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