Comanches and Taovaya Indians living along the upper Brazos and Red Rivers venerated two meteorites that they knew as magic rocks that could heal illness and ensure victory in battle. Spaniards first saw them in 1759, then French traders in 1772 and later American traders in 1808. Ultimately both were removed by Americans. One, named Red River Iron, was found on the Brazos near Lake Possum Kingdom. At 1,635 pounds it was the largest known meteorite in the world for many years. The second, named Wichita County Iron, was placed on top of Medicine Mound by Comanches and was the subject of a painting by George Catlin in 1838.
Read the fascinating story of the cultural role these meteorites held among the tribes, their find and removal by Americans who thought they were made of valuable platinum, and the subsequent realization that they were actually meteorites and of scientific importance.
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