Quanah Parker fell in love with a young Comanche maiden named Weckeah, but his prospects were dim. Weckeah returned his affection, but her father, Old Bear, didn’t favor Quanah. Old Bear had no idea that the young warrior would one day be the most famous chief of the Comanche ever. Quanah only owned one horse, he was an orphan (so no family connections), and he was half-white. Horses were the currency of choice amongst the Comanche, and Quanah’s rival for the young lady’s hand was the son of a prominent chief, Eckitoacup. The chief’s son offered ten horses.

But Quanah had a gift for leadership. He convinced his friends to give him some of their horses. However, when he led the ten horses to Weckeah’s teepee with expectations of triumph, he discovered that his rival, Tannap, had upped his offer to twenty horses.

Not one to accept defeat, Quanah asked Weckeah if she would elope with him. In Comanche culture, this was a last resort when a parent would not approve a marriage, but it was risky. It brought dishonor to the bride’s family, and a young man could only hope to make amends through many horses, something Quanah didn’t have. With his rival being the son of a powerful chief, it was more likely that Tannah’s father would send a war party after Quanah.

Quanah had a plan. He convinced twenty-one young warriors to accompany him and his bride. They rode for seven hours at a gallop, and then traveled by night, dividing into smaller groups to elude any trackers, reuniting in west Texas at the North Concho River. This would be their new home. From there, they did what Comanches had been doing for centuries in Texas: raid and steal horses.

For over a year, they lived along the river and prospered. Some of the braves traveled back to the tribe’s main encampment to retrieve their wives and sweethearts, convincing other warriors to join in the adventures of riding with Quanah.

At last, Eckitoacup determined to make the upstart, rebel pay for his audacious disregard for tribal hierarchy and customs. He gathered a war party and headed south to attack Quanah’s camp. But he was taken aback by the hundreds of Quanah’s warriors who rode out to confront him in battle. The old chief decided it’d be better to negotiate instead of fight. For the price of nineteen ponies, Quanah was allowed to return to the main tribe with his men and his bride in peace and was awarded the honor of becoming the new war chief