Courtesy Photo Reggie Banks, right, won a Chandler Masonic Lodge No. 993 raffle Oct. 19, taking home a Colt M-4 rifle. Lloyd Neely of the Chandler lodge is on the left. October is the month the Texas Historical Commission has set aside to celebrate archeology.

Studying artifacts of people and places gone by can seem arduous unless you begin putting together the lives of the ones who lived there.

Then it is intriguing. Those pieces of pottery, arrowheads, and iron tools tell a story and that is what archeologists do.

As a child, I loved to watch movies about Indians. Though none of them were accurate, they were about an intriguing race of people in what we thought of as a romantic time in history.

How many of us have wished for a more simple life, not realizing the difficulties they had also? Most of us are drawn to stories about some of America's first inhabitants.

The more we study clues (artifacts) they left behind, the more real they become.

Most were friendly, family oriented people just as we are. In fact, most lived among the ever-growing population of pilgrims or Europeans or whatever you choose to call the ones moving further and further west.

Only a few tribes are credited with the depredations we read about. Most were peaceful.

Henderson County has a rich history with Indians. They left us many clues as to their existence and traditions.

Since their tradition of sharing history was oral in nature and so many of these people are gone, it is the artifact we turn to for most of the story.

When you are planning a vacation or just an outing, check with our local Historical Commission, museums or visitor centers for the areas in our county that have such a rich history.

In northwest Henderson County, there are Indian Petroglyphs, or scraped etchings on large natural rock outcroppings. These are thought to be the Caddo Indians.

Indian marker trees, a sapling bent over and secured by a rock or tied to the ground, pointed to water, trails or hunting areas.

They sometimes took root and just a few are left. In southwest Henderson County, a perfect example was found.

North of Chandler the "Battle of the Neches" was fought and Chief Bowles lost his life there. In Anderson County, the "Battle of the Kickapoo" was fought.

Many artifacts have been found in these areas. The Caddoan Mounds are close to Alto.

A peach orchard, many pieces of pottery and other artifacts were noted just south of Poynor, indicating a village was there.

A Land Office map dated 1840 shows a plainly marked Indian trail from Harrison County to this village.

It is marked "Comanche Indian Trail."

The Cedar Creek and Lake Palestine areas were rich sites for artifacts before they were covered with water.

Fincastle had a rich Civil War history and many have found artifacts there as well.

I encourage you to check out our county and the rich history it has provided.

If you uncover a priceless treasure on your property, as we all have, consider the historical significance.

As wonderful as it is to collect treasures from the places we visit, if we remove them all then there will be none for our grandchildren or their grandchildren to enjoy.

Let's preserve our past so our future can enjoy it, too.