Spring 1823; Eagle Lake:
Among the first Americans to discover that colonizing Texas would be a long, difficult process were John C. Clark, John Alley, and a man named Loy. They were part of the "Old Three Hundred," the name given to the settlers who received land grants in Stephen F, Austin's first colony. In January 1821 Austin's father, Moses Austin, received a permit from the Spanish to settle 300 families in Texas, but he died before he could realize his plans. Taking his father's place, Stephen traveled to San Antonio and finalized plans with the Spanish governor. Austin quickly found willing colonists, and by the end of the summer of 1824, most of the Old Three Hundred had moved in. These and other early Texas settlers fought with local Indians almost from the day they arrived. At this time, hostile Indians in the area were not Comanches, but Wacos, Tawakonis, Karankawas, Ionis, and Anadarkos.
A drought in the spring of 1823 made farming difficult, so Clark, Alley, and Loy had to bring in food supplies from the Gulf Coast. Ascending the Colorado River with a canoe load of corn, the men got as far as the mouth of Skull Creek, near present-day Eagle Lake, when a band of Karankawa Indians attacked them. Alley and Loy were killed instantly. Clark was wounded seven times, but he managed to swim to the opposite bank and escape.
Later that day, colonist Robert Brotherton unluckily encountered the same band of Indians. Believing them to be friendly Tonkawas, he rode up to them. When he got close, the Karankawas grabbed him. Brother-ton struggled and managed to escape, but not before taking an arrow in his back. Reaching the nearest settlement, Brotherton spread news of the assault.
Colonist Robert Kuykendall gathered about twelve men, plus the Tonkawa chief Carita, and rode after the Karankawas. That evening, Kuykendall's posse found the Indians camped in a thicket near the mouth of Skull Creek, pounding briar root, seemingly oblivious to the possibility of a pursuit. Kuykendall placed his men in a semicircle around the camp, cutting off the Indians' escape route to the swamp, and waited until dawn.
When the first warrior arose, the settlers charged in, firing left and right. About ten warriors were killed on the spot. Of the remaining dozen who broke for the marsh, about ten more were killed. Only a few made it through, and they may have been wounded. Kuykendall destroyed the encampment and returned home. The Karankawas vacated the area and left the colonists alone for a time, Later Karankawa raids would be made with more stealth and precaution.
