Medicine Mound, Texas

The Downtown Medicine Mound Museum, a former general store

Halfway between Quanah, Texas and Chillicothe, Texas on US Highway 287, four large "mounds" can be seen to the south of the roadway.  These interesting components of the landscape are known as the Medicine Mounds, due to their use by Plains Indian tribes as a location for gathering medicinal plants.  The Comanche Nation considers these mounds to be a sacred site, which is understandable, since they are a rather awe inspiring outcropping on the flat plains of North Texas.

The W.W. Cole Building

For those who are willing to veer off the well traveled path of US Highway 287, the nearby town of Medicine Mound is worth a quick visit.  By heading south on FM 1167, (the turn-off is about a half mile west of the Hardeman County Safety Rest Area) it is about a 10 minute drive to reach the town.

Only a handful of structures remain, most notably the Downtown Medicine Mound Museum, which was formerly the location of the Hicks & Cobb General Store.  Nearby is the W.W. Cole Building, which was once a gas station.  The museum was closed at the time of my visit, but I understand that it houses an amazing collection of photographs, newspapers, and artifacts related to Medicine Mound and the local area.  The architecture of both the Hicks & Cobb General Store and the W.W. Cole Building is unique in the fact that they are constructed of large round granite rocks which were imported from Oklahoma.  These building materials give the structures a very rustic, but inviting look.

It appears that the two remaining buildings in Medicine Mound were once part of a larger thriving downtown, which can be evidenced by a stretch of concrete sidewalks which no longer provide frontage to any structures.  At one time, the town was home to around 500 residents and was the location of 22 businesses.  In 1932, a fire devastated the downtown, destroying the majority of the buildings.  Few of the structures were rebuilt, and the town slowly declined after that.

Even though not a whole lot remains of the town, what is left is extremely interesting.  Well worth the 20 minute detour off of  the beaten path!

An impressive amount of historical markers for a ghost town

References

William R. Hunt, "MEDICINE MOUND, TX," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hnm28), accessed July 15, 2015. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.