Lake Mackenzie

Lake Mackenzie is operated by Mackenzie Municipal Water Authority (MMWA)

AS OF APRIL 30, 2009 THE BURN BAN HAS BEEN LIFTED IN BRISCOE AND SWISHER COUNTIES.

Lake Mackenzie Area History

The Coronado Expedition was one of the reservoir's first visitors.  Maldanado, one of Coronado's captains, and his company were out buffalo hunting and met a group of Teyas Indians whom they accompanied to their camp.  The Teyas camp was apparently situated in a part of the Tule Canyon, which is now encompassed by the reservoir.

Coronado arrived in the canyon soon after with the remainder of the army.  Among the more valuable results of the encounters between the Spaniards and the Teyas camping in the Tule Canyon at that time are the various descriptions given of the people and how they lived.  Coronado commented, "They tattoo their bodies and faces, and are large people of very fine appearance.  They too eat raw meat like the Querechos, live like them, and like them, follow the cattle."

Later the area is reported to have become dominated by various Apache tribes, probably derived at least in part from the Teyas, Querechos, and other early tribes of the vicinity.

By 1700, the Comanche, who had quickly adopted the horse, began to move into the South Plains from the northwest.  Several decades of hostilities between the Comanche and Apache resulted in the defeat of the latter.

One of the columns sent out to quell the Indian attacks was that column commanded by Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie, for who the reservoir was named.  Mackenzie marched north from Fort Concho near present-day San Angelo, Texas to pursue and punish hostile Indians along the headwater of the Red River.  On September 25, 1874, Mackenzie encamped near the head of Tule Canyon.  A large Indian camp was reported by scouts about 30 miles to the northwest in Palo Duro Canyon.  A surprise attack was launched against a large encampment of Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Comanche.

There was little opposition.  More than 1,400 horses and mules were captured  and a winter's supply of food was destroyed.  The mounts were taken to the Tule Canyon army camp which was a few miles west of present-day Lake Mackenzie.  After selection of a few of the better horses by some of Mackenzie's men, the remainder were shot.  The battle was a catastrophe for the Indians.  Their resistance largely shattered, most had little choice but to return to the reservations on foot.  While other skirmishes and battles followed as late as April of 1875, the earlier way of life for the South Plains Indians was largely ended and the lands were open for settlement by the impatient whites.