North Texas Tales -- Giant of a man
Big Foot Wallace had a bigger-than-life reputation to match his 6-foot, 2-inch, 240-pound frame.
The transplanted Texan was tall enough to stand out in a crowd, yet he had a childlike heart and a fanciful wit that endeared him to frontier people. He always had a story to tell and spoke with rustic grammar unspoiled by schooling.
The frontiersman had famous ancestors who lived in the Highlands of Scotland. His family lineage descended from William Wallace and Robert Bruce. He must have survived battles as a frontiersman and Texas Ranger with the help of his warrior genes.
Wallace’s connection to North Texas lies in present-day Palo Pinto County which he began surveying in 1837. He traveled extensively in the area before the earliest settlers arrived in 1850 and the county was officially formed. The story about Wallace’s first encounter with the Indians is listed in “Indian Depredations in Texas,” but there are lots of stories about him in Texas folklore books, too. Since the gifted storyteller himself described the encounter, it’s hard to know how much is true. Nonetheless, the documented events in his life are amazing. He escaped death in Mexico on the Mier expedition and fought border bandits and Indians with the Texas Rangers.
Wallace’s brush with the hostile Indians in the Palo Pinto area began right after he sampled the finest pecans he had ever tasted, he said. A band of Indians saw him and started chasing him. Wallace managed to hide and later ran until collapsing in exhaustion after it become dark. The next morning he saw a fat deer, shot it and ate the first food in at least 24 hours. Satisfying his hunger, he cut off as much of the venison as could be carried. After finding shelter from the rain and cold in a cave, he rested for the night.
The next day Wallace tried to put as much distance between him and the Indians as possible. He found a spring and the remains of an old Indian camp. He picked up a Mexican gourd and used it for water. He happened upon a lost dog which he called Comanche. Big Foot’s luck held out until he sprained his ankle the next day. He stayed in a cave for several days recovering but again was discovered by Indians. He made up his mind to kill as many of them as he could. But one of the Indians asked Wallace in Spanish who he was and what he was doing. Wallace could also speak a little Spanish and explained that he was an American lost from his party.
Wallace acted friendly in hopes that his life might be spared. The Indians bound his hands with buckskin and carried him to camp.
Wallace’s hopes literally went up in smoke. After much pow-wowing, the Indians made preparations to burn him at the stake. Dry wood was piled thickly around his feet while the chief made a speech to his warriors. Wallace said he thought the end had come, but he was determined to die like a man. An old woman, who had taken a liking to him, rushed to rescue him. She pushed through the crowd and began throwing the smoldering wood away from him. The warriors attempted to push her away, but she began making a speech, which Wallace assumed was to save his life. At first the Indians appeared divided, but the majority insisted Wallace be removed from the stake. He was handed over to the old woman for safekeeping. He learned afterwards that the old woman had lost one of her sons in a battle and, according to Indian custom, she could claim Wallace as a substitute son.
Wallace was treated well and was allowed to go with them on their buffalo hunts and once on a raid into Mexico. Even the chief who captured Wallace and intended to kill him offered his sister as a wife. When Wallace had been with the Indians for about three months, he became despondent and wanted to return to his own people. His adopted Indian brother, Black Wolf, understood and helped him escape with the warning never to mention his escape. If Wallace were recaptured, he would be killed. With directions from the Indian, Wallace and his dog reached the settlements.
By 1850, Wallace commanded a ranger company of his own and drove a mail hack from San Antonio to El Paso, both occupations providing plenty of contact with Indians. He was never married, but had hundreds of friends and admirers. Although he was repeatedly attacked by Indians, he lived to the age of 81 and died a natural death.
Wallace is buried in the state cemetery at Austin, his grave marked by a small stone engraved with this epitaph: Big Foot Wallace/Here Lies He Who Spent His Manhood Defending The Homes Of Texas/Brave Honest and Faithful.
Big Foot Wallace had a bigger-than-life reputation to match his 6-foot, 2-inch, 240-pound frame.
The transplanted Texan was tall enough to stand out in a crowd, yet he had a childlike heart and a fanciful wit that endeared him to frontier people. He always had a story to tell and spoke with rustic grammar unspoiled by schooling.
The frontiersman had famous ancestors who lived in the Highlands of Scotland. His family lineage descended from William Wallace and Robert Bruce. He must have survived battles as a frontiersman and Texas Ranger with the help of his warrior genes.
Wallace’s connection to North Texas lies in present-day Palo Pinto County which he began surveying in 1837. He traveled extensively in the area before the earliest settlers arrived in 1850 and the county was officially formed. The story about Wallace’s first encounter with the Indians is listed in “Indian Depredations in Texas,” but there are lots of stories about him in Texas folklore books, too. Since the gifted storyteller himself described the encounter, it’s hard to know how much is true. Nonetheless, the documented events in his life are amazing. He escaped death in Mexico on the Mier expedition and fought border bandits and Indians with the Texas Rangers.
Wallace’s brush with the hostile Indians in the Palo Pinto area began right after he sampled the finest pecans he had ever tasted, he said. A band of Indians saw him and started chasing him. Wallace managed to hide and later ran until collapsing in exhaustion after it become dark. The next morning he saw a fat deer, shot it and ate the first food in at least 24 hours. Satisfying his hunger, he cut off as much of the venison as could be carried. After finding shelter from the rain and cold in a cave, he rested for the night.
The next day Wallace tried to put as much distance between him and the Indians as possible. He found a spring and the remains of an old Indian camp. He picked up a Mexican gourd and used it for water. He happened upon a lost dog which he called Comanche. Big Foot’s luck held out until he sprained his ankle the next day. He stayed in a cave for several days recovering but again was discovered by Indians. He made up his mind to kill as many of them as he could. But one of the Indians asked Wallace in Spanish who he was and what he was doing. Wallace could also speak a little Spanish and explained that he was an American lost from his party.
Wallace acted friendly in hopes that his life might be spared. The Indians bound his hands with buckskin and carried him to camp.
Wallace’s hopes literally went up in smoke. After much pow-wowing, the Indians made preparations to burn him at the stake. Dry wood was piled thickly around his feet while the chief made a speech to his warriors. Wallace said he thought the end had come, but he was determined to die like a man. An old woman, who had taken a liking to him, rushed to rescue him. She pushed through the crowd and began throwing the smoldering wood away from him. The warriors attempted to push her away, but she began making a speech, which Wallace assumed was to save his life. At first the Indians appeared divided, but the majority insisted Wallace be removed from the stake. He was handed over to the old woman for safekeeping. He learned afterwards that the old woman had lost one of her sons in a battle and, according to Indian custom, she could claim Wallace as a substitute son.
Wallace was treated well and was allowed to go with them on their buffalo hunts and once on a raid into Mexico. Even the chief who captured Wallace and intended to kill him offered his sister as a wife. When Wallace had been with the Indians for about three months, he became despondent and wanted to return to his own people. His adopted Indian brother, Black Wolf, understood and helped him escape with the warning never to mention his escape. If Wallace were recaptured, he would be killed. With directions from the Indian, Wallace and his dog reached the settlements.
By 1850, Wallace commanded a ranger company of his own and drove a mail hack from San Antonio to El Paso, both occupations providing plenty of contact with Indians. He was never married, but had hundreds of friends and admirers. Although he was repeatedly attacked by Indians, he lived to the age of 81 and died a natural death.
Wallace is buried in the state cemetery at Austin, his grave marked by a small stone engraved with this epitaph: Big Foot Wallace/Here Lies He Who Spent His Manhood Defending The Homes Of Texas/Brave Honest and Faithful.