Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma

The Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma were once composed of a number of small sub-tribes that lived in a region that extended west from south central Texas and western Oklahoma to eastern New Mexico. The Tonkawa had a distinct language, and their name, as that of the leading tribe, was applied to their linguistic family.

From about 1800, the Tonkawa were allied with the Lipan Apache and were friendly to the Texans and other southern divisions. By 1837, they had for the most part drifted toward the southwestern frontier of Texas and were among the tribes identified in Mexican territory.

The Tonkawa were removed from Fort Griffin, Texas in October 1884. They were transported by railroad from a station in Cisco, Texas to a temporary stop at the Sac-Fox Agency near Stroud, Oklahoma. The entire Tribe wintered at the Sac-Fox Agency until spring, then traveled the last 100 miles by wagon fording many rain swelled rivers and axle deep mud caused by severe spring rains. They reached the Ponca Agency on June 29th, and then finally to "Oakland" on June 30th, 1885. This was the Tonkawa "Trail of Tears."