Indigenous Peoples Monument

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TCU has occupied three locations during its history – Thorp Spring from 1873 to 1895; Waco from 1895 to 1910; and Fort Worth since 1910. These places, however, had previously been the homelands of many Native American peoples, including the Wichita, Caddo, and Comanche tribes.

In 1850, Republic of Texas Army veteran Pleasant Thorp began acquiring land in Hood County. This land had been inhabited by the Caddo and Comanche tribes for over two centuries before being settled as Thorp Spring. It was here that Pleasant Thorp convinced the Clark family to establish the first TCU campus.

Continued conflicts and the closure of the Brazos River and Comanche Indian Reservations in 1859 resulted in state control of tribal lands. Thus, all of TCU’s future locations were now state-controlled and available for University purchase.

In 2018, TCU erected a monument acknowledging all Native American peoples, particularly the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, who have inhabited the land on which the University is currently located. Made of granite, due to the indigenous nature of the stone, this monument acknowledging TCU’s past, stands in between Reed and Jarvis Halls.

The plaque on the stone reads: “We respectfully acknowledge all Native American peoples who have lived on this land since time immemorial. TCU especially acknowledges and pays respect to the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes upon whose historical homeland our University is located.”