San Teodoro

San Teodoro was the more southern of two eighteenth and nineteenth century Taovaya Indian settlements on either side of the Red River in extreme northern Montague County, near the site of present Spanish Fort. The other village, called San Bernardo, was on the Oklahoma side of the Red River. The village was in existence as an unnamed intertribal trading post at least as early as 1719. By the early 1700s it consisted of more than 120 grass houses, each sleeping from ten to twelve persons, spread out along both sides of the river. In 1719 Jean Baptiste Bénard de La Harpe, a French explorer and trader, established friendly relations with the tribe. During the next two to three decades Spanish influence in the area conflicted with the Tawehash-influenced region. The Tawehashes (or Taovayas) attacked the Spanish settlement of San Sabá. In retaliation Capt. Diego Ortiz Parrilla received permission from Charles III to organize a retaliatory raid. The Spanish, joined by 300 Apaches, arrived at the Red River with 500 men and two cannons on October 7, 1759. Their forces were unprepared, however, for the 6,000 strong force of the Tawehashes protected by a well-built fortress flying the French flag. Over the next four hours the Tawehashes outmaneuvered and routed the Spanish force.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.