Legend at Lanana Creek - Paperback

by Keith R. Rees (Author)

Part 2 of 2 in the series about the classic legend of twin Indian brothers from the Caddo tribe whom Nacogdoches, TX and Natchitoches, LA were named for.Legend at Lanana Creek is the tale of the courageous chief of the Nacogdoches Indians. It's a story about the incredible events involving his tribe that lead to the establishment of a Spanish mission in 1716, in what would be become Nacogdoches, the oldest settlement in Texas.The legend has been told for centuries about how twin Indian brothers were instructed by their father, on his deathbed, to take their tribes and travel for three days in opposite directions. The future of these two brave men, Nakahodot and Natchitos, culminates in the founding of the oldest settlements in Texas and Louisiana, Nacogdoches and Natchitoches. This is a companion story and sequel to the 2007 novella, Legend Upon the Cane. Where that story followed Chief Natchitos, Legend at Lanana Creek follows the life of Chief Nakahodot. He leads his tribe on an arduous trek fraught with peril, but they are rewarded with their new home set in a peaceful area of the Piney Woods between two tranquil streams called Lanana and Banita Creeks. Here they encounter French and Spanish explorers over many years as well as facing natural disasters, famine and other hardships. They also witness the introduction of Christianity to the area by Spanish missionaries.These missionaries are led by Domingo Ramon and the fearless Franciscan priest, Father Antonio Margil de Jesus. By an ironic twist of fate, they are also joined by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis, the French explorer who had established the post at Natchitoches only two years before in 1714 alongside Chief Natchitos. The efforts of the three men would result in the historic establishment of the mission called Nuestra Se ora de Guadalupe in 1716, which would later be the foundation for the settlement called Nacogdoches.