Homer Norris & the Native American Indians in Aledo

Homer Norris was an artist, archeologist, explorer, and storyteller. He was born to a poor welder in Aledo in the days of the Depression.

His work was concentrated in a roughly 5-mile-square around Aledo and Annetta.

Norris roamed stream banks, cut banks, eroding streambeds, and other landscape features, keeping detailed notes, sketches, drawings, maps, and records of artifacts he unearthed and put these notes into his book Parker County Prairie Sketchbook.

Key Sites & Finds

Two of his most prominent discoveries are:

The Red Ochre Burials: Human remains (two young Indians) were buried with red ochre (a pigment often used in ceremonial burials). One of the young men had arrow points found in his chest. These remains were carefully recorded by Norris and ultimately ended up at the Smithsonian for some 35 years, and have been returned, and you can visit their graves next to Homer Norris' grave in Aledo. It's unclear what tribe these Indians were from, perhaps Caddo.

Grace Bison site: A ceremonially buried bison, which appears to have been considered special (possibly albino, inferred from the manner in which it was butchered and buried), was found and catalogued. The remains of this bison are housed at the Doss Museum in Weatherford.

Archaeological Significance

Norris’ work helps fill-in details about prehistoric occupation in this part of Texas. The artifacts span multiple time periods--early and late Archaic periods, Late Prehistoric times, etc. His finds contribute to understanding settlement, subsistence (what they ate, hunted, how they lived), mortuary practices (for example, elaborate burial with red ochre, special burials), and trade or material usage.

Also significant is Norris’ documentation: as someone not formally trained as an archaeologist, he nevertheless maintained rigorous records, drawings, context information, making his materials valuable to professional archaeologists later. Many of his site notes and collections have been made available through his daughter, Lanie Garmon, and are now being studied / published / preserved in cooperation with historical societies and archaeologists.

His book Parker County Prairie Sketchbook mentions that the Spanish, including Cabeza de Vaca himself, went through Parker County in 1528, leaving carvings in trees and stones to mark their route. If you see markings etched into old stones on your land, they could be about 500 years old, left by the Spanish.