Atakapan Indians of Orange County

The Atakapan Indians, a tribe associated with southeastern U. S. bands, lived in this area for centuries. Studies have suggested their presence covered a large region of southeast Texas. Their name comes from the Choctaw Indians, and means "Man-Eaters". It is believed that Indians encountered by Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca in 1528 along the Gulf Coast may have been Atakapans. The first documented contact with the tribe was by French sailor Simars de Bellisle in 1719. Put ashore with four others to collect fresh water, the men were abandoned and de Bellisle, after the deaths of his companions, was made a captive of the Indian tribe for a time. Later contact with the Atakapans included trade with French and Spanish explorers. The tribe was evidently a fairly loose confederacy of small, scattered bands. Archeological evidence suggests they subsisted mainly on small game, fish, and wild plants, and evidently were not farmers. Shell middens found indicated the existence of Atakapan campsites in this vicinity. The tribe disappeared from Texas in the early 19th century, either becoming extinct or integrating into other tribes. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986

Atakapan Indians of Orange County is a historical marker in Riverwalk Park, Orange County, dedicated in 1986. It is one of 66 historical markers documented in Orange County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 91 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.0910, -93.7310 near Riverwalk Park. The nearest cataloged historic site is End of the Line Station (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Niblett's Bluff, John Harmon, and The Sawmill Industry in Orange County.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5361011468. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.