Beyond Shady Creek, the bluffs along the border of El Llano Estacado came
in sight to the southÂward. These were the "Staked Plains" of Texas,
which Coronado had seen centuries before; to their fastnesses the
fierce Kiowas and Comanches retreated to recruit their strength for new
forays. For almost a day, the road of the emigrants passed through a
continuous prairie-dog town as shown below.