Colita's Village (Lower Coushatta Village)

Coushatta Indian community located on the west bank near a great bend in the river. It was situated approximately a mile north of the site of Swartwout on the opposite (east) bank.

Colita's Village refers to a principal settlement of the Coushatta (Koasati) Indians, an Algonquian-speaking tribe that migrated to Texas from the southeastern United States in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Coushatta were part of the Creek Confederacy and allied with the Alabama Indians, forming the Alabama-Coushatta group. Colita's Village was named after Chief Colita (Kalita or Coléta, ca. 1750–1856), a prominent leader who succeeded Long King as principal chief around 1838 and was known for his diplomacy with Mexican, Republic of Texas, and U.S. authorities. The village was one of three main Coushatta communities on the Trinity River (the lower village, with Battise Village as the upper and Long King's as the middle). It is considered extinct as a settlement, with residents relocating by the mid-19th century due to White encroachment, and the site now submerged under Lake Livingston. Population estimates for the combined Coushatta villages in 1850 were around 500 warriors (roughly 1,500-2,000 total people), declining due to diseases, conflicts, and displacement. The Coushatta were semi-sedentary agriculturalists, hunters, and traders, cultivating corn, beans, and squash while exchanging goods like hides and horses.

Historical Context and Territory Overview
The Coushatta arrived in Texas around 1795-1805, fleeing conflicts in Alabama and Louisiana, and established villages along the Trinity River in the Big Thicket region, a dense, biodiverse forest of pines, hardwoods, swamps, and prairies. They allied with Spanish and Mexican authorities, receiving land grants, and later supported the Republic of Texas during the Texas Revolution (e.g., scouting for Sam Houston). In 1840, the Republic granted two leagues (about 8,856 acres) to the Coushatta as reservations, one including Colita's Village, but these were invalidated due to prior White claims. It was on the William G. Logan league (a Mexican land grant later sold to A.H. Washington in 1840), who allowed continued occupation. The village briefly served as a Confederate naval station in 1862-1863 during the Civil War, storing supplies and preparing defenses against Union invasion via the Trinity.

By 1859, many Coushatta moved to the Alabama-Coushatta Reservation in Polk County (established 1854), with the last residents leaving Colita's Village around 1906.

Geographical Description
The village was situated in a subtropical Piney Woods environment with high humidity, heavy rainfall (40-60 inches annually), and ecosystems of longleaf pine forests, hardwood bottoms, riverine wetlands, and fertile floodplains. The terrain is flat to gently rolling (elevations 100-200 feet), ideal for agriculture, fishing (catfish, bass), hunting (deer, bear), and canoe-based trade. The Trinity River provided transportation and resources, with the village clustered around a central square for ceremonies. observed Coushatta clothing.

Approximate Boundaries
Coushatta territory spanned the lower Trinity River basin in present Polk, San Jacinto, and Liberty counties, from near modern Onalaska (north) to below Point Blank (south). Colita's Village was the southernmost (lower) of the three. The area is now part of Lake Livingston's western arm, rural and forested (Sam Houston National Forest nearby).

Known Settlements and Villages
Colita's Village consisted of family cabins, gardens, and a central plaza, referenced in 13 land surveys.

Specific Location
On the west bank of the Trinity River in a great bend (Shirt-tail Bend) in San Jacinto County, now submerged under Lake Livingston's southwestern section. Approximate coordinates: ~30.75°N, 95.20°W (near Point Blank, based on river bend descriptions and historical maps; exact site protected/underwater, no precise public GPS due to submersion).    The site was called "Shirt-tail Bend" by steamboat operators due to the river's sharp curve.  The bend was south of Battise Village, along the Colita Trace trail.

Archaeological Evidence and Sites
No major excavations are documented for Colita's Village due to submersion under Lake Livingston (completed 1969), which flooded numerous historic sites.  Potential artifacts (pottery, tools, middens) from Coushatta occupations may exist in underwater surveys or pre-dam assessments, but details are limited. Broader Alabama-Coushatta sites in the Big Thicket (e.g., reservation in Polk County) show similar cultural materials: ceramics, arrowheads, and burial mounds from Woodland to historic periods.

Maps and Visual Representations
General Land Office Maps: Colita's Village appears on 1856 Polk County GLO map (certified 1991) and others, showing the site on the Logan league at Shirt-tail Bend.  Texas Beyond History and TSHA Maps: Depict Coushatta territories along the Trinity, with Colita's marked in San Jacinto.

Cultural and Legacy NotesThe Coushatta maintained matrilineal clans, used dugout canoes, and participated in ceremonies like the Green Corn Dance. Colita signed treaties (1838, 1846) securing rights.

Modern descendants are part of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas (federally recognized 1987), with a reservation in Polk County (~4,600 acres).

Legacies include place names (Colita, TX in Polk) and cultural preservation at the reservation. For more, consult Texas State Historical Association or Alabama-Coushatta Tribal archives.