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Potts was the only daughter of five children of Ira Lee Hicks (1886–1966) and the former Lillie Bell Holmes (1892–1989), who are interred in Chillicothe. She was born in Bonita, an unincorporated community in  Montague County northwest of [[Denton, Texas|Denton]]. The Pottses moved west of [[Wichita Falls]] to Medicine Mound in Hardeman County when Myna was still an [[infant]]. Ira Hicks and his brother-in-law, Lon Cobb (died 1942), operated the Hicks-Cobb General Store, since the museum which Potts oversees as the major focus of her historical preservation efforts.<ref name=statement>Statement of Myna Potts, September 18, 2008.</ref>

Potts was the only daughter of five children of Ira Lee Hicks (1886–1966) and the former Lillie Bell Holmes (1892–1989), who are interred in Chillicothe. She was born in Bonita, an unincorporated community in  Montague County northwest of [[Denton, Texas|Denton]]. The Pottses moved west of [[Wichita Falls]] to Medicine Mound in Hardeman County when Myna was still an [[infant]]. Ira Hicks and his brother-in-law, Lon Cobb (died 1942), operated the Hicks-Cobb General Store, since the museum which Potts oversees as the major focus of her historical preservation efforts.<ref name=statement>Statement of Myna Potts, September 18, 2008.</ref>

Potts attended elementary school in Medicine Mound and graduated from Quanah High School in Quanah named for the Comanche chief, Quanah Parker. She attended [[Texas Tech University]] in [[Lubbock]] for one year. Potts was married to John Luther Potts, Jr. (1922-2011), who retired from the Lykes Shipping Company of [[New Orleans]]. As a skipper in the [[merchant marine]], he was away from home in Chillicothe six months at a time, a situation which led Mrs. Potts to master the ham radio to maintain communication with her husband.<ref name=statement/> The couple had one son, David Lee Potts (born January 12, 1947).<ref>USGENWEB [[Archives]], [[Hardeman County, Texas]], Births 1947:http://files.usgwarchives.org/tx/hardeman/vitals/births/1947/hardeb47.txt</ref>​

Potts attended elementary school in Medicine Mound and graduated from Quanah High School in Quanah named for the Comanche chief, Quanah Parker. She attended [[Texas Tech University]] in [[Lubbock]] for one year. Potts was married to John Luther Potts, Jr. (1922-2011), who retired from the Lykes Shipping Company of [[New Orleans]]. As a skipper in the merchant marine, he was away from home in Chillicothe six months at a time, a situation which led Mrs. Potts to master the ham radio to maintain communication with her husband.<ref name=statement/> The couple had one son, David Lee Potts (born January 12, 1947).<ref>USGENWEB [[Archives]], [[Hardeman County, Texas]], Births 1947:http://files.usgwarchives.org/tx/hardeman/vitals/births/1947/hardeb47.txt</ref>

==Medicine Mounds==​

==Medicine Mounds==​

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Medicine Mound is near four dolomite hills known as '''Medicine Mounds,''' which are considered sacred by the Comanche and Kiowa Indians who believe that the landmarks contain mystical spirits to improve the quality of their lives. The mounds are on private property and not available for public tours beyond an outer five-mile limit. One can see for approximately fifty miles from the top of the mounds.<ref name=memories>"Memories of the Mounds", website of Downtown Medicine Mound Preservation Group:http://www.medicinemound.com/themounds.htm</ref>​

Medicine Mound is near four dolomite hills known as '''Medicine Mounds,''' which are considered sacred by the Comanche and Kiowa Indians who believe that the landmarks contain mystical spirits to improve the quality of their lives. The mounds are on private property and not available for public tours beyond an outer five-mile limit. One can see for approximately fifty miles from the top of the mounds.<ref name=memories>"Memories of the Mounds", website of Downtown Medicine Mound Preservation Group:http://www.medicinemound.com/themounds.htm</ref>​

 

John A. Bates of Ferndale in Oakland County, near [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], the former executive director of the Downtown Medicine Mound Preservation Group<ref>Texas Association of Museums website:http://www.museumsusa.org/directory/info/2314110</ref> and a cousin of Myna Potts, recalls having visited Medicine Mount when he was a boy: "The Comanche would come to the Medicine Mounds for their healing powers, often trading flint and other goods and racing their ponies around the mound below us.  . . . We carefully descended about seventy-five feet or so to an almost imperceptible track that circled the entire mound, which was used by Quanah Parker's braves to test their horsemanship. [In 1966], this 'track' was still quite visible, especially for a young man with a fertile imagination. Sadly, it is slowly disappearing as the young [[cedar]] trees begin to reclaim the ground."<ref name=memories/>​

John A. Bates of Ferndale in Oakland County, near [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], the former executive director of the Downtown Medicine Mound Preservation Group<ref>Texas Association of Museums website:http://www.museumsusa.org/directory/info/2314110</ref> and a cousin of Myna Potts, recalls having visited Medicine Mount when he was a boy: "The Comanche would come to the Medicine Mounds for their healing powers, often trading flint and other goods and racing their ponies around the mound below us.  . . . We carefully descended about seventy-five feet or so to an almost imperceptible track that circled the entire mound, which was used by Quanah Parker's braves to test their horsemanship. [In 1966], this 'track' was still quite visible, especially for a young man with a fertile imagination. Sadly, it is slowly disappearing as the young [[cedar]] trees begin to reclaim the ground."<ref name=memories/>​

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The mounds, which range in elevation from two hundred to five hundred feet, were Comanche campsites and ceremonial grounds. The mounds had abundant spring water which encouraged [[hunting]], the gathering of medicinal plants, and worship. The Comanche Nation still considers two of these mounds to be sacred: the tallest, Medicine Mound, and the second tallest, Cedar Mound. The Indians return to these sites to gather plants and [[herbs]] and to seek spiritual guidance.<ref>"The Skipper's Report," U.S. Merchant Marine:http://bhirdo.net/2007_October_Liberty_Log.pdf</ref>​

The mounds range in elevation from two hundred to five hundred feet and were used as Comanche campsites and ceremonial grounds. The mounds had abundant spring water which encouraged [[hunting]], the gathering of medicinal plants, and worship. The Comanche Nation still considers two of these mounds to be sacred: the tallest, Medicine Mound, and the second tallest, Cedar Mound. The Indians return to these sites to gather plants and herbs and to seek spiritual guidance.<ref>"The Skipper's Report," U.S. Merchant Marine:http://bhirdo.net/2007_October_Liberty_Log.pdf</ref>​

==Historic preservation==​

==Historic preservation==​

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Potts grew up in the store, which she later described as her "playhouse."  In addition to the Hicks-Cobb [[General Store]], Medicine Mound in its heyday had the W.W. Cole Building, a combination [[bank]], drugstore, gasoline station (with rusty pumps remaining), and post office, a laundry, a school, and a church. U.S. Highway 287 bypassed Medicine Mound in the late 1920s, and the community slowly declined in population.<ref name=txex>"Texas' Favorite Detour: Could Medicine Mound Be Texas' Most Interesting Ghost Town?", TexasEscapes.com: http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasTowns/Medicine-Mound-Texas-Favorite-Detour.htm</ref>  The ghost town is located at the junction of Texas Farm or Ranch Roads 91 and 1167, which can be reached from U.S. 287 southward at Chillicothe or several miles further west of Chillicothe. It is southeast of the Hardeman County seat of Quanah. ​

Potts grew up in the store, which she later described as her "playhouse."  In addition to the Hicks-Cobb General Store, Medicine Mound in its heyday had the W. W. Cole Building, a combination [[bank]], drugstore, gasoline station (with rusty pumps remaining), and post office, a laundry, a school, and a church. U.S. Highway 287 bypassed Medicine Mound in the late 1920s, and the community slowly declined in population.<ref name=txex>"Texas' Favorite Detour: Could Medicine Mound Be Texas' Most Interesting Ghost Town?", TexasEscapes.com: http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasTowns/Medicine-Mound-Texas-Favorite-Detour.htm</ref>  The ghost town is located at the junction of Texas Farm or Ranch Roads 91 and 1167, which can be reached from U.S. 287 southward at Chillicothe or several miles further west of Chillicothe. It is southeast of Quanah, the seat of government for Hardeman County. ​

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[[Cotton]] was grown about Medicine Mound, and times were generally prosperous until the [[Great Depression]]. A fire swept through Medicine Mound in 1933, but the community rebuilt. Though the original town buildings were wooden, solid [[granite]] round rocks were placed on the revised structures—the stone is really prehistoric gravel<ref name=txex/> and was brought from the Wichita Mountains of [[Oklahoma]],<ref name=comanche>The Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee newsletter, 1999:http://www.comanchelanguage.org/November%201999%20Newsletter.pdf</ref>​

[[Cotton]] was grown about Medicine Mound, and times were generally prosperous until the [[Great Depression]]. A fire swept through Medicine Mound in 1933, but the community rebuilt. Though the original town buildings were wooden, solid [[granite]] round rocks were placed on the revised structures—the stone is really prehistoric gravel<ref name=txex/> and was brought from the Wichita Mountains of [[Oklahoma]],<ref name=comanche>The Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee newsletter, 1999:http://www.comanchelanguage.org/November%201999%20Newsletter.pdf</ref>​

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The population steadily declined from some five hundred to nothing, meaning a ghost town, though the 2000 [[census]] placed the count at fifty, those living away from the town itself. When the Hicks-Cobb Store closed in 1966, the town died. There are four Texas Historical Commission markers outside the old store dedicated to (1) the community of Medicine Mound, (2) the Hicks-Cobb store, turned into a museum by Potts, (3) a [[WPA|Works Progress Administration]] sanitation]] project from the 1930s, and (4) a pioneer cemetery south of Medicine Mound, which is believed to have only nine graves.​

The population steadily declined from some five hundred to nothing, meaning a ghost town, though the 2000 [[census]] placed the count at fifty, those living away from the town itself. When the Hicks-Cobb Store closed in 1966, the town died. There are four Texas Historical Commission markers outside the old store dedicated to (1) the community of Medicine Mound, (2) the Hicks-Cobb store, turned into a museum by Potts, (3) a [[WPA|Works Progress Administration]] sanitation project from the 1930s, and (4) a pioneer cemetery south of Medicine Mound believed to have only nine graves.​

<ref name=comanche/>​

<ref name=comanche/>​

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On April 5, 2008, Potts addressed the West Texas Historical Association annual meeting in Canyon, south of [[Amarillo]] on her historical preservation work and her attempt to highlight the contributions of rural Americans.<ref>Myna Potts, "Medicine Mound: A Look at Our Past,'' West Texas Historical Association, annual meeting, April 5, 2008, in Canyon, Texas.</ref>​

On April 5, 2008, Potts addressed the West Texas Historical Association annual meeting in Canyon, south of [[Amarillo]] on her historical preservation work and her attempt to highlight the contributions of rural Americans.<ref>Myna Potts, "Medicine Mound: A Look at Our Past,'' West Texas Historical Association, annual meeting, April 5, 2008, Canyon, Texas.</ref>​

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==''Texas Country Reporter''==​

==''Texas Country Reporter''==​

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In 2007, Potts told Bob Phillips in his ''Texas Country Reporter'' syndicated [[television]] series]] that Medicine Mound "was [[rural]] America, and it was complete. We had everything we needed right here. . . . I want the people remembered who settled the area. . . . [This place] has meaning; they had a place in history." <ref name=tcr>Myna Potts, ''Texas Country Reporter,'' September 1, 2007:http://www.texascountryreporter.com/show.htm; Myna (Hicks) Potts, D.M.M.P.G./Medicine Mound Museum, 8450 South FM 91, Quanah, Texas 79252, 940-839-4344 or medicinemound.com</ref>​

In 2007, Potts told Bob Phillips in his ''Texas Country Reporter'' syndicated [[television]] series]] that Medicine Mound "was [[rural]] America, and it was complete. We had everything we needed right here. . . . I want the people remembered who settled the area. . . . [This place] has meaning; they had a place in history." <ref name=tcr>Myna Potts, ''Texas Country Reporter,'' September 1, 2007:http://www.texascountryreporter.com/show.htm; Myna (Hicks) Potts, D.M.M.P.G./Medicine Mound Museum, 8450 South FM 91, Quanah, Texas 79252, 940-839-4344 or medicinemound.com</ref>​

 

Phillips narrated his observations as follows: [Potts] is one woman determined to keep this town's history together. . . . We found Medicine Mound on Highway 1167 far from anything but the hills that the native Comanche held sacred, the mounds that give this place its name. Once we were here, we felt close to those who built the community, and the past didn't seem so far away."<ref name=tcr/>​

Phillips narrated his observations as follows: [Potts] is one woman determined to keep this town's history together. . . . We found Medicine Mound on Highway 1167 far from anything but the hills that the native Comanche held sacred, the mounds that give this place its name. Once we were here, we felt close to those who built the community, and the past didn't seem so far away."<ref name=tcr/>​

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==Access to the museum==​

==Access to the museum==​

 

The museum is particularly known for its extensive collection of hundreds of [[photograph]]s of early pioneers as well as old bottles, store fixtures, and a variety of items once sold in the mercantile, such as hats. Potts began assembling the pictures when she worked with western author Bill Neal (not to be confused with [[Bill O'Neal]]), who wrote on a book on the region, ''Our Stories, Legends of the Mounds''.<ref>"Medicine Mound Texas: Population Zero", website of Downtown Medicine Mound Preservation Group:http://www.medicinemound.com/portfolio/content.cfm?imageStart=4&StartRow=1&PageNum=1&cate=1&pageType=3&pageID=1&imageID=259&oneachpage=12</ref>​

The museum is particularly known for its extensive collection of hundreds of [[photograph]]s of early pioneers as well as old bottles, store fixtures, and a variety of items once sold in the mercantile, such as hats. Potts began assembling the pictures when she worked with western author Bill Neal (not to be confused with former Texas state historian [[Bill O'Neal]]), who wrote a book on the region, ''Our Stories, Legends of the Mounds''.<ref>"Medicine Mound Texas: Population Zero", website of Downtown Medicine Mound Preservation Group:http://www.medicinemound.com/portfolio/content.cfm?imageStart=4&StartRow=1&PageNum=1&cate=1&pageType=3&pageID=1&imageID=259&oneachpage=12</ref>​

 

Museum hours are usually 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday but also by appointment. In many ways, Medicine Mound Museum is Potts' "personal museum," the story of her own life.<ref>"Quanah," ''Texas State Travel Guide, 2008,'' pp. 129-130.</ref> There is a highway rest stop on U.S. 287 to assist travelers desiring to detour to Medicine Mound to see the four mounds, the historical museum, and the ghost town.<ref>Angela Timmons, "Kiosks make travel touch and go," ''The Amarillo Globe-News,'' June 30, 2003:http://www.amarillo.com/stories/063003/tex_kioskshelpful.shtml</ref>​

Museum hours are usually 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday but also by appointment. In many ways, Medicine Mound Museum is Potts' "personal museum," the story of her own life.<ref>"Quanah," ''Texas State Travel Guide, 2008,'' pp. 129-130.</ref> There is a highway rest stop on U.S. 287 to assist travelers desiring to detour to Medicine Mound to see the four mounds, the historical museum, and the ghost town.<ref>Angela Timmons, "Kiosks make travel touch and go," ''The Amarillo Globe-News,'' June 30, 2003:http://www.amarillo.com/stories/063003/tex_kioskshelpful.shtml</ref>​

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