Captain John Coffee Hays (1-28-1817—4-21-1883) was a surveyor and legendary Texas Ranger. Indians attacked Hays while he was separated from his men surveying near Enchanted Rock in 1841. The granite dome covers 640 acres and rises 425 feet above Sandy Creek at its base. Cut off from the other Rangers, Hays climbed the rock and took shelter in a depression at the summit. Better armed than the Comanche, he fought them off for three hours before his companions came to his aid.