$Unique_ID{bob00996} $Pretitle{} $Title{The Big Bend Chapter 8: Historic Sites Of The Big Bend} $Subtitle{} $Author{Tyler, Ronnie C.} $Affiliation{National Park Service;U.S. Department Of The Interior} $Subject{located park grande road fort rio tex big miles names} $Date{1984} $Log{} Title: The Big Bend Book: Chapter 8: Historic Sites Of The Big Bend Author: Tyler, Ronnie C. Affiliation: National Park Service;U.S. Department Of The Interior Date: 1984 Chapter 8: Historic Sites Of The Big Bend Although some Big Bend place names recall the days of the Spaniards and Indians, most are of more recent origin, reflecting the Anglo-American society that settled the region as well as the pragmatic and common character of the settlers. The hopes and dreams of people, as well as their philosophy and vision, can often be seen in the names they apply to their surroundings. The dominant human thread running through the history of the Big Bend is that survival requires hard work. Practicality and directness are virtues in such circumstances, as the many obvious names signify. In such country little was done if it did not have to be. Thus many landmarks went without names until 1903 when surveyor Arthur A. Stiles conducted a study of the region. He consulted the local citizens before applying the place names to his map. M. A. Ernst, storekeeper and justice of the peace in Boquillas, convened a jury for the purpose of considering and approving place names. Each member had a topographical feature named for him, but as Stiles reported, "there were barely enough people living in the country to furnish names for all the places." So they resorted to friends and relatives. Many of the more exotic sounding Spanish and Indian names were consequently forgotten. (In fairness to Ernst's jury, it must be pointed out that frequently the previously awarded names were unknown to them and have only been turned up by recent research.) Most geographical features have obvious names. Mule Ears Peak is perhaps the best example. Located in the southwestern reaches of the Chisos, near Trap Mountain, these durable peaks were probably named by teamsters who were coaxing their mule teams through the Big Bend. Cow Heaven Mountain has a more obscure origin. Located northwest of Mariscal Mountain, this formation reportedly got its name when a local rancher observed that the land was so barren that a cow "would have to go to Heaven" if stranded on it, because there was no grass. Casa Grande, Santa Elena, Terlingua Creek, Burro Mesa, Mariscal, Boquillas, and numerous other points illustrate the Spanish-Mexican influence. Other names, such as Maverick Mountain, Cow Heaven, and Dogie Mountain, testify to the importance of the ranching industry. It took little imagination to apply the names of common reptiles and animals, plants or legends to prominent landmarks Panther Peak and Spring, Rattlesnake Mountain, Alamo, Willow, and Cottonwood Creeks, Ash and Oak Springs, Chisos Mountains. The presence of the National Park Service is evident in such names as Vernon Bailey Peak, Roger Toll Peak, George Wright Peak, and Carter Peak. Early pioneers are honored by such names as Nevill Springs, Stillwell Mountain, and Roy's Peak. The land is still being named. During a recent study of the park, the Geological Survey searched for historic names for prominent landmarks, but applied their own creations when no historic names could be found. Such minute naming of features is only possible, or necessary, after the development of exact mapping techniques and aerial photography, and large numbers of visitors want to know what each hill or border is called and why. The following guide lists only the most important extant historical sites. Most of them can be reached by car, but some require travel over primitive roads or strenuous hikes. Additional interpretative material is available at park headquarters on the better known sites. A park ranger should be consulted before traveling in the back country. Barker Lodge Once a NPS ranger station, today a research station associated with the "Man and the Biosphere" project. Located northwest of Boquillas Canyon on a spur road. The Basin Of The Chisos Mountains Site of the Civilian Conservation Corps camp in 1934 that prepared the way for the national park. Now lodging facilities and a restaurant are located there. Comanche Trail Marker A historical marker at Persimmon Gap commemorates the hectic past of the great Comanche War Trail. Beyond the gap the trail divided into several paths. One path crosses the Rio Grande near Lajitas, today a small community with a general store and a post office. Often a mile wide and lined with the bones of horses and cattle in the 19th century, the trail was the route Comanches took to and from Mexico during the raids of the "Comanche Moon," which one historian called the most sustained and devastating assault by one civilization on another. La Coyota An abandoned Mexican farm village of some 10 adobe and stone ruins clustered on the west bank of Alamo Creek as it flows onto the Rio Grande floodplain. Across the creek, on an eminence overlooking the village, is a Mexican cemetery. Located along the paved road from Castolon to Santa Elena Canyon. Emory Peak One of the highest peaks in Texas and the highest point in the Chisos Mountains at 7,835 feet. Named after Maj. William H. Emory, head of the Boundary Survey team that explored the Rio Grande in 1852. Although the engineers never climbed the peak, they used it as a point of reference throughout their survey. A hiking trail leads from the Basin to the top. G-4 Ranch In 1880 the G-4 Ranch covered 55,000 acres of open range in Southern Brewster County (Survey Block G-4). This ranching operation consisted of 6,000 head of cattle, controlled by 10 cowboys and a foreman. The cowboys worked out of three camps; one at Aqua Frio, 18 miles north of Terlingua Creek near Santa Elena Canyon, and a main camp west of Chisos at Oak Spring. Glenn Springs Located 9 miles down the unimproved Glenn Springs Road from the junction on the Panther Junction-Rio Grande Village paved road. The site of one of the earliest wax camps in the Park, Glenn Springs was also an army station and a small settlement. It is best known for the bandit raid that occurred in 1916. The rifle pits can still be seen lining the crest of the low ridge that overlooks the settlement site, along with the remains of a water system that brought water into the settlement and wax works. A large ranch house was located here; the holding pen, corral, and dipping chute are still visible. Johnson Ranch Located about 16 miles east of Castolon on the unimproved river road. Johnson's Ranch was a successful ranch, a border trading post, a wayside stop for travelers, and a landing area for flyers during the border troubles in 1919. After Elmo Johnson purchased the ranch in 1928. the landing field was developed and officially opened by the U.S. Army on July 6, 1929. Its purpose was to train young aviators and to serve as a lookout station and check point on the International Boundary. Johnson occupied the ranch until the Park Service purchased the land. La Noria Located a few miles up the unimproved Old Ore Road from the junction on the Panther Junction-Rio Grande Village road. The name is Spanish for "The Well." When the region was farmed, La Noria became a small village known for the post office which operated there and as a stopover point for travelers. It was formally called Old Boquillas when the first map of the area was published; changed its name to La Noria when the village moved to its present site on the Rio Grande. There are few visible remains today. Luna Jacal About midway on the unimproved road between Maverick and Santa Elena Canyon. One of the most photographic ruins in the park, the jacal of Gilberto Luna illustrates the struggle of man versus the elements in the Big Bend. Luna himself lived to the age of 109. Mariscal Mine Located south of Glenn Springs on the unimproved river road, the main processing plant, building, paymaster's office, superintendent's house, employee's residences, company store, barracks and brick kiln still remain. Although the view from the mine is magnificent, the area is dotted with open mine shafts and extreme caution must be used in viewing the site. Old Sam Nail Ranch The remains of the adobe house built by Sam Nail in 1916 stand south of Santa Elena Junction, on the road to Castolon. His windmill and water tank continue to be a watering place for birds and other wildlife. Recommended as a pleasant picnicking and bird-watching area. Persimmon Gap The point at which the Great Comanche Trail penetrated the Santiago Mountains. Now the north entrance to the Park. A Historical Site Marker on Tex. 185 from Marathon points out the spot where the trail crossed the mountains. Wilson Ranch Located on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive (or Castolon Road), about 7 miles south of Santa Elena Junction. Homer Wilson, a relative latecomer to the Big Bend, built a line camp for his profitable ranch. The remains of the living quarters and outbuildings are probably the best preserved in the park. Here can be seen all the functions of a successful ranch's line camp: the bunkhouse, cistern, corral and stubbing post, dipping chute, and chicken coop and pens. A trail leads from the overlook to the ranch. Castolon Named after a settler called Castulo, the village was first a subpost of the border patrol (1910-14), then the site of an army post during the border troubles with Mexico. The mountain identified with Castolon is Cerro Castellan - from the Spanish word meaning castle. Located just above the river on the Castolon road, the village is a popular visitor stop. Farming, commerce, border troubles, and local dwellings - the four major historical themes of the Big Bend National Park - are all represented here. Dorgan Farm House Of exceptional architectural interest, this house stands just above the river road between Castolon and Santa Elena Canyon. It commands an outstanding view of the Chisos Mountains, the Rio Grande floodplain and the Sierra del Carmen as they stretch into Mexico. The huge stone fireplace in the central room is constructed from large slabs of petrified wood. Four huge ceiling beams (only two remain) radiated from the center point to the four corners. Old Castolon The Old Castolon Store, located here, is probably one of the oldest buildings in the National Park. It was a border trading post from the days when Castolon was first settled. Founded by Cipriano Hernandez about 1900. Santa Elena Canyon At the end of the Castolon road. The most spectacular of the major canyons of the Big Bend, Santa Elena was one of the last to be floated and documented. The Boundary Survey of 1852 bypassed it, believing that their fragile boats would be wrecked. The first documented trip through the canyon was by surveyor John T. Gano in 1882. U.S. Geological Survey member Dr. Robert T. Hill took the first photographs of the interior of the canyon in 1899. Sublett Farm House Near the Dorgan residence above the river road between Castolon and Santa Elena Canyon. The Rio Grande floodplain was a fertile area for cultivation of cotton, corn, and other crops. The Sublett Farm House is an adobe structure, of which only the main walls still stand. Terlingua Abaja The name in Spanish means "Lower Terlingua." Many ruins remain to suggest the activity that once thrived in this old Mexican village, located several miles north of the unimproved road between Santa Elena Canyon and Maverick. Settled earlier than the milling village of Terlingua, Terlingua Abaja still has its old adobe chapel and cemetery. Daniels Ranch Located in the west picnic grounds area at Rio Grande Village. Original owner was J. M. Graham. The Daniels' Farm Complex dates from about 1920 and illustrates the cotton farming that flourished in the Rio Grande Valley around Boquillas. It was named for John R. Daniels, who owned it when the park was established. Of interest architecturally, the structure is of adobe with a viga and cane ceiling, adobe roof, and flagstone floor. Hot Springs Located on the Rio Grande on the two-mile unimproved spur road off the Panther Junction-Rio Grande Village road. Once developed as a health resort and trading post, this is the site of J. O. Langford's original store, motel, and residence. Several hot springs that flow into the Rio Grande near the confluence of Tornillo Creek gave the site its name, and provided a living for Langford and his family for several years. A few small springs still flow but the major hot springs used by Langford have since been silted in by flooding from the Rio Grande. Indian pictographs, kitchen middens, and mortar holes at the foot of the cliffs near the springs testify to occupation by nomadic Indian tribes. Ore Tramway Line Visible just off the Boquillas Canyon spur road, the tramway line and terminal were used near the turn of the century to transport ore from the Del Carmen silver and lead mine in Mexico, across the Rio Grande, to the terminal on the American side. The mine was closed about 1906. Senator Berkeley Cottage Located by the river near the group campground at Rio Grande Village. This cottage belonged to State Senator Benjamin F. Berkeley of Alpine, who used it as a vacation residence. He called it Ojos de Boquillas. Today it is a NPS employee residence. Ernst Tinaja Tinaja is Spanish for a large, earthen storage jar. In the center of the Ernst Canyon, one mile off the Old Ore Road, is a huge natural cistern in the limestone cliffs. It is known as the Ernst Tinaja and is water filled the year round. Alpine The County Seat of Brewster County is located at the junction of Tex. 67 and 118. The community began as a section of the Southern Pacific Railroad and was first called Burgess Springs, then Osborne. To obtain water rights from a local rancher the railroad changed the name to Murphyville. In 1888, when it became the county seat, local citizens changed its name to Alpine. It is still an important rail head for the local ranchers. Bloys Camp Meeting Begun in 1890, the Bloys Camp Meeting is still celebrated at Skillman's Grove named for Henry Skillman) in the Davis Mountains, west of Fort Davis on Tex. 166. Camel Hump (or Horse Mountain) Located on Tex 185 between Marathon and Big Bend National Park, about 8 miles south of Marathon, the mountain got its name from the camels that traipsed through the Big Bend before the Civil War. Lts. Edward L. Hartz and William Echols supplied the name in 1859. Also known as Horse Mountain. Capote Falls Located on private property off Texas 67 in the Cienega Mountains, the Capote Falls, 175 feet, are the highest falls in Texas. Capote is Spanish for Cape. Chamizal National Memorial This memorial, located on Cordova Island in the Rio Grande south of El Paso, commemorates the peaceful settlement of a 99-year boundary dispute between the United States and Mexico. The Chamizal Treaty was signed in 1963. Fort Davis National Historic Site Established along the San Antonio to El Paso road in 1854, Fort Davis was meant as a way station and protective stronghold for troops and travelers in the sparsely settled territory. The post was abandoned in 1891 when there was no longer a need for army protection. Located on Tex. 17 at the north end of the town of Fort Davis. Fort Lancaster State Historical Site This Federal military outpost was established in 1855 along the old military road from San Antonio to El Paso. It was finally abandoned in 1868, after the frontier had bypassed it. Located 11 miles west of Ozona on U.S. 290. Fort Pena Colorado Four miles southwest of Marathon in Brewster County, the ruins of this old fort and surrounding grounds are maintained as a county park with picnic and recreational facilities. The fort was established in 1880 to protect the Chihuahua Trail from marauding Mescalero Apaches. It was abandoned in 1891. Fort Quitman The remains of the fort are located on the Rio Grande off Tex. 192 near the community of Fort Quitman. The military installation was established in 1858 and abandoned in 1877. Fort Stockton The stone and adobe ruins of this fort remain north of the business district of the town of Fort Stockton on Tex. 290 in Pecks County. Located at Comanche Springs, the fort was built in 1859 to protect the San Antonio-San Diego Mail Route. After the Civil War it was garrisoned by Negro troops. It was abandoned in 1886. Guadalupe Mountains National Park Located in Hudspeth and Culbertson Counties, this is the newest national park in Texas. It is noted for its wild, rugged landscape, Permian limestone fossils, and Signal Peak of 8,751 feet, the highest in Texas. A campsite and information center are located off Tex. 62 near Pine Springs Canyon. Hueco Tanks State Park The 738-acre park is located 12 miles northeast of El Paso off Tex. 62. There is the site of the last Indian battle in El Paso County and the large, natural limestone cisterns for which the park is named. The area was long used by Indians as a campsite and their drawings and pictographs cover the surrounding caves and cliffs. The cisterns were also used by wagon trains heading for California and by the Butterfield stagecoaches. Lajitas Located in southeastern Brewster County on Tex. 170 is Lajitas, which derives its name from the little flat rocks of the Boquillas formation. Lajitas means flag stones. The village is located at the San Carlos ford of the Rio Grande on the Old Comanche Trail. Ben Leaton House A State park located a few miles downriver from Presidio enroute to Lajitas. Formerly called Fortin de San Jose. Ben Leaton acquired the title in 1846. Overlooking the floodplain of the Rio Grande, it is a formidable structure and served its owners well through several Indian attacks. Leaton was one of the earliest merchants and ranchers in the Big Bend country. Recently restored by the Texas State Park Service. Marathon Probably the site of an Indian culture, settled by white men only after the Civil War. A military subpost was established there in 1579, and the town began in 1882 when the Texas & New Orleans Railroads arrived. Located on Tex. 90 and 385, it is one of the main entrances to Big Bend National Park. Marfa Established in 1881 as a water stop on the Texas & New Orleans Railroads, Marfa was named by the wife of the railroad president after the heroine of a Russian novel. Located on Tex. 90 and 67. Old Fort Cibolo A private fort located off Tex. 67 near Shafter. Milton Faver built three fortresses in the Big Bend. Remains are located near Big Springs Cibolo, which supplied water for the fort. Presidio Located on the Rio Grande on Tex. 67, Presidio is immediately opposite Ojinaga, Mexico, and is an important point of entry to and from Mexico. Originally an outpost of Mexico, called El Presidio del Norte (the fort of the north), the area was awarded to the U.S. in 1848 by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Redford Located south of Presidio on Tex. 170, Redford is a small farming community on the Rio Grande. The settlement was originally Mexican and called Polvo, which means dust. It is the site of a fort and a customs station. Presidio San Carlos Located about 15 miles south of Lajitas, the remains of this presidio are accessible only by foot, horseback, or four-wheel drive vehicle. Established in 1771 and occupied until 1787, this presidio is one of the most vivid ruins in the region. The presidio stands on a high terrace on the east bank of San Carlos Creek. The outside walls are 5 feet high in places; the perimeter walls of the chapel are over 10 feet high. Presidio San Vicente Located on a small mesa about 1 miles from the San Vicente crossing of the Rio Grande, this presidio was established in 1771 and abandoned in 1781. The only thing clearly visible today is the outline of the presidio. The upper parts of the adobe walls have melted, concealing the lower parts and any underlying structures. Both this presidio and San Carlos are representative of the defensive alignment along the northern frontier of New Spain in the 1770's. Shafter Between the Chinati and Cienega Mountains on Tex. 67 lies Shafter, a mining ghost town. From 1880 to 1940 it was a center for silver mining activities in Presidio County. Abandoned mines, machinery and buildings remain. Shafter is located 20 miles north of Presidio. Terlingua Located on Tex. 170 a few miles west of Study Butte outside the west entrance of Big Bend National Park. Today the site of the World Champion Chili Cookoff, the village of Terlingua, during its heyday, was the site of numerous quicksilver mines. The most important was the Chisos Mining Company, responsible for most of the remains that are visible today: the general store, the movie house, the jail house, the chapel, and the two-story house belonging to the mine owner, Howard Perry. Ysleta Mission Located 8 miles southeast of El Paso on Tex. 80 lies Ysleta, the oldest permanent settlement in Texas. The community was founded in 1680. The missions, San Antonio de las Tiguas (also called Nuestra Senora del Carmen) and San Miguel del Socorro, were built there in 1682. Both missions have suffered the effects of flood, fire, and time, but their ruins remain.