Big Bend National Park in Southwest Texas

TEXAS LEGENDS

Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park in southwest Texas is one of the largest and least visited of America’s national parks. Here, you can explore over 801,000 acres, ranging from an elevation of less than 2,000 feet along the Rio Grande to nearly 8,000 feet in the Chisos Mountains. Big Bend includes massive canyons, vast desert expanses, and the entire Chisos Mountain range. At Big Bend National Park, you can delve into one of the last remaining wild corners of the United States, and experience unmatched sights, sounds, and solitude.

For more than 1,000 miles the Rio Grande/Río Bravo River forms the international boundary between Mexico and the United States; of which, Big Bend National Park administers approximately one-quarter of that boundary. Within the 118 twisting miles that also define the park’s southern boundary, the river’s southeasterly flow changes abruptly to the northeast and forms the “big bend” of the Rio Grande River.

Big Bend National Park

Big Bend postcard

Flowing through the Chihauhaun Desert, the Rio Grande River has carved beautiful canyons with nearly verticals walls, including the Santa Elena, Mariscal, and Boquillas Canyons. Throughout the open desert areas numerous plant and animal species can be found.

Few areas exceed the park's value for the protection and study of fossil resources. Over the years, archeologists have discovered artifacts estimated to be 9,000 years old, and historic buildings and landscapes offer graphic illustration of life along the international border at the turn of the century.

Prior to 1535 A.D. two Indian groups have been identified as having inhabited the Big Bend area, including the Chisos and the Jumano tribes. The Chisos Indians were thought to be a loosely organized tribe of nomadic hunters and gatherers who probably practiced limited agriculture on a seasonal basis. The Jumano were also nomadic and some evidence suggests that they were enemies of the Chisos.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Spanish explorers began to roam the area in search of gold, silver, fertile lands and Indian slaves. The first such expedition was that of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1535 A.D.

Around the beginning of the 18th century, the Mescalero Apaches began to invade the Big Bend region and displacing the Chisos Indians.

In an effort to stop Indians from invading Mexico, several "presidios," or forts, were established along the Rio Grande River in the late 1700's. However, when the forts failed in stopping Indian intrusions, they were abandoned though many Mexicans continued to occupy the Big Bend area.

In the 19th century, the Comanche Indians crossed the Rio Grande River numerous times while traveling to and from Mexico with their raiding parties.

Following the war between Mexico and the United States, which ended in 1849, several military surveys were made of the uncharted land of the Big Bend. Before long military forts and outposts cropped up to protect the migrating settlers from the Indians. Around 1870, ranchers, bringing sheep, goat and cattle, established large ranches across the landscape. However, by 1900, the delicate desert environment had been overgrazed and the ranchers moved elsewhere.

Around the turn of the century, Mexican settlers began farming on both banks of the river’s floodplain and some two decades later, white settlers began to join them. Cotton and food crops were grown around Castolon and what is now Rio Grande Village even after the park was established. It was also about this same time that valuable mineral deposits were discovered in the area, brining in more settlers who worked in the mines. New communities began to spring up with names like Terlingua Abajo, San Vicente, Coyote, and Castolon.

In the 1930's the State of Texas passed legislation to acquire land in the Big Bend area for what was to become the Texas Canyons State Park. In 1935, the Federal Government passed legislation that would enable the acquisition of the land for a national park. The State of Texas deeded the land that they had acquired to the Federal government, and on June 12, 1944, Big Bend National Park became a reality.

Today, the park is dotted with old buildings and ruins, the physical remains of past settlements. Thousands of archeological sites hold remnants of the material remains of 10,000 years of Indian occupation of the Big Bend.

The park exhibits dramatic contrasts in its climate with dry and hot late spring and summer days often exceeding 100 F° in the lower elevations. Though winters are normally mild throughout the park, sub-freezing temperatures occasionally occur. It's these extreme variations in temperature that contribute to an exceptional diversity in plant and animal habitats.

The park is open year-round providing four visitors centers, numerous campgrounds, RV Hookups, and a wide range of recreational opportunities. The park provides 201 miles of hiking trails, ranging from easy to strenuous, boating, fishing, white water rafting, and great opportunities for wildlife viewing.

Big Bend National Park headquarters is located 70 miles south of Marathon, Texas and 108 miles from Alpine, Texas via Hwy. 118.

Contact Information:

Big Bend National Park
P.O. Box 129
Big Bend National Park, Texas 79834
432-477-2251

Sierra del Carmens at sunset, by Ann Faulkner, courtesy

Big Bend National Park

Big Bend South Rim, above left by Brad Holmes, courtesy Big Bend National Park

From the Rocky Mountain General Store

National Park Postcards - Take a virtual tour through dozens of the United State's National Parks by taking a look at the many postcards we've collected along the way. Each one of these is unique and, in most cases, we have only one available, so don't wait. To see them all, click HERE!