Big Bend National Park - Establishing a Link to the Past

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Created on Friday, 01 July 2011 00:59

Published on Friday, 01 July 2011 00:59

Written by Abe Connally

Resting comfortably in Southwest Texas along the Rio Grande, Big Bend National Park provides a glimpse into America’s geological and evolutionary past. Mine shafts abandoned long ago and dilapidated dwellings whisper echoes of the taming of the Wild West. Just a quick perusal of the terrain, however, informs the viewer that the land was never fully tamed. The sparse vegetation, rugged rock formations, and ancient lava flows have left many at a loss for words ever since settlers and explorers first began delving into this part of the country. How then did this seemingly incongruous section of the United States become an integral part of the National Parks System?

The region itself has long been of interest to human beings, and evidence suggests that occupation began around 6,000 BC. Much of the human presence up to that point had simply been due to people passing through on their quest to find more welcoming land. The earliest occupants were hunter-gatherers who did little farming but lived off what the land provided naturally. The yucca, prickly pear, acacia beans, and lechuguilla provided nutrition and medicine for the earliest inhabitants. Indigenous rabbits, deer, and other wildlife also provided sustenance. Eventually, by the turn of the 13^th Century, the La Junta had cultivated the land and begun farming. Spanish explorers searching for gold and silver found their way into the Big Bend territory in the 16^th Century and made slaves of many of the Native Americans living there.

Already a contested region, clashes between the Apaches and Comanches forced the former into Big Bend in the 18^th Century and the Spanish began to loosen their grip on the area. Homesteaders from the East complicated matters further, and the discovery of mercury in the nearby hills as well as an abundance of gold in California created a throughway that crossed Big Bend.

A military presence materialized to attempt to help maintain order and guard the border with Mexico. It was during the Mexican Revolution, during the early 1900’s, that soldiers along the Rio Grande began to tout the Big Bend as a beautiful area worthy of recognition. As word spread upon their return home and by way of newspapers the soldiers themselves published, tourism emerged in Big Bend in the 1920’s. But even this increase in visitation, praise from military men, and the region’s own storied history could not achieve national park status for this slice of the Chihuahuan Desert in southwest Texas.

Texas Canyons State Park had been established in 1933, and desperate to obtain the state’s first national park, an editorial ran in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram asking that one million Texas citizens donate one dollar to the aim of turning it into a national park. Other newspapers joined the effort and ran features publicizing Texas Canyons’ attractions. Governor Allred himself kick started the drive and the campaign began. Unfortunately, donations quickly curtailed and supporters of the drive became concerned.

All was not lost, however, and hope soon rose anew when land was added to Texas Canyons State Park after non-payment of taxes of the proprietary entities. In 1935, after much local campaigning and the acquisition of the additional land, Texas Canyons received a name change and on June 20, Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized the creation of Big Bend National Park. President Roosevelt formally received the deed for the park’s nearly 700,000 acres on June 6, 1944. This ended up being secondary news and was relegated to the back pages of the papers due to the Allied Forces storming the beaches of Normandy during World War II. On June 12, President Roosevelt signed the Congressional Act that officially established Big Bend National Park.

Texas finally had a national park over 70 years after the establishment of Yellowstone, the country’s first. Though several other national parks receive more visitors, the landscape of Big Bend National Park is beyond compare. Hardened lava flows, remnants of mining camps, and cultural keepsakes hearken back to a time when nature ran unchecked and humanity was still finding its way. Big Bend’s harsh conditions should not be shunned by the public, they should be embraced and explored. Big Bend National Park is more than simply a piece of the country designated as a park and preserve. It is a window into America’s history and beyond.