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By Michael Stroud, June 1996 | |
| | | 1. Guadalupe Peak Marker | | |
Inscription. Guadalupe Peak, Texas' highest mountain at 8,751 feet, dominates one of the most scenic and least-known hinterlands of the old frontier. It lies behind and to the right of 8,078-foot El Capitan, the sheer cliff that rises more than 3,000 feet above this spot to mark the south end of the Guadalupe range.
Starkness of the mountainside belies the lushness which the Guadalupes conceal. Tucked away in their inner folds are watered canyons shaded by towering ponderosa pine, douglas fir, juniper and quaking aspen. McKittrick Canyon, scene of a four-mile trout stream, is also the habitat of the state's only herd of wild elk. Seer and turkeys abound.
Stories of hidden gold go back to Spanish days. The conquistadors who rode north from Mexico wrote about fabulous deposits. Geronimo, the Apache chief, said the richest gold mines in the western world lay hidden in the Guadalupes. Legend holds that Ben Sublett, a colorful prospector of the 1880s, slipped off at night to a cave and returned with bags of nuggets.
Probably less is known about the archeology of the Guadalupes than of any other area in the Southwest. Excavators have found spearheads, pictographs and human remains together with bones of long-extinct bison, dire wolf and musk ox in cliff caves. At hermit cave in last chance canyon, carbon-14 dating indicates occupancy | | | | 
By Michael Stroud, June 1996 | |
| | | 2. Guadalupe Peak | | |
12,000 years ago. Geologically, the Guadalupes present a spectacular exposure of the famous capitan prehistoric barrier reef, said to be the most extensive fossil organic reef known.It was formed during the Permian Period some 200 million years ago.
Erected 1963 by Texas Highway Department.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 31° 51.256′ N, 104° 50.69′ W. Marker was near Pine Springs, Texas, in Culberson County. Marker was on U.S. 62/180 3 miles north of Texas Highway 54. Click for map. Marker is in a rest area. Marker was in this post office area: Salt Flat TX 79847, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this location, as the crow flies. A different marker also named Guadalupe Peak (within shouting distance of this marker); The "Committee of Five" (approx. 3.1 miles away); Stephen Tyng Mather (approx. 3.1 miles away); Groundbreaking for the Pine Springs Visitor Center (approx. 3.1 miles away); The Airmen (approx. 3.1 miles away); The Pinery (approx. 3.2 miles away); Butterfield Overland Mail (approx. 3.2 miles away); El Paso Salt War (approx. 12.4 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Pine Springs.
Regarding Guadalupe Peak. This marker was replaced by a new one also named Guadalupe Peak (see nearby markers).| | | | 
November 7, 2007 | |
| | | 3. Guadalupe Peak Pyramid | | A metal pyramid marks the highpoint. Erected in 1958 by American Airlines at the summit of Guadalupe Peak, the six-foot high stainless steel trylon, commemorates the carriers of transcontinental overland and air mail. | | |
Also see . . . National Park Service. Info about Guadalupe Mountains (Submitted on January 15, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
Credits. This page originally submitted on January 15, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,584 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 15, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 3. submitted on January 15, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
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