An Advocate for Nature The rugged peak in front of you honors George Meléndez Wright, a significant figure in the early history of the National Park Service (NPS) and the establishment of Big Bend National Park.
Born in 1904 to American . . . — — Map (db m218781) HM
Tiny horses and hippopotamus-like animals once roamed a more humid Big Bend. For a glimpse into the parks tropical past, take a short trail to the fossil bone display and the overlook beyond. — — Map (db m95632) HM
The massive cliffs of the Sierra del Carmen appear unyielding, yet the Rio Grande has carved a gorge 1,500 feet deep directly through the escarpment. Boquillas Canyon is so narrow that the entrance is almost invisible at this distance.
From the . . . — — Map (db m54555) HM
Despite a tendency to spiny plants, barren ground, and a variety of reptiles, each desert is distinctive. To recognize the Chihuahuan, shift focus from the broad horizon to the “indicator plants” that characterize this particular . . . — — Map (db m95631)
You are now traveling the Comanche Trail blazed by Comanche Indians, en route from
the western plains to Mexico, and traveled later by emigrants and soldiers. It
extended south from the Horse Head Crossing of the Pecos by Comanche Springs . . . — — Map (db m53931) HM
Imagine living in this remote region a century ago. In 1927, J. O. Langford built this store and post office to provide services to a ranching and mining community that spanned many miles and two countries.
In 1939, Maggie Smith ran the store . . . — — Map (db m218847) HM
People have long sought relief from the desert heat in the Chisos Mountains and Mexico's Maderas del Carmen. Forests, steep slopes, shade, and cooler temperatures allow wholly different plants and animals to live in the Big Bend.
In the 1930s . . . — — Map (db m218835) HM
These are the remnants of a stone farmhouse owned by James and Melissa Belle Sublett, settlers who first came to Castolon in 1913.
Sublett is recognized for introducing mechanized farming into the Big Bend. In 1914 the Subletts moved into the . . . — — Map (db m219105) HM
Heated by geothermal processes and emerging at 105° F (41° C), the water in the hot springs carries dissolved mineral salts reputed to have rejuvenating powers. Langford claimed his health was restored after 21 days of soaking in the springs. . . . — — Map (db m218871) HM
The buildings below look like an active ranch, though this line camp was abandoned in 1945. Take the short trail down into the canyon for a closer view. The foreman's house makes eloquent use of native materials: reed ceiling from the river, timbers . . . — — Map (db m219285) HM
Homesteader J.O. Langford built the structures ahead. He arrived from Mississippi in 1909, stricken with recurring malaria, spending his last pennies seeking health and fortune.
Long before the establishment of Big Bend National Park, Langford . . . — — Map (db m218839) HM
With better transportation and extensive advertising, health seekers and vacationers sought out this remote, riverside retreat. Langford's resort flourished from the 1920s to the 1940s. Rooms were $1 per day or $6 per week; hot spring baths were 25¢ . . . — — Map (db m218854) HM
On its long journey to the Gulf of Mexico, the Rio Grande passes through some of the most dramatic and storied landscapes in the West. Here, it has carved through solid limestone to form Santa Elena, one of Big Bend's most beautiful river canyons. . . . — — Map (db m218938) HM
Here at the edge of Alamo Creek, Gilberto Luna raised a large family in this small house called a jacal (hah-KAHL). Built from rock, earth, and plant fiber, the dwelling was well adapted to desert conditions: notice a dramatic temperature difference . . . — — Map (db m53935) HM
The confluence of a creek, a river, and the hot springs drew people to this area thousands of years before Langford arrived. Living in the shadow of the cliffs, ancient people left rock art, midden areas, and bedrock mortars. These serve as . . . — — Map (db m218865) HM
Hot springs along the river made this an appealing tourist destination in the early 20th century. The Langford Hot Springs are still well-known and accessible.
In 1914, J.O. and Bessie Langford moved here from Mississippi and started a health . . . — — Map (db m218834) HM
When J.O. Langford homesteaded this section in 1909, he was moving into an area that had long been inhabited by native Americans. Walk this trail to view pictograph and petroglyphs created by prehistoric people hundreds or even thousands of years . . . — — Map (db m53936) HM
He laid the foundation of the National Park Service. Defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations. There will never come an end to the good that he has done. — — Map (db m60610) HM
This deserted farming village supplied produce for miners and ranchers of the area from 1900 until the 1930's. You are welcome to walk across Terlingua Creek into the heart of the rock and adobe ruins. It is hard to believe that the banks of . . . — — Map (db m53958) HM
I never saw a place so definitely marked for a military post....
Lieutenant D. Green, commander, US-Mexican Boundary Survey Commission, 1851.
Not until 1916 - during the Mexican Revolution - did the U.S. Army . . . — — Map (db m219262) HM
Before the 1920s no one along this part of the Rio Grande had ever planted cotton. In 1922 businessman Wayne Cartledge began to sow that high-dollar commercial crop in these river-bottom fields. Cartledge also introduced steam- and gasoline-powered . . . — — Map (db m219109) HM
The Drive from Castolon to Santa Elena Canyon
Between Castolon and Santa Elena Canyon, the road passes along the broad floodplain of the Rio Grande. From the late 1880s until 1961, Mexican and American families lived, farmed, and ranched . . . — — Map (db m219279) HM
This adobe house was built in 1925 as the residence of Fred Garlick, farm manager for Wayne Cartledge's La Harmonia Company. During the 1930s, it also served as a schoolhouse for the children who lived in this remote area. The Garlick House is among . . . — — Map (db m219259) HM
During the Mexican Revolution, life on the border was often chaotic. This adobe structure stood as a symbol of harmony in that perilous time.
In 1918 Howard Perry, owner of the Chisos Mining Company in Terlingua, and his bookkeeper, Wayne . . . — — Map (db m219107) HM
Magdalena Silvas lived in this house in the 1950s. As a widowed mother, she raised her five children while cooking for La Harmonia Company here in Castolon for about 30 years. The family kept animals in the yard.
The Magdalena House is a window . . . — — Map (db m219110) HM
