The Medallion, Volume 51, Number 3, Summer 2013 Page: 7
16 p. : col. ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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"It was pretty rare for people at the
time to have animal products available, and
whatever they had was usually dedicated to
sustaining their basic survival," Hall says.
"Isn't it amazing to think they were willing to g
expend some of this precious resource for
their art?"
Similarly compelling is Big Bend Ranch .
State Park's colossal size and remarkable
historic resources. Hall puts the immensity
into context: all of Texas Parks and Wildlife's
(TPWD) other parks combined could fit
inside Big Bend Ranch's 311,000 acres.
"It's truly enormous, and the possibilities
for exploring history, archeology, and cultural
heritage out here are just as big," he says.
Park Archeologist Tim Gibbs adds that
the property contains nearly 600 known
prehistoric and historic sites, 40 rock A historical tra
art locations, and 20 Cielo complex sites State Park.
(late prehistoric occupational patterns first
recognized by former THC State Archeologist Robert
Mallouf). Many pictographs were painted during the Late
Archaic and Late Prehistoric periods (spanning circa 500
B.C.-A.D. 1000), while others depict horses, longhorn
cattle, and Spanish crosses.
"It's pretty much wide open out here, and it's been
wonderful to have the opportunity to conduct research
in such a vast area that hasn't been extensively studied,"
Gibbs says. "One of the challenges
is discerning among
the various occupation
periods at the same
site-you don't want .
to damage one element -
while attempting to
preserve another." ,
To ensure
preservation while ,
optimizing educational r
opportunities for visitors,
the park offers affordable
day-long tours customized
for individual interests. .
The tour-conducted by ' -.
knowledgeable guides in
4x4 air-conditioned vehicles equipped with emergency
resources-begins at the park's visitors center in the
Sauceda historic district. Here, ranchers made the first of
several attempts to tame the area's rugged landscape more
than a century ago.Sauceda (Spanish for "willow grove") initially took
shape in 1905, when George A. Howard developed the
core of the historic district's main residential building as
SUMMER 2013il in Bi
a headquarters for his Chillicothe-
Saucita Ranch. Now known as
the Big House, it serves as the
park's primary lodging facility, with
additional rooms available in a
nearby bunkhouse.
In 1915, the property shifted
-' ownership to the Bogels. The family
raised sheep and goats, and many
: . of their impressive stone fences
....remain throughout the park. By
: 1934, the effects of drought and the
;, Great Depression forced the Bogels
to sell their ranch. The property was
* eventually purchased and expanded
to nearly 300,000 acres by Edwin
and Manny Fowlkes.
"The Fowlkes brothers
contributed the biggest investment
g Bend Ranch trying to make this a successful
ranching operation," Hall explains.
"They had a large crew of cowboys out here and put in a
lot of fencing, water lines, and other infrastructure to really
make a go at it."
By 1958, however, the Fowlkes were forced to sell the
ranch due to prolonged drought, a global wool-market
crash, and the family's over-ambitious expansion efforts.
The new owner, Midland oilman and lawyer Len G. "Tuffy"
McCormick, christened the property Big Bend Ranch
and made several significant
improvements. Most notably, he
helped implement major upgrades
to the road on the property's
southern border along the Rio
Grande, now known as FM 170-
one of the most scenic drives in
Texas. By 1988, TPWD purchased
S the property, and opened it to the
..public as Big Bend Ranch State
Park in 1995.Above: Blaine
Hall, TPWD
interpretive ranger,
leads customized
tours. Right:
the park's bunk
house at sunset
in the Sauceda
historic district.TEXASEtAS10r-O LA(OQM SI 1ON
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Texas Historical Commission. The Medallion, Volume 51, Number 3, Summer 2013, periodical, Summer 2013; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth342078/m1/7/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Commission.