Seminole Canyon State Park - Texas State Park

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Seminole Canyon State Park

State Park Information

State Park Overview

Nature of the Area

History of the Area
Early man first visited this area 12,000 years ago - time when now-extinct species of elephant, camel, bison and horse roamed the landscape. The climate at that time was more moderate than today and supported a more lush vegetation that included pine, juniper and oak woodlands in the canyons, with luxuriant grasslands on the uplands. These early people developed a hunting culture based upon large mammals, such as the mammoth and bison. No known evidence exists that these first inhabitants produced any rock paintings.

By 7000 years ago, the region had undergone a climatic change that produced a landscape much like todays. A new culture appeared in this changed environment. These people were increasingly dependent on gathering wild plants and hunting small animals and less dependent on hunting big game. They lived in small groups since the land would not support larger social units for long periods.

Despite the struggle for survival, some of these prehistoric people found the creative energy to paint the pictographs found in Fate Bell and other rock shelters of the Lower Pecos River Country. The distribution of this distinct style is limited to a district which includes a portion of the Rio Grande, Pecos and Devils River. More than 200 pictograph sites are known to contain examples of their style of rock paintings ranging from single paintings to caves containing panels of art hundreds of feet long. Although numerous figures or motifs are repeated in different locations, the exact meaning of the paintings is buried with the people who painted them.

The first known European in this area was Castano de Sosa, who set out from Monciova Mexico, in 1590 and traversed much of present Val Verde County en route to New Mexico. The U. S. Army was the first American presence in the Lower Pecos. In 1851, Lieutenant Nathaniel Michler made a reconnaissance of the Rio Grande above and below its junction with the Pecos for the United States and Mexico Boundary Commission. After the Civil War, Lieutenant Bullis and his Seminole-egro scouts operated in the area and Bullis blasted a wagon road into the Pecos Canyon - the Rio Grande to provide the military with a shorter route between Forts Clark and Davis.

In 1882, construction of the Southern Pacific Railroad reached the present park location. The route to connect El Paso with San Antonio was begun after the merger of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroads with the Southern Pacific. The section of railroad in the canyon of the Rio Grande was finally abandoned in 1892, when a new bridge spanning the entire breadth of the Pecos River Canyon was completed. The present bridge was built at the same site during World War II.

More Info

information on Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site in Texas
Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site PO Box 820 Comstock TX 78837 432/292-4464 Tour of the Fate Bell Shelter
...inole Canyon State Park and Historic Site Facilities and Fees
Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site Entrance and Use Fees Information and prices are subject to change at any
...inole Canyon State Park, Texas (Each thumbnail image is a link to a larger copy of the image.) At the junction of the canyon and the Rio Grande. The canyon opens up on the left. Ocotillos in
...Trip to the American Southwest Seminole Canyon State Park (- Del Rio, Texas) Big Bend National Park (SW Texas) Aguirre Springs National Recreation Area (- Las Cruces, NM) The Cochise
...inole Canyon State Park Texas Parks and Wildlife Departments Seminole Canyon Webpage. Access Trails Back to Joshs MTB Guide Back to Joshs Main Page
McAllister Park (1.5 hours) O P Schnaebel Park (1.5 hours) South/West Texas Seminole Canyon State Park (5 hours) Questions, Comments, Corrections and Contributions are always greatly appreciated
...02 Pangea Software, Inc. SEMINOLE CANYON STATE PARK ABOUT THE PLACE Okay, Seminole Canyon isnt anywhere - Austin or the Hill Country, but its only a 4 1/2 hour drive and I had a
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| Texas Bobs Activity Center | Texas Bob Travels Home Seminole Canyon State Park Comstock, Texas The sculpture to the right is located
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Castle Gap Upton County Texas Girvin, Texas Pecos County Seminole Canyon State Park Comstock, Texas Odessa Meteor Crater Judge Roy Bean Barstow

78837 or call 915/292-4495. JUDGE ROY BEAN VISITOR CENTER SCENIC OVERLOOK SEMINOLE CANYON STATE PARK Attractions JUDGE ROY BEAN VISITOR CENTER-Features rustic saloon, courtroom and billiard hall
...e > Stay & Play > Attractions > Seminole Canyon Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site houses dozens of ancient pictographs, some created as
...stad National Recreation Area is home to Lower Pecos River Rock Art, some of the best preserved
specific dates only. Meet at Seminole Canyon State Park Headquarters First tour departs at
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