Gateway to our Texas Mountain Trail region--Balmorhea State Park

Yesterday, the chilly temperatures created a mist over Balmorhea State Park's pool.   The pool was a creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.  When you visit the park, you can see evidence of their work.  Here's an interpretive panel:

El Paso's Scenic Drive

Routinely voted one of the best places to take visitors to show them El Paso, Scenic Drive!

The historical marker at Scenic Drive in El Paso says, "As early as 1881, El Paso leaders promoted the idea of creating a place at the base of the Franklin Mountains to provide visitors a panoramic view of the area. The automobile brought attention to the idea and in 1920 the City Council and Mayor Charles Davis approved construction of a scenic drive. Finished in October 1920, the route became a popular atraction.  The 1.82 mile drive reaches an elevation of 4,222 feet, 500 feet above the Rio Grande.  In 1932, the City contracted to widen and pave the road, and in 1934, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 855 (Fort Bliss) carried out additional culvert work.  Scenic Drive continues to attract visitors to the view of El Paso, Cuidad Juarez, and the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert

Roosevelt Stone Cottages in Big Bend National Park

In the heart of the Chisos Basin of Big Bend National Park are the Roosevelt Stone Cottages, which were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the second camp in the park, which was established in 1940. Interested in the CCC?  Read more about their work in the park, here.

Today, the cottages have three double beds, plus a shower, microwave and refrigerator.  They are not air conditioned, but have a ceiling fan and benefit from their high altitude location in the Chisos Basin.  Plus, they have wonderful porches and special, private views of the mountains. 

Click here to learn more and get booking information!

Davis Mountains State Park's Indian Lodge

One of the most sought after reservations in our region is a night's stay at Fort Davis' Indian Lodge, in the center of Davis Mountains State Park.  The Indian Lodge, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s continues to charm visitors with its quiet and scenic mountain location.

From the Lodge's website:

"Indian Lodge is a full-service, historic hotel with 39 rooms, a restaurant, a meeting room, and a swimming pool. Rest, relaxation, good food, swimming, mountain biking and hiking are among the activities the Lodge has to offer. The Lodge is located within the boundaries of Davis Mountains State Park and guest have full use of the recreation & educational activities available at the park. There are foot trails into the mountains that cross Davis Mountains State Park and a scenic trail to the Fort Davis National Historic Site.

Indian Lodge has a new website!

An old (and much beloved) favorite lodging option--Davis Mountains State Park's Indian Lodge--in our region just got a new website!  Click here! 

From the website:

"The historic section of the lodge was constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and features the original interiors and furnishings. In 1967, a major construction project was completed, including renovation of the original structure, which has 18-inch adobe walls, hand-carved cedar furniture, and ceilings of pine viga and latilla. It resembles a Southwestern Native-American-style, multilevel pueblo village. Indian Lodge was voted the #1 accommodation in Texas by readers of Texas Highways magazine in 1992."

Want to stay there?  (You'll love it!)  This popular lodge enjoys full or nearly full occupancy much of the time...make your reservations well ahead of time!

Here's a park map!
Click here to learn more about the Civilian Conservation Corps' work at Davis Mountains State Park!

Beautiful Indian Lodge

A perennial favorite in our region is the historic Indian Lodge in Davis Mountains State Park!  A quiet place to relax during a trip to the mountains, travelers enjoy this beautiful adobe structure, which was built by Civilian Conservation Corps workers in the 1930s.

From the Lodge's website:

"Indian Lodge is a unique inn located in Jeff Davis County northwest of Fort Davis within the bounds of Davis Mountains State Park. Built in the 1930s, it was opened to the public in 1939. The historic section of the lodge was constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and features the original interiors and furnishings. In 1967, a major construction project was completed, including renovation of the original structure, which has eighteen-inch adobe walls, hand-carved cedar furniture, and ceilings of pine viga and latilla. It resembles a Southwestern Native-American-style, multilevel pueblo village." 

The Indian Lodge is one of our region's best historic hotels, as you plan your next visit to the Texas Mountain Trail region, consider staying in one of them!  

Civilian Conservation Corps in Big Bend National Park

CCC Camp, Photograph, November 26, 1937; digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth39508 : accessed December 16, 2011), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Marfa Public Library, Marfa, Texas.

 From Big Bend National Park's website, "If you have driven, hiked, or slept in the Chisos Mountains, you have experienced CCC history. In May 1933, Texas Canyons State Park was established; it was later renamed Big Bend State Park. Roads and trails were needed for the new park, and the CCC provided an ideal workforce. A year after the park was established, 200 young men, 80 percent of whom were Hispanic, arrived to work in the Chisos Mountains. The CCC's first job was to set up camp and develop a reliable water supply. The CCC boys faced many challenges, living in tents 85 miles from the nearest town, and facing extreme temperatures and weather. Eventually barracks replaced tents in the area of today’s Basin Campground.

In the early 1930s, the CCC built an all-weather access road into the Chisos Mountains Basin. They surveyed and built the seven-mile road using only picks, shovels, rakes, and a dump truck, which they loaded by hand. They scraped, dug, and blasted 10,000 truck loads of earth and rock and constructed 17 stone culverts, still in use today along the Basin road."


Thanks to our friends at the Portal To Texas History and Marfa Public Library, this image has been saved for all to enjoy!  The Portal also has an entire section for educators on the CCC in their Resources 4 Educators section.  Click here!

To learn more about the CCC in Big Bend National Park, click here.

To see more photographs of the CCC working in Big Bend National Park, on the park's website

Scenic Drive, El Paso

Routinely voted one of the best places to take visitors to show them El Paso, Scenic Drive!

The historical marker at Scenic Drive in El Paso says, "As early as 1881, El Paso leaders promoted the idea of creating a place at the base of the Franklin Mountains to provide visitors a panoramic view of the area. The automobile brought attention to the idea and in 1920 the City Council and Mayor Charles Davis approved construction of a scenic drive. Finished in October 1920, the route became a popular atraction.  The 1.82 mile drive reaches an elevation of 4,222 feet, 500 feet above the Rio Grande.  In 1932, the City contracted to widen and pave the road, and in 1934, Civilian Conservation Corps Company 855 (Fort Bliss) carried out additional culvert work.  Scenic Drive continues to attract visitors to the view of El Paso, Cuidad Juarez, and the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert."