History

Native Americans have inhabited Big Bend since 8000 B.C.

Plan Around History

A good stop is not just something to read about. Once it belongs on the day, move into a saved trip and build the route around it.

Add to trip View park guide

Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.

History Details

Native Americans have inhabited Big Bend since 8000 B.C. at the beginning of the Paleo-Indian period. They were dependent upon big game hunting as their main source of food, shelter and clothing. The Archaic periods brought about gathering, game hunting and the processing of plants for food, shelter and clothing. By the Late Prehistoric (1000 A.D.), natives were using limited agriculture to sustain themselves. Several Native American tribes were using the lands of Big Bend by 1535; the Chisos and the Mescalero Apache both lived off of the land and practiced seasonal agriculture. These tribes were generally nomadic and loosely organized. The most recent group of Native Americans to call Big Bend home were the Comanches and they lived here until the early 1800s. Following the war between Mexico and United States in 1849, the first surveys were made of the area. Cattle ranchers occupied the area when driving large herds and soon the area became over-grazed. Settlers loved Big Bend for its rich and valuable mineral deposits and mining towns started to sprout up, many of which still exist outside the park today. The riverbed was used by farming families until the early 1930's. In the 1930s, the State of Texas named Big Bend Texas Canyon State Park. By 1935, Big Bend had captured the attention of the federal government, largely due to the efforts of Texas Ranger Everett E. Townsend. In 1935, Big Bend became Texas' first National Park.

Difficulty

Open

Distance

N/A

Estimated time

N/A

Region

Learn About the Park