BalmorheaInterpretive Guide |
Interpretive Guide of Balmorhea State Park (SP) in Texas. Published by Texas Parks & Wildlife.
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INTERPRETIVE GUIDE
BALMORHEA
STATE PARK
The only remaining population of Comanche Springs Pupfish
lives at Balmorhea State Park.
A canal flows past the San Solomon Courts.
ARTESIAN
SPRING
WATER
COLLECTED STARTING SOME 40
MILES WEST IN THE APACHE
MOUNTAINS
THROUGH
SPRINGS.
BUBBLES
SAN
UP
SOLOMON
BEGINNING IN 1935
AND LASTING A FEW YEARS, THE
CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS
ENCLOSED
THE
SPRINGS
—
CREATING THE 1.3-ACRE POOL —
AND
DEVELOPED
SURROUNDING
THE
FACILITIES.
WHILE A BEAUTIFUL AND
RELAXING PLACE FOR A SWIM
AND OVERNIGHT STAY, MUCH
WILDLIFE CALLS THE PARK THEIR
Balmorhea State Park hosts thousands of visitors each year who
enjoy swimming, camping and overnight stays in the historic Motor
Court. The human history of San Solomon Springs spans several
centuries. The park also sustains unique wildlife, some of which are
found nowhere else on Earth. We encourage you to tread lightly
and help protect this unique and sensitive environment.
• Keep Wildlife Wild – Please don’t feed or harass wildlife
• Trash Your Trash – It’s ugly and can make wildlife sick
• Take Only Memories and Pictures – Leave all plants, wildlife,
rocks and artifacts for future visitors to enjoy
• Don’t Swim Alone – Accidents happen even for experienced
swimmers.
• Protect Your Pets – They must be on a leash no more than six
feet in length and cleaned up after. Pets not permitted in pool area.
• Be Kind to Other Visitors – Please respect others and watch
for scuba divers and their equipment.
• Protect Our Dark Skies – With McDonald Observatory nearby
and some of the darkest skies in Texas overhead, we recommend
using the least light needed for safety in your campsite.
Balmorhea State Park
9207 TX-17, Toyahvale, TX 79786
(432) 375-2370 • www.tpwd.texas.gov/balmorhea
PERMANENT HOME, INCLUDING
SEVERAL ENDANGERED SPECIES.
© 2019 TPWD. PWD BR P4501-0002K (7/19)
In accordance with Texas State Depository Law, this publication is available at
the Texas State Publications Clearinghouse and/or Texas Depository Libraries.
TPWD receives funds from the USFWS. TPWD prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, and gender,
pursuant to state and federal law. To request an accommodation or obtain information in an alternative format, please contact TPWD on a Text Telephone
(TTY) at (512) 389-8915 or by Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989 or by email at accessibility@tpwd.texas.gov. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, please contact TPWD, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and
Workforce Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041.
Texas State Parks is a division of the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
B A L M O R H E A
S T A T E
P A R K
HISTORIC LEGACY
LOVED BY HUMANS
The ever-flowing, life-sustaining
waters of San Solomon Springs
continue to fulfill human needs just
as they have for thousands of years.
Big game hunters probably gathered around this system
of springs 11,000 years ago. Notes from the 1583
entrada, led by Spanish explorer Antonio de Espejo,
described encounters with Jumanos, Native Americans
who used water from the springs to irrigate crops such
as maize and beans. In the 1850s, Mexican farmers
continued this practice for their crops of corn, wheat,
beans and potatoes.
By 1854, soldiers stationed at Fort Davis – now a
National Historic Site – forced the Mescalero Apaches
to abandon the area, which encouraged more Mexican
and Anglo settlements. The arrival of the Southern
Pacific Railroad in the 1880s led to the rise of cattle
ranching. The 533-acre Balmorhea Lake was constructed
in 1914 to capture the spring water to irrigate crops.
The heritage and lifeblood of this community are
closely tied to the continual flow of clean water.
COURTESY OF ELSA SOCORRO ARROYO
Artist Feather
Radha’s
depiction of a
Jumano couple
Scientists
continually
monitor water
quality, water
quantity, and
the species that
depend on the
spring water.
B
Restored ciénega at Balmorhea State Park
NICOLAS HAVLIK, TPWD
OURS TO PROTECT
Fifteen-to-twenty million gallons of crystalline water flows
from San Solomon Springs each day – enough to provide
10-minute showers for over 500,000 people! In a desert,
this invaluable resource sustains unique wildlife and human
habitation. Originally a sensitive desert marshland known as
a ciénega, human intervention and development have forever
changed this landscape. Today it is important to protect the
five endangered species, including the last remaining population of Comanche Springs Pupfish. In 1995 and 2009, the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and partners built
two ciénegas in the park which offer great birdwatching and
wildlife viewing opportunities. Please help us keep this park
clean and beautiful for both humans and wildlife.
etween 1935 and 1938, Civilian
Conservation Corps Company 1856
constructed the 1.3-acre spring-fed swimming pool – one of the largest in the world – and
built the San Solomon Motor Courts using local
materials. The CCC was one of many work programs
developed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as
part of his “New Deal” plan to pull America out
of the Great Depression. CCC enrollees received
uniforms, lodging, three hot meals a day, training in
skills such as masonry and carpentry, and $30 a
month ($25 of which would be sent home to their
families). The CCC program helped many men and
their families get back on their feet. Company 1856
also worked on Davis Mountains State Park, Indian
Lodge and other regional projects. Decades later,
with many TPWD-directed restoration projects
completed, the legacy of the Civilian Conservation
Corps proudly stands.
CCC Company 1856 builds the pool
around San Solomon Springs.