Old Tunnel State Park
   HOME
*





Old Tunnel State Park
Old Tunnel State Park is a railroad tunnel of the Fredericksburg and Northern Railway, which ceased operations in 1942. The property came under the care of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and was officially made a state park in 2012. It is located halfway between Fredericksburg and Comfort on Old San Antonio Road. Since the shut down of the railway, the tunnel has become a bat cave, hosting over 3 million Mexican free-tailed bats and 3000 Cave myotis bats. The bats emerge at sunset during the months of May through October, and viewing is open to the public. At 16.1 acres, it is the smallest state park in Texas. See also *List of Texas state historic sites Official historic sites of the state of Texas may be under the supervision of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) or the Texas Historical Commission (THC). ;Key Sites with multiple historic designations are colored according to their ... Citations External links Official Site Texas state historic s ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Kendall County, Texas
Kendall County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2020 census, its population was 44,279. Its county seat is Boerne. The county is named for George Wilkins Kendall, a journalist and Mexican–American War correspondent. Kendall County is part of the San Antonio–New Braunfels, TX metropolitan statistical area. ''Progressive Farmer'' rated Kendall County fifth in its list of the "Best Places to Live in Rural America" in 2006. Kendall, along with Hays and Comal Counties, was listed in 2017 of the nation's 10 fastest-growing large counties with a population of at least 10,000. From 2015 to 2016, Kendall County, the second-fastest-growing county in the nation, grew by 5.16%, gaining 2,088 people in a one-year period.Press Release Number: CB17-44Maricopa County Added Over 222 People Per Day in 2016, More Than Any Other County U.S. Census Bureau, March 23, 2017. History Before 1850 *Early Native American inhabitants included Kiowa, Comanc ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. The United States is also in free association with three Pacific Island sovereign states: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. It is the world's third-largest country by both land and total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With a population of over 333 million, it is the most populous country in the Americas and the third most populous in the world. The national capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. and its most populous city and principal financial center is New York City. Paleo-Americ ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg (german: Friedrichsberg) is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, this city had a population of 10,530. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. Old-time German residents often referred to Fredericksburg as Fritztown, a nickname that is still used in some businesses. It is approximately eighty miles west from Greater Austin. This city is also notable as the home of Texas German, a dialect spoken by the first generations of German settlers who initially refused to learn English. Fredericksburg shares many cultural characteristics with New Braunfels, which had been established by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels the previous year. Fredericksburg is the birthplace of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz. It is the sister city of Montabaur, Germany. On October 14, 1970, the Fredericksburg Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas. Geography Fredericksburg ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Comfort, Texas
Comfort is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kendall County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 2,363. Comfort was founded by German emigrants on the western end of the Texas-German belt. Many residents of the town today are descendants of those same Germans. Comfort is known for its German Heritage and large ranches outside of town. History Comfort was established in 1854 by German immigrants, who were Freethinkers and abolitionists. Ernst Hermann Altgelt, at the age of 22, is credited with surveying and measuring the lots that would later be sold to the incoming German immigrants. He stayed and married Emma (Murck) Altgelt, and they raised their nine children in the township of Comfort. Fritz and Betty Holekamp built the first house in Comfort, having started construction before Comfort's official founding on September 3, 1854. The first churches were not established in Comfort until 1900. After some controversy ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by both List of U.S. states and territories by area, area (after Alaska) and List of U.S. states and territories by population, population (after California). Texas shares borders with the states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, states of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south and southwest; and has a coastline with the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast. Houston is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas and the List of United States cities by population, fourth-largest in the U.S., while San Antonio is the second most pop ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Texas Parks And Wildlife Department
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats. In addition, the agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas. Its mission is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The agency maintains its headquarters at 4200 Smith School Road in Austin. History In 1895, the Texas Legislature created the Fish and Oyster Commission to regulate fishing. The legislature added the Game Department to the commission in 1907. The Legislature created the State Parks Board as a separate entity in 1923. In 1963, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was formed through merger of the State Parks Board and the Game and Fish Commission. In 1983, the Texas legislature passed the Wildlife Conservation Act, giving the department the authority ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Fredericksburg And Northern Railway
The Fredericksburg and Northern Railway was a connector line between Fredericksburg, Texas, and the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway. It operated under that name from 1917 until 1942. From 1913 to 1917, it was operated as the San Antonio, Fredericksburg and Northern Railway. History After the Civil War (United States), Civil War, Fredericksburg wanted to connect to the existing San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway for a speedier method of delivering their products to the San Antonio marketplace. After the disappointment of the SA&AP building a connector line only as far as Kerrville, Texas, Kerrville, businessmen in Fredericksburg began to formulate a plan to raise capital to build a line connecting with the SA&AP. $30,000 in capital stock was issued. An additional $200,000 cash was raised to pay the contractor to build the line. In 1913, the San Antonio, Fredericksburg and Northern Railway Company was chartered. While building the line, a 920 foot (280m) long tunnel was chosen ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Mexican Free-tailed Bat
The Mexican free-tailed bat or Brazilian free-tailed bat (''Tadarida brasiliensis'') is a medium-sized bat native to the Americas, so named because its tail can be almost half its total length and is not attached to its uropatagium. It has been claimed to have the fastest horizontal speed of any animal, reaching top ground speeds over . It also flies the highest among bats, at altitudes around . It is regarded as one of the most abundant mammals in North America. Its proclivity towards roosting in huge numbers at relatively few locations makes it vulnerable to habitat destruction in spite of its abundance. For instance, up to 1.5 million bats reside under just one bridge in Austin. The Texas Legislature designated the Mexican free-tailed bat the state mammal (flying) in 1995. The bat is considered a species of special concern in California as a result of declining populations. Taxonomy The Mexican free-tailed bat was described as a new species in 1824 by French zoologist Isi ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


Cave Myotis
The cave myotis (''Myotis velifer'') is a species of vesper bat (''Vespertilionidae'') in the genus ''Mouse-eared bat, Myotis''. Description It is larger than most other bats in the ''Myotis'' group, with a forearm of . The bat is brown with short ears, and can be distinguished from other large ''Myotis'' by a bare patch of skin on its back. Male bats are smaller than females. Distribution and habitat It is usually found in caves, although it has been known to inhabit mines and buildings. The largest populations are in southwest Kansas and in Mexico. Groups of over a thousand have been recorded on the ceilings of caves during winter hibernation. Diet and behavior The cave myotis is insectivorous, primarily feeding on moths. To capture prey it uses echolocation, typically hunting one or two hours after sunset. Due to their larger size and well-adapted wings, the cave myotis may forage further from their roost than other "myotis" bats. When insect populations are low in spring ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

List Of Texas State Historic Sites
Official historic sites of the state of Texas may be under the supervision of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) or the Texas Historical Commission (THC). ;Key Sites with multiple historic designations are colored according to their highest designation within the following hierarchy. {, class="wikitable sortable" , - !scope="col", Historic site !scope="col" class="unsortable", Image !scope="col" class="unsortable", Location !scope="col", Nearest city !scope="col", County !scope="col" class="unsortable" style="width:0", Coordinates !scope="col" style="width:0", Supervising agency !scope="col" class="unsortable", Notes , - , Acton State Historic Site , , Farm to Market Road 167, FM 167 , Acton, Texas, Acton , Hood County, Texas, Hood , , THC , , - , , USS Texas (BB-35), Battleship Texas State Historic Site⁕ , c:Battleship Texas State Historic Site, More images , 3523 Independence Pkwy S. , LaPorte, Texas, LaPorte , Harris County, Texas, Harris , , TPWD ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Texas State Historic Sites
Official historic sites of the state of Texas may be under the supervision of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) or the Texas Historical Commission (THC). ;Key Sites with multiple historic designations are colored according to their highest designation within the following hierarchy. {, class="wikitable sortable" , - !scope="col", Historic site !scope="col" class="unsortable", Image !scope="col" class="unsortable", Location !scope="col", Nearest city !scope="col", County !scope="col" class="unsortable" style="width:0", Coordinates !scope="col" style="width:0", Supervising agency !scope="col" class="unsortable", Notes , - , Acton State Historic Site , , FM 167 , Acton , Hood , , THC , , - , , Battleship Texas State Historic Site⁕ , More images , 3523 Independence Pkwy S. , LaPorte , Harris , , TPWD , , - , , Caddo Mounds State Historic Site , More images , 1649 W. SH 21 , Alto , Cherokee , , THC , , - , , Casa Navarro State Historic Sit ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]  


picture info

Protected Areas Of Gillespie County, Texas
Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although the mechanisms for providing protection vary widely, the basic meaning of the term remains the same. This is illustrated by an explanation found in a manual on electrical wiring: Some kind of protection is a characteristic of all life, as living things have evolved at least some protective mechanisms to counter damaging environmental phenomena, such as ultraviolet light. Biological membranes such as bark on trees and skin on animals offer protection from various threats, with skin playing a key role in protecting organisms against pathogens and excessive water loss. Additional structures like scales and hair offer further protection from the elements and from predators, with some animals having features such as spines or camouflage servin ...
[...More Info...]      
[...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]