Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site is a state park in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the 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 ...

. It is located off

U.S. Route 90 U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-lived ...

, east of the

Pecos River High Bridge The Pecos River High Bridge carries the Union Pacific Railroad across the Pecos River gorge and is the second high-level crossing on this site. History The first Pecos River Bridge, designed by SP chief engineer Julius Kruttschnitt, was buil ...

, west of Comstock in Val Verde County. The park is conducive to camping, biking, bird watching, back packing and archeological study. Cave art and archeological artifacts date back to the earliest human habitation in the area. The park is part of the larger Seminole Canyon Archeological District on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site is a site operated by the

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 ...

. It is located off U.S. Route 90 in Val Verde County, and is accessible via Park Road 67. It is adjacent to

Amistad National Recreation Area Amistad National Recreation Area is a national recreation area managed by National Park Service (NPS) that includes the area around the Amistad Reservoir at the confluence of the Rio Grande, the Devils River, and the Pecos River near Del Rio ...

. It is estimated that human habitation of the area began 10,000 years ago, during the

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...

era when

mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks an ...

animals would have also inhabited the area. Vegetation is believed to have been a denser and richer variety to support the life of the area. The erosion that happened over the ages can be seen in some of the area rock walls. Indigenous peoples began to leave cave art evidence of their presence some 2,000–8,000 years ago. Gaspar Castaño de Sosa is believed to have been the first European to arrive in the area, during his 1591 trek up the Rio Grande and along the Pecos River, in his effort to establish Spanish colonization of

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

. During the 19th century the Black Seminole Scouts of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

were stationed to the area, giving the region its name. The Southern Pacific Railroad built into the area in 1882. of the area was named in 1971 as the Seminole Canyon Archeological District on the

National Register of Historic Places listings in Val Verde County, Texas This is a list of the National Register Historic Places in Val Verde County, Texas This is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Val Verde County, Texas. There are seven ...

. In 1985, a boundary increase of was added to the listing in the National Register. The

purchased in two phases. were purchased in 1974, and were purchased in 1977. The park opened in 1980.

Indigenous rock paintings

Rock paintings found in the park are of the Pecos River Style. Tours of the Fate Bell Shelter are conducted for the park by volunteers from the non-profit Rock Art Foundation. Rock Art Foundation requests no guns, alcohol or pets be brought on the tours. Panther Cave can only be viewed either from a distance along a hiking trail, or by boat boarded at the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

dock in Amistad National Recreation Area. The cave derives its name from a painting of a leaping panther. Art in the cave dates back to an estimated 7,000 B.C. The large cat theme figures throughout the art, including humans with cat-ear head adornments Fate Bell Shelter is named for the one-time owner of the land, Mr. Fayette Bell. First excavated in 1932 and later in 1963, the cave art and indigenous artifacts are believed to be some of the oldest in North America. Tours are held Wednesday through Sunday, with limited hours during the hotter weather.

Facilities

Outside the entrance to the Visitors Center is ''The Maker of Peace'', a 17-foot bronze statue created by Texas artist Bill Worrell in 1994. Seminole Canyon State Park and nearby

are conducive to bird watching. Both are habitats for numerous species of canyon, desert, and seed-eating birds. Nine miles of trails lend to hiking and mountain biking. The canyons and Fate Bell Shelter are only accessible on guided tours. The park has a restroom with showers. Campsites range from the very primitive with no conveniences, to some campsites with only water or campsites with both water and electricity. There is also a trailer dump station. Wireless Internet access (Wi-Fi) is available in some areas of this site.

Hours and admission

Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site is open seven days a week. Visitors must pay an entrance fee, and school group tours need to be coordinated in advance.

Gallery

Image:Wind erosion Seminole Canyon.JPG,

Honeycomb weathering Honeycomb weathering, also known as honeycombs, honeycombed sandstone, is a form of cavernous weathering and subcategory of tafoni that consists of regular, tightly adjoining, and commonly patterned cavities that are developed in weathered be ...

in the canyon Image:Seminole Canyon Park7.JPG,

Pictograph A pictogram, also called a pictogramme, pictograph, or simply picto, and in computer usage an icon, is a graphic symbol that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and g ...

in rock shelter Image:Seminole Canyon Park6.JPG, Pictograph of shape shifting bear with antlers Image:Snake Swimming in Pond that is Diminishing Fastly to Evaporation at a Dry Riverbed.jpg, Arid Land Ribbonsnake swimming in canyon riverbed

References

External links

TDPW Seminole Canyon State Park official siteBill Worrell official siteThe Rock Art FoundationMoving images of Seminole Canyon State Park in ''Rock Art of the Lower Pecos''
on the

Texas Archive of the Moving Image The Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) is an independent 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2002 by film archivist and University of Texas at Austin professor Caroline Frick, PhD. TAMI's mission is to preserve, study, and exhibit Texas film h ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seminole Canyon History museums in Texas Protected areas of Val Verde County, Texas State parks of Texas Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Protected areas established in 1980 Texas state historic sites Museums in Val Verde County, Texas National Register of Historic Places in Val Verde County, Texas