We've had a great visit and are on our way --- it's only noon. Who needs bright, early starts? Apparently, not us. We've decided to play in Big Spring for a bit - a little bit of cool architecture along the way. First up: The Municipal Building. It holds over 1400 people for events and I love the double towers.
As we enter, I do gather some information to share (lots in this post, honest): "The Clovis culture is considered to be the ancestors of many of the indigenous tribes on the Great Plains. They are best known for their technology to construct a complex and more efficient projective point, the Clovis Point. Such points have been found in the vicinity of the spring site and suggest a culture that was at or near the site as many as 12,000 years ago. Folsom and Midland projective points which are almost as old as the Clovis points have also been found nearby. A huge variety of other projectile points, spanning thousands of years of cultural classifications, have been found at or around the spring demonstrating that the site was an important area for the ancient cultures inhabiting the area." Now, who else took some time figuring out what that was about. My whole life they were arrows and arrowheads - not projectiles and projectile points. On we go.
"The importance of Spanish influence in the areas surrounding the spring cannot be overlooked. Through exploration and trade, the Spaniards played an integral part in the development of culture in Texas and the Southwest. The Spanish first introduced the horse to the plains, and in doing so inadvertently helped form the Great Horse Culture of the Plains. Tribes that once roamed very limited distances by foot now could travel with speed over great distances on the backs of their mustangs. The Spanish brought cattle with them when they first arrived. Many of these escaped and evolved into the massive herds of wild longhorn that roamed the Texas badlands and were later driven north on the famous cattle drives. Pigs escaped Spanish settlements and quickly evolved into huge feral hog populations that still roam Texas. The Spanish introduced bronze, copper, and iron metals, which the native populations soon learned to fabricate into tools and weapons. Beads, trinkets and other jewelry were prized among the Plains Tribes, and tremendously long trade routes formed with the goal of exchanging these valuables. The Spanish language was relatively easy to learn, and many of the tribes of the region spoke Spanish almost as smoothly as their native tongue." Well, now we know who to blame for the dang hogs.
"The Big Spring flows from a small aquifer deep within the soils. Imagine a tilted bowl with a chip in the upper edge. As that bowl fills, the water is contained until reaches the chip, then the water spills out. The spring site is very similar. The aquifer it flows from is relatively small, with it's sides formed roughly by the surrounding hills. The interior is filled with porous limestone and sands from the Cretaceous periods which existed from 79 million to 145 million years ago. For millions of years, rainfall and groundwater would fill this bowl, or aquifer, and the spring would flow freely to the surface. When man arrived and began drilling water wells and pumping water out of the aquifer, nature could not replace it fast enough and the spring ceased to flow. In 1880, a survey conducted by the Texas and Pacific Railroad estimated that approximately 100,000 gallons of water per day were flowing from the spring. Today, during years with above average rainfall, the spring still flows but at a much smaller rate. Long before man arrived, the tall grasses of the Southern Great Plains supported huge numbers of mammals, many of which are now extinct. The spring and surrounding grasslands support the giant armadillo, the four-horned antelope, giant anteaters, immense ground sloths, the ancient horse, and miniature camels. The bones of mastodon and mammoth have been found near the spring. These giant relatives of the modern day elephant needed large amounts of water to rehydrate, and rarely strayed too far from dependable water sources. Great predators such as dire wolves and saber-tooth tigers preyed on the herd animals, and their remains have been found nearby." Go Google some of those animals -- I know I did.
"During the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the indigenous Pueblo tribe of the Santa Fe area killed over 400 Spanish colonials, driving the remainder of them out of Northern New Mexico. During the panic to leave, the Spaniards left behind or released thousands of their horses onto the Southern Great Plains. About the same time, a group of Native Americans speaking a Shoshone dialect moved out of the lands of present day Wyoming and Idaho and onto the plains. This tribe of hunter-gatherers soon discovered the horse, and one of the great symbiotic relationships between humans and animals was formed and forever changed the history of what would become Texas. The great Comanche Nation, covered a huge region, larger than all of New England. It's existence and importance to the regions of Texas cannot be overstated. The Comanche kept the French from moving north from their territories in Mexico and the Gulf Coast. The Spaniards realized that they could not defeat the Comanche in battle, and instead tired with some limited success to develop trade routes across the region, opting for peace instead of war. Mexico, tired of having their settlers driven from their northern territory of Texas, instead encouraged Americans and other Europeans to settle their frontier for them, setting up the inevitable drive for Texas independence by those same settlers. No other force halted the expansion of America into the American West, and yet the Comanche not only halted expansion for 40 years, but actually pushed back settlements as panicked emigrants and settlers left the Texas prairies in scores, abandoning their farms and ranches because of Comanche raids, often conducted at night under the famed "Comanche Moon". The western heart of the tribe was the spring. The big spring was documents as one of the most important sites for the entire Comanche Nation, where generations met to form the Great Comanche War Trail which branched off to the south and west for their raids into Mexico, north to the edge of the caprock and the safety of the Llano Estacado, northeast to fertile hunting grounds in present day Oklahoma, and east for raids on the settlements of central Texas. From the spring site, the Comanche ruled for 200 years without rivals."
"On April 5th, Captain Randolph B. Marcy left Ft. Smith, Arkansas with 75 dragoons of the United States 5th Infantry, accompanying approximately 2,000 settlers bound for California via Santa Fe, New Mexico. On his return trip to Ft. Smith, Marcy was ordered to go via El Paso and scout a possible southern route for emigrants heading to the California gold fields. Guided by a Comanche scout named Manuel, Marcy set forth from El Paso across the dry, dangerous and unknown lands of wester Texas. Noting the extreme scarcity of a dependable water source, one of Marcy's scouts spoke of a large and very dependable water source east of the plains of sand and near the mouth of a large river. The scout spoke of a tremendous battle at the spring site a few years before between elements of the Pawnee and Comanche in which his brother had been killed. He told March that water always could be found there, In the following years, thousands of emigrants bound for California traveled on 'Marcy's Road', often suing the spring as the last dependable water until they reached the Pecos River, some one hundred fourteen miles away."
At this point we are halfway through the installation and the Big Spring lays ahead. There is a large totem and a sign that reads, in part, "You are standing at the center point of this stage and the entire site radiates around this point and the totem in front of you. Its centricity is symbolic of the historical importance of the spring. For thousands of years, this spring was the only truly dependable water source for almost a 100-mile radius." If you enlarge the picture and zoom in, you can see the names upon the totem.
"This site is the quintessential story of the American West. The native tribes, the explorers, the cattlemen, bandits, military expeditions, battles, and grand stories of survival took place here. The names represented on this totem before you are just a few of the great men and women who have lived, visited, and sometimes died at this location."Now, down the walkway and the spring lays ahead.
With the Comanche Trail Lake starting from it --
"In the 1850s, the United States government, anxious to flood the western half of the continent with it's citizens, looked for the fastest and most dependable way in which to move large numbers of people, livestock, and materials to the Pacific coast. The railroad was a relatively new method of transportation, with the first train tracks not arriving in Texas until 1852. Capitalists and politicians knew that the lands west of the Mississippi were ripe for rail development. Rail lines sprouted up all across the eastern part of the nation, all aiming for the final destination of California. With the onset of the Civil War, the expansion of the rail lines halted. After the war was over in 1865, various ventures began once again exploring ways to make their route the fastest, safest, and most dependable way west. Texas was lagging behind in rail development, and only approximately 500 miles of track existed in the state in 1870." By 1881, that had all changed. "As the rail lines aided western expansion during the later part of the 19th century, the town of Big Spring grew up on the flats immediately surrounding the spring and it's tributary. "
"Some of the earliest explorations of the region noted the enormous possibilities for raising cattle. While some saw nothing but a treeless prairie, others saw vast expanses of pasture grass that was perfect for cattle. Many of the emigrants passing through the region noted that the grasses on the open prairie were often 'stirrup high' on the horses, completely obscuring the belly of a pony. Cattlemen realized that the same grasses that nourished the millions of buffalo would also be perfect for raising cattle. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of wild longhorn cattle already roamed regions south of the spring and gathering and driving these cattle north to the rail could prove to be a dangerous but profitable venture. Later, with the many regular droughts and the day to day hardships of ranching in a desolate region, most of the massive ranches soon disappeared from the Big Spring area. To those who still owned land, cattle and farming gave way to something much more profitable - oil." Yep, and that's what you see now in this area ---- oil and wind generators, minimal prairie grasses.
" The city of Big Spring has long been known as the 'Crossroads of West Texas' due to the numerous trails that radiated out from the spring site. Many of those ancient trails are now roads, highways, or rail lines. Those trail intersections allowed Big Spring to be the largest community in West Texas for many years during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, Big Spring is an energy and ranching center on the eastern edge of one of the world's most important oil fields: the Permian Basin. The present economy is based in manufacturing, oil field service, exploration, and fuel refinery. Diversified energy sources such as wind-turbine fields have changed the landscape of the surrounding countryside." WELL, Kelly, that was so much more than you led me to believe we'd find here.
I've also discovered purple prickly pear --- that's new to me too!
The Main Crater can be entered and is walkable. Well, alrighty then.
An extremely fine powdered rock formed in sandstone by the shock waves of meteorite impact. It has appearance and texture of talc. It occurs only in large meteor craters when each of the sand grains is shattered into microscopic particles. Tons of this rock flour remain in place beneath the crater at about 100' below the surface.
A massive limestone formation that once lied 22' below the level of the plain is visible. The huge force of the meteorite impact lifted parts of it 50' above it's original position and in doing so, was shoved laterally and folded back.Crater Number 2 is much smaller - 17' deep and 70' in diameter. An estimated 6 tons of meteorites were found in the earth under this crater.
Inside for a potty break and more information. Look at the size of this meteorite, which was discovered here. This small piece weighs 70 pounds. Imagine getting hit with one of these.
We have one more stop today before heading to our little nest for the night. The Monahan Sandhills State Park. Sand, sand everywhere as we drive in.
Following the road towards the dunes, we finally arrive at the office and purchase our admittance. I think a State Park Pass is in the future. Love how the direction I'm pointing changes the color of the sand with sunlight.
It almost looks like craters of the moon. Yep, we're filling our shoes quite nicely.
Right around the corner is Mario's Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar. If that sounds odd to you in Crane, TX. You'd be right. It just opened a short time ago and, although the place is VERY busy (the picture was taken before business hours), it's waaaay more Chinese than Japanese. However, we didn't try the sushi. So there is that.That's all for today folks. Here is map of our daily travels. We've had a great day and are so looking forward to the rest of our "nature vacation". We just know there are some amazing things in store. See you tomorrow.
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