Ancient Native American pictographs are part of the US National Register Hot Springs National Register Historic District in Big Bend National Park, Texas.
Walk along the Hot Springs Trail and look up along the cliffs to see pictographs of red ochre that were left behind eons ago by ancient peoples.
Two interpretive signs reads as follows:
"PICTOGRAPHS
Look for red pictographs high on the cliff face. Accurately interpreting designs such as these is impossible, bur we can assume that some figures has symbolic meaning, perhaps representing legends and stories concerning the origin of the people who made the images, or relating to their spiritual life. Some figures may simply represent every day objects with which the artist was familiar.
How will 20th century art be interpreted in the distant future?"
"ROCK ART AT HOT SPRINGS
When J.O. Langford homesteaded this section in 1909, he was moving into an area that had long been inhabited by Native Americans. Walk this trail to view pictographs and petroglyphs created by prehistoric people hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Do not touch any of the surfaces containing rock art: the natral oils on your hands will cause the images to decay.
PICTOGRAPHS are images painted onto rock.
PETROGLYPHS are images carved or pecked into rick
Numerous red pictographs decorate the cliff face. The red coloring is a pigment made from hematite, called "red ocher". Cinnabar, or mercury ore, was also used in this area to produce a maroon pigment. Pigments were usually mixed with a binder of blood, egg, or animal fat, which made the pigment adhere to the rock surface."
From the National Park Service: (
visit link)
"Hot Springs Historic District
The Hot Springs Historic District preserves a rich history of human occupation from thousands of years ago to the not-so-distant past. Visitors can study rock art left behind on the limestone cliffs, picture farms of corn, squash, and beans along the river's floodplain, or imagine what it would have been like to meet at the Hot Springs Post Office in the early 1900s to collect your mail each Monday.
Hot Springs Historic Post Office
A Homesteaders Story
During the early 1900s, the motto was "Go West Young Man." In 1909, J.O. Langford heeded this call and headed for West Texas with his family. He came to the area to regain his health. As a child, living in Mississippi, he contracted malaria and reoccurring bouts with this disease ravaged his body. In the lobby of a hotel in Alpine, Texas, he heard tales of a spring that would cure anything:
"Stomach trouble, rheumatism, all sorts of skin diseases," the old man vowed. "I wonder why it is that I've never heard of those springs before. It looks like somebody would have tried to develop them like they've done at Hot Springs, Arkansas," the Mississippian replied. "Nothing down there but rattlesnakes and bandit Mexicans. And it's too far away---that damned country promises more and gives less than any place I ever saw," the old man replied.
After verifying the story with other townspeople, and without even looking at the land, J.O. knew he had to have that spring. He rushed to the county surveyor's office and filed his claim under the Homestead Act. Two weeks later the Langford family received word that the claim was theirs.
The Homestead Act stated that one had to have 3 years of continuous occupancy and $300 in improvements to the land in addition to a minimum bid of $1.50 per acre. Others had filed on this land but no one had been able to meet the requirements of the Act.
With his wife, Bessie, an 18 month old daughter, and a baby on the way, the family began an eleven day journey to reach their new home. Today, the trip from Alpine takes about 2 hours. Upon their arrival, the Langfords discovered Cleofas Natividad, his wife, and their ten children living and farming on their land. At first the Langfords pondered what to do about these "squatters." Then, they realized that this land had probably been home to this family for generations. Cleofas turned out to be the best neighbor anyone could have asked for, always there to help in a time of need.
Once J.O. had regained his health by taking a 21 day treatment of bathing and drinking the spring water, he opened the springs to other bathers. The cost was 10 cents per day or $2.00 for the whole 21 day treatment. In addition to running the bathhouse, he became a schoolteacher, a self taught doctor, and a postman.
The Hot Springs was more than just a place to restore health; it was also a meeting place for people from all walks of life, from both sides of the river. It was a prelude to the tourism that would come with the establishment of Big Bend National Park.
Today, visitors can take a walk back in time with a visit the Hot Springs Historic District. Pictographs are visible along the cliff wall, and several of the buildings have been preserved. You can also soak in the 105°F water that bubbles up from a hole in the old foundation of the bathhouse.
A Hot Springs Guidebook is available for a nominal fee at the Hot Springs trailhead."