LIFE
T rai l d r i v e
BACK BEFORE TIME In 2016, volunteers at Caddo Mound helped build a replica of a large beehive-shaped grass house used by early Texans. Destroyed by a tornado in 2019, volunteers hope to contstruct another hut soon. | Courtesy Troy Myatt
DON’T MISS
Historic Treasures of Ancient Texas by Dolores Mosser
T
exas has an impressive collection of historic properties and sites that offer a glimpse into how ancient Texans lived. The brightest “jewels” in this preservation treasure chest–Hueco Tanks, Seminole Canyon, Caddo Mounds, and Mission Dolores–go far back in time. An estimated 18 million indigenous peoples lived throughout North America before the arrival of Europeans. In Central Texas, human timelines date back at least 15,000 years. Their lifeways were determined by the environment, food resources, trade, and warfare. Ancient people were resourceful, spiritual, and artistic. Hueco (pronounced Wa-co) Tanks State Park and Historic Site is located 32 miles east of El Paso in El Paso County. Hueco, or hollows in Spanish, are geological rock depressions capable of collecting rainwater. Overtime, the “tanks” attracted sojourners from Folsom man to military troops of the 1860s.
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AUTHENTIC TEXAS
Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site 6900 Hueco Tanks Road No. 1, El Paso, TX 79938 (915) 857-1135
Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site P.O. Box 820 Comstock, TX 78837 (Nine miles west of Comstock on U.S. 90) (432) 292-4464
Caddo Mounds State Historic Site 1649 State Highway 21 West, Alto, TX 75925 (936) 858-3218
Mission Dolores State Historic Site
701 S. Broadway St. San Augustine, TX 75972 (936) 275-3815 Call to reserve a campsite.
