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Hueco Tanks State
Historic Site |
Hueco Tanks State Historic Site
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6900 Hueco Tanks Road No 1
El Paso TX 79938
915/857-1135
For the protection of natural and cultural resources at the park, visitation is
limited. Special reservation and entry restrictions are required at this park.
Please contact the park or park information (1-800-792-1112-Option 3) for
details.
History: Hueco Tanks State Historic Site, is located 32 miles northeast of El
Paso in El Paso County. It was obtained from the county by special deed on June
12, 1969, and by purchase of 121 additional acres on August 10, 1970. This site
was opened to the public in May of 1970. This 860.3-acre park is named for the
large natural rock basins or "huecos" that have furnished a supply of trapped
rain water to dwellers and travelers in this arid region of west Texas for
millennia.
A unique legacy of lively and fantastic rock paintings greets the visitor at the
"tanks." From Archaic hunters and foragers of thousands of years ago to
relatively recent Mescalero Apaches, Native Americans have drawn strange
mythological designs and human and animal figures on the rocks of the area. The
site's notable pictographs also include more than 200 face designs or "masks"
left by the prehistoric Jornada Mogollon culture. Hueco Tanks was the site of
the last Indian battle in the county. Apaches, Kiowas, and earlier Indian groups
camped here and left behind pictographs telling of their adventures. These tanks
served as watering places for the Butterfield Overland Mail Route.
Activities: The site includes a historic ranch house that serves as the park's
interpretive center, and ruins of a stagecoach station. Activities include
picnicking, camping, hiking, rock climbing, birding, nature study, viewing of
prehistoric and historic pictographs, stargazing, slide shows, and guided tours. |
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