Texas Pecos Trail Region

Texas Pecos Trail Region
Newsletter July 2015
TPTR Mission
The Texas Pecos Trail Region develops and
promotes heritage preservation and tourism
throughout the richly diverse
West Texas area.
Inside this Issue:
Pecos Trail Grants
1
Horsehead Crossing & Girvin Tour
2
Travel Itinerary:
World War Two
2
Pecos Trail Partners Event
Jul 16, McCamey
3
News on the Pecos Trail
3
Preservation Spotlight:
Balmorhea State Park
3
Jul Calendar of Events
4
Contact Information
4
TPTR Board of Directors
Bill Hodges (Chair)
Sonora Main Street, Sonora
Peggy Kelton (Secretary)
Upton Cnty Historical Commission, McCamey
Sherry Phillips (Treasurer)
Mayor of McCamey
Ellen Crossland
Mendoza Trail Museum, McCamey
Betty Damron
Crane County Historical Commission, Crane
Pecos Trail Heritage Tourism Grants
The Pecos Trail Region has small grants available for eligible heritage
tourism projects, programs, and events. These grants are designed to
promote public awareness of the history of our region, encourage
community involvement, and enhance the visitor experience.
Grants are up to $1,000 with a 1-to-1 match. Eligible projects include
print materials and publications, exhibit development, website
development, interpretive or way-finding signage, educational programs
for the general public, and workshops to develop heritage tourism.
Types of projects not considered are “bricks and mortar” projects or
capital improvements, operating expenses, advertising exclusively,
political or religious advocacy, or for groups without official status.
An eligible applicant must be a 501(c)(3), 501(c)(6), or government
entity. The project must take place within the Pecos Trail Region (with
few exceptions) and be open to the general public.
We ask that you submit the application at least three months prior to
the event or project start date to allow time for us to review, approve,
and award the grant. We review applications on a case by case basis. For
the current fiscal year please submit application by Aug 31, 2015.
You may download the application and view guidelines at the Partners
page at www.texaspecostrail.com. For questions or assistance call Scott
at (325) 387-3900. You may also request an application emailed to you at
[email protected].
Russell Nowell
Fort Clark Historical Society, Brackettville
Bill Simon
Smart Choice Auto Group, Junction
Jefferson Spilman
Fort Lancaster State Historic Site, Sheffield
Ruben Vargas
Trendy T’s, Midland
Examples of Past
Recipients:
Historic White-Pool House,
Odessa (visitor signage);
Firehouse Gallery, Del Rio
(exhibition).
Tour of Horsehead Crossing and Girvin
On June 20, Peggy Kelton of the
Upton County Historical
Commission (also a Pecos Trail
board member) and rancher
Ernest Woodward led a tour out
to Horsehead Crossing, Girvin
Cemetery, and Girvin School.
About 40 people attended.
During the 19th century Indians,
cattle herders, merchants, and
mail and stage coaches passed
through Horsehead Crossing at
the Pecos River and Castle Gap.
Attendees went to Girvin
School for a chuckwagon lunch.
The building is still used for
occasional social and civic
events in eastern Pecos County.
Travel Itinerary: World War Two
Experience the legacy of vintage aircraft, training bases, and military history!
American Airpower
Heritage Museum
Midland
Rattlesnake Bomber Base
Museum
Monahans
Military heritage exhibits include
fighter planes, flight simulators,
aircraft artifacts, life on the home
front, and the world’s largest
collection of Nose Art.
New location at Million Barrel
Museum includes photos, artifacts,
WWII uniforms, and original base
post office.
Pyote Safety Rest Area
Pyote
Rattlesnake Bomber Base
Site
Pyote
Two locations on either side of I-20
east of Pyote preserves the story
of the Rattlesnake Bomber Base
and WWII bases in West Texas
with interactive exhibits and
panels.
Site of the original bomber
training base and German POW
camp consists of the entrance and
historical marker, just off I-20.
Laughlin Heritage
Foundation Museum
Del Rio
Fort Clark
Brackettville
This well-preserved historic site
once served as training grounds for
Generals George Patton and
Jonathan Wainwright. Old
Guardhouse Museum has some
artifacts from World War Two era.
.
Preserving the heritage of Laughlin
Air Force Base with one-of-a-kind
artifacts, such as the “Dragon
Lady” reconnaissance plane and
pressurized high-altitude suit.
To learn more of these and other heritage tourism attractions in the Pecos Trail Region visit http://texaspecostrail.com.
Pecos Trail Newsletter
Jul 2015
Page 2
Pecos Trail Partners Event —
Jul 16, McCamey
The Texas Pecos Trail
Region will have our next
bi-monthly Partners Event
on July 16, 10 a.m., in
McCamey TX at the Santa
Fe Depot (east U.S. 67).
The public is welcome to attend, and we
encourage those involved in tourism and
heritage preservation.
Guests may visit the depot, park, Mendoza
Trail Museum, and historic Adrian House.
Speakers TBD.
Cost of lunch is $10 per person and will be
collected at the door.
RSVP by Jul 10 to Scott Jordan at (325) 3873900 or [email protected].
We look forward to seeing you there!
News on the Pecos Trail
Fort Clark Springs has
initiated efforts to restore and
re-open Dickman Hall, which
served the military fort 1939-44
and was later used as the guest
ranch headquarters and
restaurant and lounge.
Many communities in the
Pecos Trail Region are having
4th of July celebrations and
parades, including Midland,
Odessa, Monahans, Del Rio,
Junction, Ozona, and others.
The Whitehead Memorial
Museum in Del Rio recently
installed a new exhibit, Flood of
‘98, consisting of newspaper
articles, artifacts, photos, and
documentary video footage.
Preservation Spotlight
San Solomon Springs at Balmorhea State Park gushes forth 23 million
gallons of water a day in southern Reeves County at the foothills of the
Davis Mountains. A favorite campsite for Native Americans for thousands
of years, the Springs attracted Mexican farmers during the 1850s who
diverted water into hand-dug irrigation canals. After 1900, Anglo farmers
arrived and brought in developers Balcum, Moore, and Rhea.
The Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps built the world’s largest
spring-fed swimming pool over the springs and added red-roofed adobe
lodging, a limestone concession building, and two wooden bathhouses.
The park had been deeded in 1934 by private owners and Reeves County
Water Improvement District #1. The park was opened in 1968.
Balmorhea State Park features camping, picnicking, scuba-diving, and a
three-acre desert wetland (cienega) harboring the Comanche Springs
pupfish and the Pecos mosquitofish.
The lobby of the park office includes several photographs of the CCC at
work on what is now Balmorhea State Park.
The pool is open daily throughout the year, maintains a temperature of 72 to 76 degrees, and holds a
variety of aquatic life in its clear waters. Overnight rooms please reserve well in advance. Call (432) 3752370 or visit http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/balmorhea for more details and park info.
Pecos Trail Newsletter
Jul 2015
Page 3
Regional Upcoming Events
Jul
1-31
1-26
3-4
3-4
3-4
3-4
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
9
10-12
10-11
10
11
11
12
16
16
17-18
17
17
18
Event – Location
West Texas Triangle: Ben Woitena — Museum of the
Southwest, Midland
Permian Monsters: Life Before the Dinosaurs — Midland
Centennial Library and Museum of the Southwest,
Midland
4th of July — Fort Clark, Brackettville
Independence Celebration — Downtown and Gutierrez
Amphitheatre, Del Rio
Freedom Celebration — City Park and Hill Country
Fairgrounds, Junction
Summer Mummers — Yucca Theatre, Midland
First Friday Art Walk — Downtown Del Rio
Noches Musicales — Plaza Brown, Del Rio
July 4th Celebration — Pioneer Park, Andrews
Fourth of July Celebration — Shelby Park, Eagle Pass
Star Spangled Salute — Hogan Park, Midand
Freedom Fest — Hill Park, Monahans
Firecracker Fandango — Downtown Odessa
Hot Summer Nights with Cool Music — Noel Heritage
Park, Odessa
Knights of Columbus Fourth of July Celebration —
Town Square, Ozona
Car Showdown & Concert — Location TBD, Pecos
Fourth of July Celebration — Courthouse Square and
Terrell County Convention Center, Sanderson
Summers Off the Patio — Annie Riggs Memorial
Museum, Ft. Stockton
Tall City Blues Fest — Centennial Plaza, Midland
Summer Mummers — Yucca Theatre, Midland
Noches Musicales — Plaza Brown, Del Rio
Montalvo House Market — Montalvo House,
Brackettville
Hot Summer Nights with Cool Music — Noel Heritage
Park, Odessa
Summer Sunday Lawn Concert — Museum of the
Southwest, Midland
Pecos Trail Partners Event — Santa Fe Depot, McCamey
Third Thursday Reading Program — George W. Bush
Childhood Home, Midland
Summer Mummers — Yucca Theatre, Midland
An Evening with Linda Davis, Lang Scott and Bill Whyte
— Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center, Midland/Odessa
Noches Musicales — Plaza Brown, Del Rio
Montalvo House Market — Montalvo House,
Brackettville
Jul
18
18
19
23
24-25
24-25
24
25
25
25
26
31-1
31
Event – Location
Seamus Stout — Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center,
Midland/Odessa
Hot Summer Nights with Cool Music — Noel Heritage
Park, Odessa
Summer Sunday Lawn Concert — Museum of the
Southwest, Midland
Summers Off the Patio — Annie Riggs Memorial
Museum, Ft. Stockton
Summer Mummers — Yucca Theatre, Midland
Butterfield Festival — Ward County Coliseum & Arena,
Monahans
Noches Musicales — Plaza Brown, Del Rio
Pecos Cantaloupe Food Show — West of the Pecos
Museum, Pecos
Night in Old Pecos — Downtown Pecos
Hot Summer Nights with Cool Music — Noel Heritage
Park, Odessa
Summer Sunday Lawn Concert — Museum of the
Southwest, Midland
Summer Mummers — Yucca Theatre, Midland
Noches Musicales — Plaza Brown, Del Rio
For more details on upcoming events, please visit the Events
or Highlights sections at http://texaspecostrail.com.
Statewide Events, Workshops, Etc.
Jul 14
Historical Marker Webinar — Online — The Texas
Historical Commission offers a free online seminar for
promoting heritage tourism through historical markers.
Starts at 2 p.m. Register here.
Sep
20-23
TTIA Texas Travel Summit — San Antonio — Annual
conference for travel and tourism industry professionals
to network and learn about travel trends, marketing and
promotions, best practices, and other topics. Presented
by the Texas Travel Industry Assn. Read more or register
at www.ttia.org.
The Texas Pecos Trail Region Newsletter is scheduled for website publication and
electronic distribution each month.
Texas Pecos Trail Region, P.O. Box 212, Sonora, Texas 76950
Office 325-387-3900
Cell 325-206-2571
Fax 325-387-3977
Email [email protected]
Website http://texaspecostrail.com
Executive Director and newsletter publisher: Scott Jordan
Pecos Trail Newsletter
Jul 2015
Page 4