It's the easiest thing in the world to journey to Big Bend and come home utterly astounded by the natural beauty of the wild Chihuahuan desert, the rushing river, the rugged mountains, the delicate hidden waterfalls, the bizarre wildlife . . .
But knowing a bit of the history of the area brings a dimension to the Big Bend that will make it HAUNT you for the rest of your life. That will continually call you back to it, again and again.
The area was truly the last great American frontier. When, in the rest of the US, Roosevelt was in office, Frank Lloyd Wright was building, and the Model T was all the rage, in Big Bend country Indians were making raids on local ranchers, bandits were robbing banks and kidnapping locals, shootouts in bars were commonplace, and treasure was being buried.
The place is rife with legends and ghosts, and it FEELS LIKE IT. Standing out in the pungent desert at night, gazing toward the rugged Chisos Mountains, one can almost feel the restless ghosts of the Apache, Commanche, and Chisos Indians who were slaughtered there. At Cattail Falls after sunset, one can almost hear the moaning of the young Mexican girl who drowned herself there rather than be raped by bandits. At San Vicente on the Rio Grande, one can almost see the devil-worshipping bank robber heading towards the Chisos Mountains to hide his gold in a cave and summon a demon to protect it forever.
The mid 1900s brought more ranchers, which meant more eclectic characters. Bobcat Carter lived at the Permisson Gap entrance to the Big Bend National Park, devoutly preaching to all that, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness. A true gentleman should bathe at least once every seven years. I do!" It is said that you could smell him a mile away. He ate skunk stew and poisoned prairie dog villages for a living. He would turn back flips along the road to stop visitors for a chat. It is said that when he was taken to the hospital in Alpine after 10 centuries of life on earth, it was the bath they gave him that killed him.
Hallie Stillwell, a Texas legend, lived to the age of 100 in these mountains. After the death of her husband, she operated a massive ranch, served as Justice of the Peace, as a newspaper journalist, and as a traveling lecturer. She came to the Big Bend country in a covered wagon and watched a century march before her.
There are numerous books dense with captivating folklore and history of this region. Most can be obtained at Texas libraries, or online through Amazon. Anything by Elton Miles (Tales of the Big Bend, More Tales of the Big Bend, and Stray Tales of the Big Bend) are all excellent. Hallie Stillwell's autobiography I'll Gather My Geese is superb. Hallie Stillwell and Virginia Madison's How Come It's Called That? is another gem. These books can also be purchased from virtually any local hotel or gift shop, and at the ranger stations in the park.
Please, don't limit your trip to Big Bend to merely spectacular. Elevate it to STELLAR by doing a bit of reading. It changes the mountains, deserts, waterfalls, rivers, and canyons from stark to bursting with life.