[Transcript]

Origins of Route 62

Now, how did a national park end up way out here? Great question. Even up to the 1920s, there was no road connecting the cities of El Paso, Texas and Carlsbad, New Mexico.

But with automobiles becoming more popular, locals saw the value of a road skirting south of the Guadalupe Mountains, which might entice tourists to visit the area. 

So in 1929, the road between El Paso and Carlsbad was completed and would later be designated Route 62.

That's the road we're driving on now. Right away, there was talk of a national park.

Early National Park Efforts

Nearby Carlsbad Caverns, which is located within the Guadalupe Mountains, was already a national monument.

Locals proposed enlarging the park to encompass all of the Guadalupe Mountains and the cavern as one big park.

But in 1930, Carlsbad Caverns was re-designated a national park all by itself, without the majority of the mountain range.

JC Hunter’s Vision

But the mountains would get another shot at national park glory, and it boiled down to the generosity of two big landowners.

One was a Texas judge named Jesse Coleman Hunter, or JC for short. In a state known for its big hats, JC sure wore a lot of them.

He first moved to the Trans-Pecos in 1911 when he became the school superintendent in the town of Van Horn.

He went on to become the county treasurer, county judge, a banker, and the mayor of Abilene.

Oh, and he also made a lot of money with the oil and gas boom of the 1920s. 

It was during his search for oil that JC first encountered the Guadalupe Mountains.

He didn't find any oil here, but what he did find was a new favorite place. JC loved the mountains so much, he purchased thousands of acres of land. 

Rather than establish a traditional ranch with grazing cattle, he established a hunting ranch, which would leave a light footprint on the land.

Wallace Pratt’s Legacy

The other big landowner in question was Wallace Pratt. Wallace started with humble beginnings on a Kansas farm. 

With $142 pinned to his shirt, he left the farm and attended the University of Kansas, where he became fascinated with geology and hopefully found a wallet because who pins money to their clothing?

That fascination led him to become the first petroleum geologist for the Humble Oil Company.

Today, you know the company as ExxonMobil. Wallace's interest in the Guadalupe Mountains began in the 1920s when someone told him it was the prettiest spot in Texas. 

So he took his Model T and drove it 100 miles to see for himself. Well, apparently he agreed, because he too began buying up land, mostly in and around McKittrick Canyon, in what's today the northeastern part of the park. He built not just one, but two homes on his land. 

First, he built a stone cabin inside the canyon, which served as a summer home.

Then, after his first wife Pearl died, he and his second wife Iris designed a ranch house at the foot of the mountains.

They lived here together for 15 years, with no phone and the nearest post office 60 miles away.

Towards a National Park

So, by the mid-20th century, the land that was to become Guadalupe Mountains National Park was locked up by two men.

Let's take a quick break and learn down the road how this land became not just a national park, but a new kind of national park.

Ready to take the tour? Check out Shaka Guide's Guadalupe Mountains National Park Tour!

We hope that we’ve given you all the information you need to make the most of your day. Your vacation is extremely important to us so if you have any questions feel free to reach out at aloha@shakaguide.com.

For more detailed information to help you plan, check out our Guadalupe Mountains National Park Itinerary and Know Before You Go article.