• Sierra del Carmen

    Big Bend

    National Park Texas

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  • PANTHER JUNCTION VISITOR CENTER TEMPORARY CLOSURE

    The Panther Junction Visitor Center will be closed Tuesday May 28 and Wednesday May 29 for needed maintenance. Information, backcountry permits, and entrance fee payments can be taken care of at the Chisos Basin Visitor Center.

Castolon

Historic Remnant at Castolon
Historic Boiler on Display at Castolon
NPS Photo/Cookie Ballou
 
1938 postmark from the Castolon post office

1938 postmark from the Castolon post office.

NPS/Big Bend National Park

For most people, the Castolon area is a place to stop on the way to the spectacular Santa Elena Canyon. But for those who take the time, it can be a great place to explore the human history of Big Bend. Castolon is certainly not the only area in the park that is historically significant, but it is perhaps the most intact. A trip to Castolon is, in many ways, a journey back in time, albeit to a time not too long ago. Castolon’s history is really not that “old”—farming and ranching continued in the area until 1961. The Castolon Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 

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Did You Know?

Riders on the South Rim, 1945

Many of the hiking trails in the High Chisos were originally established as stock trails to move livestock in and out of the mountains prior to the establishment of the park. These former ranching trails include the Blue Creek Canyon trail, and portions of the South Rim trail.