Designations
Basin junction, 1930s. From 1933 until the national park was formally established in June, 1944, Big Bend was a Texas state park.
NPS/Big Bend National Park
In 1933, the state of Texas established Texas Canyons State Park, using 15 school sections owned by the state. Lands forfeited for non payment of taxes were quickly added and the name was changed. By October 27, 1933, Big Bend State Park included about 160,000 acres. In 1935, on June 20, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill that authorized the establishment of Big Bend National Park. On June 6, 1944 a deed for about 700,000 acres was formally presented to President Roosevelt and Big Bend was established June 12, 1944 as a National Park by Congressional Act signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976.
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Did You Know?
The tunnel two miles north of Rio Grande Village in Big Bend National Park was built in 1959 to reroute traffic away from a stretch of road known as "Dead Man Curve." This was the first highway tunnel built in the state of Texas. More...