• Sierra del Carmen

    Big Bend

    National Park Texas

Historic Photos

Natt N. Dodge Photographs
Natt Dodge, a park service biologist, visited the Big Bend a number of times between 1944 and 1949, and took a number of photographs while he was here. These color images provide a glimpse of the appearance and condition of Big Bend in its early years as a National Park.

All photographs by Natt N. Dodge, courtesy of the National Park Service Historic Photograph Collection.
 
Civilian Conservation Corps
From 1934-37 and 1940-42, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) operated a camp in the Chisos Basin, developing facilities for the future national park. These photographs capture the life and work of the men who served in the camp.
 

Robert T. Hill Photographs, 1899
In October 1899, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) geologist Robert T. Hill led a six man expedition to explore and document the canyons of the Rio Grande. Hill's photographs capture Big Bend just before the twentieth century.

All photos are in the collection of the U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library.

 

Did You Know?

Scene of swampy jungle depicting flora and fauna during the Eocene period

Swamps covered the area of Big Bend National Park when it emerged from the sea 70 million years ago. Fossils from the muds and clays of these swamps tell about the last days of the dinosaurs.