GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS An Administrative History

CHAPTER VIII: DEVELOPMENT OF THE PARK (continued)

McKittrick Canyon

Prior to 1978, the only entrance to McKittrick Canyon was through a private ranch road. The road was closed by a locked gate, and visitors checked out a key through park headquarters at Frijole. Because the owner of the ranch limited the number of vehicles traveling the road each day, park managers instituted an alternative system, transporting visitors to and from the mouth of the canyon by Park Service van on a scheduled basis. The only facilities available to visitors to the canyon were restrooms and picnic tables. After the federal government acquired the right-of-way for a permanent access road, development of the area began. [12]

As at Pine Springs, development in McKittrick Canyon also began with a search for water. In 1976, drillers completed a 71-foot well that pump-tested at 10 gallons per minute, an adequate supply for the planned visitor contact station. Early in 1977, Borsberry Construction of El Paso began the first phase of construction of the new access road to the canyon. During that year the Texas highway department completed the intersection of the park access road and Highway 62/180. In July 1978, Armstrong and Armstrong of Roswell completed the second phase of the road construction. The total cost for road construction was $922,900, with an additional $78,000 for guard rails. To handle the anticipated increase in visitors to McKittrick Canyon, park managers moved a small camping-type trailer to the mouth of the canyon to serve as a contact station (see Figure 24). [13]

In 1979 officials of the Park Service negotiated an 8(a) contract for the construction of the contact station at McKittrick Canyon. The Small Business Administration designated Designs by Oliver of El Paso as the sub-contractor; the amount of the contract was $383,630. Construction began in February 1980 and was scheduled for completion by December 4. In July, already frustrated by delays, the plumbing contractor walked off the job. By the end of the year construction was still incomplete. In his annual report a year later, Dunmire's comments relating to the construction project in McKittrick Canyon were less cryptic than those relating to construction at the residential area. Noting that the scheduled completion date was more than a year past, he reported that the project had been turned over to the bonding company. The most serious problem was the roof, which, because of improper installation, was deteriorating under wind vibration. Inspectors also found rock debris in the water lines, as well as other lesser problems. Six months later negotiations by the Park Service with the bonding company and Designs by Oliver remained deadlocked. Finally, in October the bonding company took over the project and brought in another contractor, who began repairs to the building and roof. The contractor finished in time for the contact station to open on November 6, 1982, the date of the park's 10th anniversary celebration. The new contact station, designed to be operated with or without a staff person, included office and information space, restrooms, a patio area with exhibits, and an automatic audio-visual program with recorded narration by Wallace Pratt (see Figure 25). [14]

Approximately ten days after the opening ceremonies, management closed the McKittrick contact station because of problems with the water system. Consultants from the Denver Service Center came to the park to decide how to repair the system. The water system remained out of operation until May 1983, when it finally was repaired and judged safe for use. [15]

CONTINUE >>>