Began in 1902 and restored in 2003, Mission Mary Calera Chapel is located near Balmorhea in West Texas. The Spanish word, "Calera," means lime burner or kiln. Around 1854, Lt. John G. Taylor led a detail from Ft. Davis to set up a lime kiln near Phantom Lake for the construction of the fort. The Mission is now open to the public daily, and the Chapel is reserved for special religious ceremonies.
Tags: Big Bend. Texas Nature Desert Mountains Big Bend State Ranch Princess Stand in the Rain, vacation peace wind sun sunshine
This chapel was such a pleasant surprise in the middle of the desert...all alone with virtually nothing around it. It really caught my eye against the wonderful clouds. Began in 1902 and restored in 2003, Mission Mary Calera Chapel is located near Balmorhea in West Texas. The Spanish word, "Calera," means lime burner or kiln. Around 1854, Lt. John G. Taylor led a detail from Ft. Davis to set up a lime kiln near Phantom Lake for the construction of the fort. The Mission is now open to the public daily, and the Chapel is reserved for special religious ceremonies.
Tags: Big Bend. Texas Nature Desert Mountains Big Bend State Ranch Princess Stand in the Rain, vacation peace wind sun sunshine
Began in 1902 and restored in 2003, Mission Mary Calera Chapel is located near Balmorhea in West Texas. The Spanish word, "Calera," means lime burner or kiln. Around 1854, Lt. John G. Taylor led a detail from Ft. Davis to set up a lime kiln near Phantom Lake for the construction of the fort. The Mission is now open to the public daily, and the Chapel is reserved for special religious ceremonies.
The windows are original. Skylights provide light for the altar. The original adobe walls have been replastered.
Tags: Big Bend Texas Ranch nature Desert Big Bend Ranch State Park Princess Stand in the Rain, vacation peace wind sun sunshine
SAN SOLOMON SPRINGS. San Solomon Springs (also known as Mescalero or Head Springs), the seventh largest group of springs in Texas, rises in southwestern Reeves County and flows into a swimming pool in Balmorhea State Park in Toyahvale. The Jumano and Mescalero Indians used the water to irrigate corn and peach trees. The springs flowed at an average rate of 230 gallons per second in 1900 and 1978. The springs are the home of several rare freshwater animals including the Comanche Springs pupfish and the Leon Springs pupfish, the original habitats of which have been destroyed, as well as the Pecos gambusia or mosquito fish, a small crustacean, and two kinds of aquatic snail. The terrain surrounding the springs is characterized by steep to gentle slopes with variable soil types. Vegetation consists primarily of scrub brush and sparse grasses.
Tags: Texas water Balmorhea desert Solomon Springs Ft. Davis natural springs peace Princess Stand in the Rain
Balmorhea is like finding a sapphire in the middle of the desert. Really! Imagine swimming in a pristine pool with lots of fish, two endangered. We stopped here on the way to the Hotel Limpia and eventually Big Bend Ranch State Park. The photo here shows the "kiddy pool" at the far right....you can tell by the lighter color of blue which has been concreted. The dark middle is the 25 feet deep actual Springs which brings in a million gallons of water per 24 hours. If you go, bring your swim mask and snorkel to really see the fish as you swim. Later on in the day, around 5pm, and most of the public had gone, a 5 ft. Gopher Snake came out of hiding for a meal or for the warmth of the sun on the concrete....she/he was a beauty!
Balmorhea State Park is located on 45.9 acres in the foothills of the Davis Mountains southwest of Balmorhea in Reeves County. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the early 1930s, the park was deeded in 1934 by private owners and Reeves County Water Improvement District No. 1. The park was opened in 1968. San Solomon Springs has provided water for travelers for thousands of years. Artifacts indicate Indians used the spring extensively before white men came to the area. In 1849, the springs were called Mescalero Springs for the Mescalero Apache Indians who watered their horses along its banks. The present name was given by the first settlers, Mexican farmers who used the water for their crops and hand-dug the first irrigation canals. Situated about four miles west of Balmorhea, Texas, the 45.9-acre Balmorhea State Park was constructed by Company 1856 of the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, between 1936 and 1941. The CCC was established as a New Deal program by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression as a way to employ people that would have otherwise been out of work. Many of the state parks in Texas were developed during this time. The 77,053 square ft San Solomon Spring is the focal point of Balmorhea State Park. From 22 to 28 million gallons of water flow through the spring-fed swimming pool each day. Other CCC structures in the park include a limestone concession building, two wooden bathhouses, an adobe superintendent residence, and San Solomon Courts, an early expression of the modern-day motel, constructed of adobe bricks. All of the CCC buildings are constructed in a Spanish Colonial style with stucco exteriors and tile roofs. Visitors to Balmorhea State Park can enjoy a swim in the CCC-constructed pool and, if staying overnight, may choose to relax in one of the historic rooms at San Solomon Courts. The lobby of the park office includes several photographs of the CCC at work in what is now Balmorhea State Park. When visiting the park, take time to see what the park property looked like in the late 1930s and what it looks like today. Balmorhea State Park is a substantial monument to the construction skills and hard work of the CCC crew and their supervisors.
Tags: Texas water Balmorhea desert Solomon Springs Ft. Davis natural springs peace Princess Stand in the Rain Angi English HDR HDR Photography conservation endangered endangered species Mescalero Springs Mescalero Apache Indians Roosevelt Great Depression CCC Texas State Parks.