Seminole Canyon State Park and Historical Site

We arrived at Laughlin Air Force Base Famcamp on Feb. 22 intending to stay for a couple of days. We had forgotten how wonderful the campground is and how many amenities were here to include a terrific fitness center and free laundry. As well, the weather was perfect, and it felt so good to not have freezing temperatures at night. We took and deep breath, relaxed and said, “Why should we be in such a hurry to leave such an ideal location?” We decided to stay for a total of nine days. An unexpected blessing was the church service and Sunday school class at the base chapel. The extended stay also enabled us to visit Seminole Canyon, an historic site that many other RVers had told us was must see.

The lunch was packed, our hiking boots were in the car, and the camera was ready for a great day in Seminole Canyon located 45 miles west of Del Rio. The Canyon covers almost 2200 acres dusty, rock filled land. Thousands of years ago the climate afforded more rain that produced lush vegetation and a variety of animals such as bison, elephants, and camels. Today there are still coyotes, jack rabbits, and other smaller creatures. Agave, Mormon Tea, and many varieties of Yucca are the most common plants and shrubs in Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site. Access to the Canyon is by professional guide only. The multi-colored rock art is spectacular but is in jeopardy due to the elements and being in unprotected areas of the Canyon. We hiked down 200 feet into the Canyon and then climbed rugged stone steps up to the overhang where the rock art could be studied up close. Although numerous figures or motifs are repeated in different locations, the exact meaning of the art is buried with the people who painted them.

The Visitor Center had several superior exhibits with dioramas depicting the primitive people who populated the area 12,000 years ago. It transitioned to the Native Americans who inhabited the area 5,000 years later and to the days of the sheep herders and cattle drivers. The climate has since become more arid and less farming friendly. We drove through the campground and were impressed with the spacious sites atop a mesa that overlooked the Lower Pecos valley. We had a 360 degree view of the rolling hills covered in tumble weed, Yucca bushes, and other green vegetation. The sky was vast and filled with clouds that held no rain. In the distance were several abandoned Southern Pacific Railroad freight cars. That section of the railroad in the canyon ended when a new bridge was built at the same site during World War II.

An interesting aside to our visit to the canyon was to learn how it got its name. Prior to and during the Civil War slaves were escaping to the Florida Everglades. The Seminole Indians protected them, and the slaves learned and embraced the ways of the natives. They married Native American women and bore black children. After the war, many of them traveled to Texas; some crossed over into Mexico. With their many years of experience with the Seminoles, they knew how to live and survive in the wilds. The Black Seminoles frequented the Rio Grande area and favored the canyon as a safe area in which to live. The US Army learned of the Black Seminoles’ wilderness prowess and enlisted them in the cavalry to help protect settlers in Texas from Native Americans such as the Comanches and Apaches. Thus, when the state purchased the land for a state park/historic site, it was named Seminole Canyon. Contrary to popular opinion, the Seminole Indians were mostly Floridians—not residents of Seminole Canyon.