Cultural landscapes of McKittrick Canyon, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

Abstract

McKittrick Canyon, located in the northeastern portion of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, has a rich history of human cultural presence From prehistoric to present times, peoples have been drawn to the canyon's abundant natural resources and beauty. McKittrick Canyon and the surrounding Guadalupe Mountains became a National Park in 1972. Since then, the Park Service has provided invaluable interpretive services to visitors to the area. Many studies have been conducted in and numerous histories have been written about McKittrick Canyon. This study closely examines and combines previous work into one document that, I hope, can be easily utilized by interpreters from the National Park Service and scholars interested in the history of how people have adapted to and changed the landscape of McKittrick Canyon.