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(Music)
[Narrator] Texas possesses an abundance of outstanding
recreational resources, many of which have been utilized for park purposes. The Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department is the state agency responsible for the administration
of a number of these parks, which comprise the Texas State Park System. In carrying out
this responsibility, the department utilizes several different park classifications to
perform three major functions.
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[Narrator] One of these is providing outdoor recreation,
which is primarily carried out through three park classifications: state parks, state recreations
areas and state fishing piers.
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[Narrator] Another major function is historic preservation,
which is carried out at state historical parks, state historic sites and state historic structures.
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[Narrator] Another major function, natural area conservation,
utilizes two park classifications: state natural areas and state parks. State parks not only
provide outdoor recreation, but also often contain outstanding natural resources. Keeping
these various classifications and their roles in mind should be helpful as we begin a tour
of some of the parks of the Texas State Parks system.
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[Narrator] Let�s begin at the top; in this case, at
the top of Texas with a park resource that has its origins early in time. Here in the
most northern part of the state, the Texas panhandle, is Palo Duro State Park. Today
it is as well-known for the summer musical, Texas, staged by the Texas Panhandle Heritage
Foundation, as it is for the breathtaking beauty of the canyon walls, which provide
the backdrop for this lively production about the settling of our state.
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[Narrator] For all of its many colors and remarkable
formations, the canyon is also impressive for its age, about one million years old,
and the fact that it exposes rocks which stand about two million years of geological time.
All of this: the result of erosion caused by tens of thousands of centuries by wind
and water.
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[Narrator] It was also in this area that the first commercial
cattle ranch in the Texas panhandle was begun by Colonel Charles Goodnight. This is an example
of the type of dugout he may have used early in the settlement.
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[Narrator] Amid all the historical interest and timeless
beauty of Palo Duro Canyon are many recreational facilities and activities for park visitors.
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[Narrator] In addition to recreation, the state park
system provides the means to preserve and protect some of the more outstanding resources
in Texas through state parks and state natural areas. From the panhandle to the gulf, the
state park system seeks to maintain these areas in their natural state for generations
of Texans to come.
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[Narrator] Due to their very nature, portions of some
parks are often fragile. In order to retain the space, solitude and natural beauty of
such parks, the level of recreational use is carefully controlled when necessary.
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[Narrator] There�s a special sort of quiet recreation
to be enjoyed in many parks: the outdoor experiences found along the winding nature trail, birds
and other wild creatures, plants and native vegetation are here to be viewed in the wild.
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[Narrator] On the southernmost tip of the state is the
Benson-Rio Grande State Valley Park. This park is an excellent example of one of the
few remaining tracts of lower Rio Grande Valley brush. The principle attractions of the park
are the plants, animals and birds. Many species of birds unique to the southern United States
are found here.
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[Narrator] The grandeur of far west Texas is the setting
for Davis Mountain State Park and the popular Indian lodge offering visitors quaint and
modern conveniences.
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[Narrator] In addition to the lodge, camping and day
use facilities are also available in the park.
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[Narrator] Parks which are classified as state parks
generally are spacious areas of outstanding natural or scenic character selectively developed
to provide opportunities for compatible types of resource recreation.
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[Narrator] Typical hill country grassland is seen at
Pedernales Falls State Park about a dozen miles east of Johnson City. The Pedernales
River cascades through a boulder strewn gorge through a wide pool, which can be viewed from
a lookout high above. The usual park facilities are available.
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[Narrator] Pedernales Falls also offers primitive camping
for the backpackers who wish to seek out the natural beauty of the nearly five thousand
acre park.
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[Narrator] This undisturbed land has many remote areas,
which are most easily reached by park rangers on horseback.
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[Narrator] Each park is unique and different from any
other. But most all of them have camping facilities of various kinds. Public demand for these
facilities, especially during the peak holiday and vacation periods, is quite high.
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[Narrator] Some parks have cabins. Many have screened
shelters. And others have lodge or special overnight accommodations.
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[Narrator] Visitors who come to spend the day find many
types of recreational opportunities including one of the favorite: picnicking.
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[Narrator] Natural swimming areas exist in many state
parks.
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[Narrator] Other parks have swimming pools.
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[Narrator] In some of our parks there are facilities
for larger groups, which could even include big family reunions.
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[Narrator] Throughout the Texas State Park System, there
are many conveniences for a more enjoyable visit such as grocery stores, boat ramps and
showers.
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[Narrator] For general information about parks, contact
the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, Texas. For current conditions in a particular
park, contact the park headquarters.
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[Narrator] You�d expect many of the Texas State Parks
to be unique under themselves when it comes to having fun. One of the most unusual is
Monahans Sandhills State Park in West Texas. Here the sand dunes are as high as ninety
feet and five hundred miles from the nearest beach, the Gulf of Mexico.
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[Narrator] Sand-surfing is how they hang ten out on the prairies.
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[Narrator] The contrasting Texas landscapes also provide
the settings for the colorful events which make up the history of our state. In order
to preserve those areas, which are rich in historical significance, the Parks and Wildlife
Department has incorporated many such sites into the state park system in the form of
state historical areas.
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[Narrator] State historical areas are a general grouping
of those park units established for the preservation and interpretation of prehistoric and historic
sources.
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[Narrator] Included in the grouping are state historical
parks, state historical sites and state historic structures.
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[Narrator] In many of our historic areas, interpretation
is used to give visitors a more vivid picture of the past and to illustrate our common heritage.
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[Narrator] Here in Seminole Canyon on the Rio Grande
some of the original Texans made their mark. Nomadic Indian tribes making periodic stops
here left primitive pictographs on the canyon walls.
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[Narrator] Early in Texas history came the missionaries,
seeking not to conquer but to convert. The missionaries who brought their faith to this
desolate and lonely land left enduring monuments behind.
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[Narrator] American colonization of Texas began under
the Spanish and flourished under Mexico. But dissention grew dividing the tough, free spirited
Texans from the Mexican government. The result was revolution. Through the independence parks
like the San Jacinto Battleground, Goliad and Washington on the Brazos we can see and
touch the places where men like Sam Houston, William Travis and James Fannin learned the
price of freedom and paid for it.
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[Narrator] The vast reaches of Texas were not settled
without a struggle. A string of forts was erected to protect the early Texas settlers
from the Indians who regarded the white man as an intruder. Some are still standing today.
Others are little more than ruins. All serve as a reminder of the pioneer spirit that makes
our state.
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[Narrator] The state park system also includes historic
structures like the Port Isabel Lighthouse. Built in 1852, it is still a valuable navigation
aid on the coast today.
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[Narrator] The Varner Hogg plantation was established
in the early eighteen hundreds by Martin Varner and later was the home of Governor James S.
Hogg. The completely furnished plantation manor gives a graphic picture of colonial
life in Texas.
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[Narrator] The birthplace of Dwight D. Eisenhower, thirty-fourth
president of the United States, is located in Denison. It is now a museum and a historic
site.
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[Narrator] Former president, Lyndon B. Johnson, was not
only born in Texas. He grew up in the hill country. Inside the park dedicated in his
honor, visitors can find an interpretive center, auditorium, amphitheater, nature trails and
many other day use facilities. A fascinating form of living history, the Sauer-Beckmann
Homestead�completely restored and operational, is also located within the park.
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[Narrator] Here park employees in period dress carry
out the day to day activities of life on the farm at the turn of the century.
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[Narrator] Though we learn from the past, there are many
things history cannot tell us. One such mystery surrounds the Bastrop State Park, site of
the famous lost pines. This isolated section of timber in central Texas is far removed
from the piney woods of East Texas. This unique resource provides a natural setting for a
variety of outdoor recreational activities.
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[Narrator] Ancient Indian superstition haunts Caddo Lake
State Park in far northeast Texas. The park is located on Big Cypress Bayou, which flows
into Caddo Lake. Caddo Indian legend attributes the formation of the lake itself to supernatural
origins. And the mysterious beauty of the Caddo area makes you believe anything is possible.
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[Narrator] Many of the water resources possessed by Texas
are man-made lakes, which often provide the base for state recreation areas.
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[Narrator] State recreation areas are relatively natural
areas usually associated with water resources and developed to provide a variety of resource
oriented, unstructured, outdoor recreation opportunities.
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[Narrator] And, of course, there�s the gulf coastal
area. Texas has three hundred seventy-three miles of gulf shore and approximately one
thousand four hundred nineteen miles of bay shore. Goose Island, of several parks located
on the coast, gets its name from its shape, that of a goose in flight. Here, visitors
can swim, fish or merely contemplate the beauty of the ocean.
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[Narrator] Approximately one hundred fifty miles up the
coast is Galveston Island State Park. The park preserves of the few remaining undeveloped
marsh areas on West Galveston Bay. It also provides the park visitor access to the Gulf
of Mexico as well as Galveston Bay. Park facilities include shade shelters for both camping and
picnicking. And elevated boardwalk into the adjacent bay marsh allows the visitor a closer
look at the teaming world of wild life to be found there.
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[Narrator] For fishing enthusiasts, state fishing piers
have been located along the coast where the opportunities arise. These are usually existing
structures such as abandoned causeways, which are converted for recreational fishing. Special
fishing lights and bait stands add to the enjoyment of these unique facilities.
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[Narrator] The timelessness of the ocean illustrates
a major objective of the Parks and Wildlife Department. Today our parks provide recreational
facilities, preserve natural areas and protect historical sites. And though we enjoy and
learn from our parks now, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is working to ensure
that these resources will be available in the future for generations of Texans to come.
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