During
the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) designed and constructed dozens
of state parks throughout Texas.
The design of the parks was often inspired by the landscape and history
of Texas itself. By the time of its disbandment in
1942, the CCC had laid the foundations for today’s parks system. In
East Texas, six orginal CCC parks
still stand at Bonham in Fannin County,
Caddo Lake in Harrison County, Daingerfield
in Morris County, Huntsville
in Walker County, Weches in Houston County and Tyler
in Smith County.
At Bonham, the
261-acre Bonham State Park stands within the northern reaches of the Blackland
Prairie, an area marked with grasslands interspersed by woodlands, near the Texas
border with Oklahoma.
In developing the park, the CCC used the rocky,
hilly terrain of the area for erosion control and rccreational purposes, and built
an earthern dam ro impound a 65-acre lake. Buildings of cream-colored limestone
and eastern red cedar were scattered around the park.
At Caddo Lake, one
of the most scenic lakes in East Texas,
the CCC converted temporary barracks and a mess hall used by CCC workers to park
facilities. The area’s forests and native iron ore were utilized in the park design.
Daingerfield’s
park design utilized the area’s pine and hardwood forests. An 80-acre lake was
also built, creating the focal point of the park.
Huntsville State Park,
located within the rolling hills of the Sam Houston State Forest, is a part of
the East Texas Pineywoods Region that marks the western limits of the Southern
pine belt.
Because of depletion of timber resources, the CCC reforested
the land with plantings of pine, sweet gum, maple, oak and dogwood. The CCC also
built roads, a stone bridge, restored Lake Raven, and developed campsites, shelters,
trails and other amenities.
Mission
Tejas, located in the pineywoods near Weches, was the first Spanish mission
in the province of Texas. The discovery of a Spanish cannon barrel led to the
park’s development.
The CCC developed the Mission
Tejas park in time for the Texas
Centennial Celebration in 1936. A key structure built by the CCC was a commemorative
log church, likely similar to one built by Spanishs soldiers in the 1690s.
Set
in the Pineywoods, Tyler State Park represents a clear break from the National
Park Service’s rustic style. The CCC architects displayed a familiarity with the
Prairie Style made popular by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and helped to in usher
a modern style in the park’s buildings.
© Bob
Bowman November
20, 2011 Column, updated September 3, 12
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