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| | | Nearly
full moon, May 1997 |
The
highest point in Texas is Guadalupe Peak at 8,749 feet above sea level.
(31°53' N, 104°52' W).
Nearby El Capitan, just slightly less
tall at 8, 085 feet, is the southernmost promontory of the Guadalupe Mountain
chain. (31°53' N, 104°51' W)
Both are in the Guadalupe Mountains
National Park, three miles SW of Pine Springs.
The formations
date from the Permian period of geologic time - 250 million years ago when this
area was a vast tropical ocean. Marine life from sponges, bi-valves, even microscopic
algae make up the matrix of the chain.
Photographer-at-large Barclay
Gibson has, on his many trips through West Texas, paused to photograph
the peak in various seasons and from various vantage points. Taken together, these
photos demonstrate the awe and majesty that certain geologic features project.
It's one of Texas' most well-known features, but also one of it's least seen.
Note: Signal Peak should not be confused with Signal Mountain
- a plateau near Big Spring. |
| | | Signal
Peak bathed in sunlight |
| | | Signal
Peak in the mist, January 1998 |
| | Signal
Peak reflected in a mountain lake
May 2004 |
| | A
view of El Capitan from Guadalupe Peak, May 2004
"Hiking from Guadalupe
Peak to El Capitan is a challenge. I've done it once. No trail, just tall grass.
The wind made every rustle sound like a rattlesnake." - BG |
Forum:
The
Mayor of Guadalupe Pass
Dear Texas Escapes, I am elated to find your magazine and your article on Guadalupe
Pass. I was once called the Mayor of Guadalupe Pass. This may seem strange but
it's true. I lived two miles South of Guadalupe Pass for several years. I also
lived at Salt
Flat, Texas and taught (other) young men to fly from the Salt Flat Intermediate
Landing Field. I climbed to the top of Guadalupe Pass long before it became a
National Park and I fell in love with the entire area. This was back in 1948 and
it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. I flew by (and around?) El Capitan
for many years en route from Midland
to El Paso. My good friend
Bertha Glover and her husband owned the Pine Spings Cafe.... Mrs.Glover received
a letter one day from a lady in Fort Worth, addressed to "The Mayor at Guadalupe
Pass." Mrs. Glover designated me to be the Official Mayor because she said she
had that "authority." I did answer the letter as I figured a Mayor from Guadalupe
Pass would. I have both of these letters in my files and will try to send them
in when they are found. You are doing a superb service. There is a lot of lost
Texas History and [only] a few of us Ol' timers still around. I might as well
"fess up" - I was 86 years old in November this year. - Sincerely, David Finnell,
Hurst, Texas, The Former Mayor of Guadalupe Peak, December 8, 2007 |
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