{"id":30349,"date":"2023-10-02T09:55:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T14:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postcardslive.com\/?p=30349"},"modified":"2023-10-31T11:07:48","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T16:07:48","slug":"texas-state-parks-a-centenary-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postcardslive.com\/texas-state-parks-a-centenary-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas State Parks: A Centenary Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"30349\" class=\"elementor elementor-30349\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-949d23d e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"949d23d\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab586f2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ab586f2\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-62d7c0b elementor-widget-divider--view-line_text elementor-widget-divider--element-align-left elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"62d7c0b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-divider__text elementor-divider__element\">\n\t\t\t\tTexas State Parks: A Centenary Celebration\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0b69d6e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"0b69d6e\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5604da8 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5604da8\" data-element_type=\"container\" 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class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-2b2c7ce\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-pen\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-custom\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMike Yawn\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-81944a7\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/postcardslive.com\/2023\/10\/02\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-calendar\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-date\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time>October 2, 2023<\/time>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-9b0f323\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-camera\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-custom\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMike Yawn\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5b51877 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5b51877\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-771dbb3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"771dbb3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/postcardslive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/state-parks-centennial-part-1-scaled.jpg\" title=\"state parks centennial part 1\" alt=\"state parks centennial part 1\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ed12372 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5ed12372\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a994f57 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a994f57\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Highlighting the birth and development of our state park system.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><em>Sam Houston may have written that \u201cTexas is the finest portion of the globe that has ever blessed my vision,\u201d but Texans were slow to embrace and preserve the natural beauty that so impressed Houston. It was not until 1923 that Texas created a true state park system, and even then, government leaders have been hesitant to provide adequate funding.\u00a0 Much progress has been made in this regard, and today\u2014in the state park system\u2019s centenary\u2014the system can boast more than 800,000 acres of preserved land, within which every Texan can experience the state\u2019s diverse regions, natural beauty, rich history, marvelous and sometimes eccentric wildlife, and unique geologic features.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Texas State Parks: An Idea Takes Root<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The concept of a state park system did not come easily to Texans.\u00a0 For the most part, citizens of the Lone Star State are averse to the idea of public regulation, public management, or public ownership, so the notion of setting aside public lands for the common good wasn\u2019t an easy sell.\u00a0 And when the idea did come, it did so in fits and starts, always beset by challenges.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>By the end of the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century, however, national trends, at least, were favorable.\u00a0 A nostalgia for a pre-industrial America was emerging as the country\u2019s western frontier was closing. Yellowstone was established as a National Park in 1872, the first such designation in the country\u2014and the world.\u00a0 Yosemite, Sequoia, and Mount Rainier followed, all in the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century. Theodore Roosevelt employed the \u201cAntiquities Act\u201d to expand preservation efforts, and in 1916, the National Park System was created.\u00a0 \u201cNational Parks,\u201d Wallace Stegner noted, \u201care the best idea we ever had.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>In Texas, this trend manifested itself in greater support for historical sites rather than in a simple regard for the preservation of nature.\u00a0 In 1891, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) was formed, in part, to preserve historical sites. In 1897, the legislature allocated $10,000 for the purchase of the San Jacinto Battlefield\u2014where General Sam Houston won Texas\u2019 independence as a nation\u2014and it became the first \u201cpark\u201d owned by the State of Texas. Similar efforts were made to preserve the Alamo, Gonzales, Washington-on-the-Brazos, and other historical sites over the next decade.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>To develop a full-fledged park system, however, Texas needed a politician with the will and zeal to go \u201cbeyond historical monuments\u201d and, as author Cynthia Brandimarte has noted, \u201cto showcase the diversity of Texas\u2019 landscape, encourage tourism, and promote conservation.\u201d\u00a0 That politician was Pat Morris Neff.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>According to contemporary accounts, Neff \u201cwas not like other boys.\u201d As Stephen Harrigan recounts, Neff, \u201cthough Texas born,\u201d had \u201cnever shot a gun, baited a fishhook, used tobacco in any form, nor drunk anything stronger than Brazos water.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>He did, however, have a vision for Texas\u2019 future, which he laid out in a series of reelection speeches between 1922-1923, as well as calls for legislative action.\u00a0 According to authors Dan Utley and James Steely, Neff called on the state to \u201cestablish parks, both large and small, throughout her borders. The people should have the breathing spots where they can enjoy nature in stream and tree, in rock and rill.\u201d He proposed such a bill, enjoining the legislature to create a state parks board and to fund a new parks system.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Texas State Parks: Growth of the System<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The legislature was recalcitrant, and while it approved a parks board, it provided only a bare minimum of funding. Indeed, its annual budget in the early years was only $375, with no funding for staff, the acquisition of land, or the improvement and maintenance of such land.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>With no funds, the Board pushed for donations, often having to beg the donors to provide additional funding for improvements and maintenance. What followed, according to former Parks Director Carter Smith, were \u201cgrueling political battles, eleventh-hour land saves, go-for-broke land deals, extraordinary feats of civic pride, [and] boundless displays of generosity from citizens across the state\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>One of the citizens who spearheaded the campaign for donations was Huntsville native Marian Rather Powell, whom author Jennifer Bristol described as \u201cbrilliant\u201d and \u201cfiercely organized.\u201d\u00a0 These qualities would serve her well as she led a letter-writing campaign; attended and spoke up at meetings; and lobbied legislators on behalf of Texas parks.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Powell\u2019s efforts were successful.\u00a0 In 1927, the legislature agreed to accept the donation of 24 parcels of land, each of which would serve as a State Park. Without real funding, however, the supervision and maintenance of the parks was left to local municipalities. But as Representative W. R. Chambers noted at the time, \u201cIt requires more than a cow pasture and an excited Chamber of Commerce to make a park go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Texas State Parks: A Park is Born<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Pat Neff regarded all these sites as more than cow pastures, but one had a particular place in his heart.\u00a0 Shortly after he was elected governor, Neff\u2019s mother passed away at the age of 91.\u00a0 \u201cMother Neff,\u201d according to Utley and Steely, \u201cbequeathed a small part of [her] homestead \u2018as a park for the public, for religious, educational, fraternal and political purposes.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Although Texas had previously designated public lands as \u201cparks,\u201d such sites had been selected for their historic importance.\u00a0 Mother Neff, at least in Pat Neff\u2019s mind, was the first State Park to be established in the National Park mold, a land of natural beauty, with support for diverse activities and rich wildlife.\u00a0 This land, on which he had reached maturity, was his inspiration of what a park system could provide.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>In its earliest iteration, the Park was only six acres, but even today, at 259 acres, Mother Neff State Park is one of the state\u2019s smaller recreational parks.\u00a0 It lacks the desolate grandeur of Big Bend Ranch, the brooding beauty of Caddo Lake, and the towering spires of Palo Duro.\u00a0 But, as Utley and Steely note, \u201cMother Neff State Park is everything a park should be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Nestled in Texas\u2019 hill country, Mother Neff State Park is approximately 30 minutes from Waco.\u00a0 Such placement is consistent with the original concept of the park system, which sought to provide city dwellers quick access to rustic environments.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Mother Neff\u2019s \u201cparkitecture\u201d themed visitor\u2019s center and xeriscape grounds provide an attractive gateway to the park\u2014and a home for a diverse number of butterflies and birds.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Its modern look, however, belies its claim to being one of the oldest parks in the system.\u00a0 But the Park\u2019s rich history is easily discovered in its interior.\u00a0 A short trail from the main road, for example, takes visitors to a \u201crock cave\u201d occupied by the Tonkawa Indians hundreds of years ago.\u00a0 Another short trail offers access to \u201cWash Pond,\u201d a small, spring-fed body of water used by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers in the 1930s.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The CCC was central to the development of Mother Neff State Park, but the Park is not unique in this regard.\u00a0 More than 50,000 men worked for the CCC in Texas alone, with approximately 30 Texas parks housing CCC camps.\u00a0 In Mother Neff State Park, there are several CCC structures, most of which reflect the distinctive stone construction favored by the Corps.\u00a0 In typical fashion, the construction materials were locally sourced, allowing the structures to blend with their surroundings.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The Park also features more than three miles of hiking trails\u2014many developed by CCC\u2014which wend through prairies, rocky landscapes, and along the Leon River. Given its four distinct habitats and proximity to the river and other water sources, the Park features an abundance of wildlife, with deer, armadillos, and rabbits, particularly visible.\u00a0 Perhaps its most striking feature, at least in the spring, is its wildflowers, which bloom across the Park\u2019s prairies, at the visitor center, and at the entrance portal, the latter also constructed by the CCC.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Mother Neff State Park is not the State\u2019s most dramatic park, but it is to an unusual degree, a successful representation of what it was meant to be: a rural oasis, that, as Governor Neff hoped, enhances the \u201chealth, welfare, and happiness\u201d of Texans, by providing them with \u201cleisure periods\u2026for rest, recreation, and relaxation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><em>This is the first of two pieces celebrating the State Park System\u2019s centenary.\u00a0 Next month, <\/em>Postcards<em> will highlight some of the State\u2019s most dramatic and unusual parks.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9f3f59e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"9f3f59e\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-adb2069 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"adb2069\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b8ed811 elementor-shape-rounded elementor-grid-0 e-grid-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-social-icons\" data-id=\"b8ed811\" 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fa-facebook-messenger\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e217e59 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e217e59\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7157ef2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"7157ef2\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-81f49a2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"81f49a2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/postcardslive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Icon-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-23915\" alt=\"\" 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Sam Houston may have written that \u201cTexas is the finest portion of the globe that has ever blessed my vision,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":30221,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[7,40],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Texas State Parks: A Centenary Celebration | Postcards Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/postcardslive.com\/texas-state-parks-a-centenary-celebration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Texas State Parks: A Centenary Celebration | Postcards Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Highlighting the birth and development of our state park system. 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