The Border Country

Big Bend is wild border country. From the wild west to the modern day it is still the border. The Comanche Trail ran through the area. The banditos of the Mexican Revolution raided here. This is a lonely corner of the country that is still the wild border land.

The border is a political issue again. The Army Corps of Engineers is active in the park upgrading the rough gravel roads of the park. Presumably to provide a better road for the Border Patrol or National Guard to use for regular patrols.

This is not the first time the army has been here. It was during the Mexican Revolution that the army was very active along the border. The Lajitas Trading Post has bullet holes in it from this time period. There were at least two army camps in what is now Big Bend National Park (Glenn Springs and Castolon). Many of the buildings that were built at Castolon are still in use by the park today.

This grave is also from that time. The park personnel tell me it is an unknown soldier who died here around hat time. There is a small cemetery nearby but he is here alone. A small line of rocks form a square around his grave. A simple wooden cross marks his passing. Cerro Castellan is nearby. A quiet resting place.

The border probably looks about the same now as it did then. Wild. Open. I am not sure if it can ever be tamed.