Wrong Place Wrong Time
Monahans Sandhills State Park is a part of a linear belt of sandy deposits
approximately 70 miles long and 20 miles wide that extends from southern Crane
County TX into the southeastern corner of New Mexico --- it is quite a sea of
sand.
The sand dunes are delightful places for kids (and the young of heart) to ride a
plastic disk down a 30 foot sandy slope. They also provide small dogs interesting
places to explore.
When the sun is shining and a gentle warm breeze is blowing it is a wonderful
place for family to visit and play in the majestic dunes in Monahans Sandhills
State Park. This however was not the case for families in the wagon train that
was passing through that area in the mid-eighteen hundreds.
Prior to our visit over the week around Christmas I researched how the Park
came to be. In doing so an old familiar name appeared --- Roy Bedichek.
Bedichek, the author of “Adventures with a Texas Naturalist”, had a hand in
getting the Aransas Wildlife Preserve for the whooping cranes established and
also provided the impetus for the creation of Monahans Sandhills State Park. All
one needs to do is to read Bedicek’s description of the area to see why local
citizens took up the cause and made it happen.
So prior to the days when there were government agencies to provide sand by
the dump truck load to build them, how did all of this sand get here?
During an earlier time when this area is thought to have received much greater
amounts of rainfall, there were rivers flowing in the areas where the sand dunes
now exist. They carried the sediment from mountains in New Mexico that were
being eroded.
When the area became drier due to reduced rainfall patterns there were all of
these dry sandy sediments left lying around. There was a lack of moisture to
hold them in place and the winds of the Big Bend did the rest --- blew them into
dunes.
In the Monahan’s area, winds from three different seasonal directions influence
dune form.
The winds and the sands still continue their “dance.” With every “blue norther”
that pays a visit to the area, re-configuring of the dunes occurs. There are times
when the wind can stir up the sand to such an extent that visibility is reduced to
almost zero --- obviously not a real good time to visit the Park.
So how does all this sand manage to stay, relatively, in place? One contributor is
a cute little oak tree, the Shinoak (Quercus havardii) --- a type of tree found in
relatively few areas in Texas.
It abounds in the park and serves to stabilize the sand dunes.
It is not a stunted or dwarfed form of a larger tree but usually stands less than
four feet tall. It is a fully mature plant which bears an abundance of large acorns
which is a major source of food for the local wildlife populations.
Such an important part of the flora and fauna immediately piqued my Biologists
curiosity --- so I investigated the genealogy of Quercus havardii. It is the major
component of the "shinnery" vegetation type. They belong to a type of oak tree
botanist classify as “Sand shinnery oak.” The word "shinnery", I immediately
though that it would be derived from its growth form – “shin high”. Those who
study such things (Source, Oklahoma Biological Survey) say it seems to be
derived from chêne (French for oak), and not from the size of the plant.
As stated earlier, in the Monahan’s area the winds may come from any of three
different directions depending on the season --- they cover and uncover as they
blow. In 1901 a looted and burned wagon train was found in the sandhills at
what was historically a watering hole that is located a little North of the Park
Headquarters, Willow Springs. You will not be surprised to lean that this
watering hole was located, in that vast arid country, near what was historically
know as “The Comanche Trail”. And this historical fact will give you a clue as to
where I am heading with this story.
An article in the Monahan’s News (1977) that a wagon train consisting of 40
wagons left Tucson, Arizona in 1874, headed for Missouri. It was never heard
from again. Depending on rate of travel they could have arrived at Willow
Springs in late 1875.
The remains of “about” 40 wagons were founds when the sand shifted around
Willow Springs. The “about” comes from the fact that they had apparently be
looted and burned.
In the mid-eighteen seventies, the Comanche tribes were being constantly
pursued by the U.S. Army. The Comanche’s were formidable fighters when
armed and on horseback. The Military therefore concentrated on taking away
their horse herds. The Comanche’s concentrated on replenishing their horse
herds.
The Sand hills were a favorite, neutral, meeting place for the tribes of the region.
Sketchy military records suggest that a gathering of the Comanche Nation took
place in the sand hills region (probably centered around Willow Springs) in late
1875.
So do I really need to explain why I choose to title this, Wrong Place Wrong
Time.