Texas Pecos Trail Region
Welcome to the Pecos Trail Region
Promoting heritage preservation and tourism to our richly diverse West Texas area. Museums, historic sites, outdoor recreation, special events, and more!
Experience the legendary Wild West of classic books and movies, and the real-life landscape of the Texas Pecos Trail Region. Twenty-two counties cover 35,000 square miles and comprise an ecological transition zone at the junction of the Plains to the north, Edwards Plateau in the east, Chihuahuan Desert in the west, and the Brush Country in the south. The Texas Pecos Trail Region allows visitors to experience our rich and diverse Western heritage, including Native American rock art, cowboys and ranching, military forts, Hispanic culture, the Permian Basin Oil Boom of the 20th century, World War II training bases and artifacts, museums, county court houses, and a variety of unique and spectacular natural wonders and outdoor recreation.
HISTORY OF THE PECOS TRAIL REGION
For centuries, various Native Americans hunted buffalo and other game across the immense grassland prairies. Canyonlands and rock shelters of the Lower Pecos River display native rock art and preserve evidence of prehistoric lifeways. Later came Spanish explorers, Hispanic and Anglo settlers and farmers, 19th century soldiers and the founding of military outposts, and cowboys and ranchers. The Butterfield Overland Mail Route passed through during the mid-19th century, bringing travelers and commerce to the region. Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving drove their cattle along the Pecos River northward to markets. The arrival of the railroads also transformed the area, bringing in new settlers, founding many new communities, and connecting the region to the wider world. The discovery of oil in the Permian Basin in the early 20th century and the establishment of training bases during World War II brought an economic and population boom to much of the region.
The mission of the Texas Pecos Trail Region is to develop and promote heritage preservation and tourism throughout the richly diverse West Texas area.
Our vision is that the unique culture and heritage of the Texas Pecos Trail Region is preserved for present and future generations and contributes to the region's economic growth.
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