At neighboring Frijole spring, two brothers constructed a sturdy rock-walled home in 1876. The ranch served as a home and community center until the late 1960s. It now houses the park's history museum, which tells the story of the Guadalupes from the first hunters and gathers through the creation of the park. An unending breeze Outside, the grounds and structures offer a sample of what a small ranch might have felt like. The buildings, except for the school house, are stark white.
Chinquapin oaks spread their branches over a grassy lawn.
An ever-present breeze tempers the day's heat. In the corral, horses add the aroma of fresh manure, perfuming the air with a bouquet of the West. Nearby lived the man most responsible for Guadalupe Mountains National Park. In its lower reaches, the chasm contains the area's only permanent stream, sustaining a luxuriant growth. The only way to see McKittrick Canyon is afoot.