Fort Parker State Park

About Fort Parker State Park

Fort Parker State Park covers more than 2,000 acres in northern New Mexico and is covered by Fort Parker National Park, the largest national park in the United States. Civil Defense built the recreational facilities in the late 1930s and built a dam in 1941 to create Lake Fort Park, which was opened to the public. It was founded in 1934 on land donated by the city of Mexico to three local landowners and built as a recreational facility by civil defense officers of the US Army Corps of Engineers.

The park is named after Fort Parker, a nearby historic settlement founded in 1833 and home to Cynthia Ann Parker, who was captured during the American Civil War in the wake of the US Army's invasion of New Mexico. During her captivity, Cynthia-Ann became the first female prisoner of war in the United States and one of the first American soldiers.

The old fortress was rebuilt in 1936 in a century-long project by the Civil Defence. The park includes the historic city of Springfield and the old Fort Parker State Park, the largest of its kind in the country.

When Limestone County was founded in 1847, the municipality became the first county town, but it began to die when the railroad passed through the town and the courthouse burned down.

Springfield soon became a ghost town and was moved to Groebeck in 1873 as a county seat. The post office closed in 1878, and only the cemetery remained, a final resting place for many East Texas pioneers, including the founder of Fort Parker State Park and many of the original settlers from the area.

The most popular fish are cappie, perch, catfish and trout during the season, but popular species such as bluefish, perch, whitefish and blackbird are often seen in the park.

Fort Parker State Park offers a canoe shuttle service if you agree to bring your canoe into town in advance. Canoe rental tours are at least 4 hours and the 3-mile drive up The Navasota River is about 1.5 miles from Fort Parker to the park entrance.

Canoes can only be transported by park staff and can be reserved for tours with the number 254 - 562-5751. Residents must bring their own canoes, which must be at least five metres long, two metres wide and three metres long.

The park is located in the southern part of Fort Parker State Park on the west side of Lake Michigan and the entrance is located on state road 28. Nearby attractions include Fort Parker Fort, a fortress built in 1833 by other Illinois settlers to protect them from the Indians.