Seminole Canyon State Park

About Seminole Canyon State Park

It covers 2172.5 hectares and was bought by private owners in 1973 and 1977 and opened in February 1980. The park was opened in February 1980 by the California Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the California State Park Service (CSPS) and is part of the San Bernardino National Forest.

The terrain is rocky, with deep gorges and little vegetation, but the climate is warmer than today and encourages more lush vegetation, including oaks. The flora and fauna of the park is diverse and includes white-tailed deer, elk, coyotes, mountain lions, bears, wolves, foxes and other wildlife. There is a deep gorge and the first people visited the area at a time when the landscape was roamed by wild horses, goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, horses and horses.

Early humans developed a hunting culture based on large mammals such as mammoths and bison, as well as the use of tools and tools for hunting.

More than 7000 years ago, the region underwent a climate change that was very similar to the landscape of today. With this change a new culture was born, and it is probable that the first inhabitants created rock paintings in the form of stone tools and stone carvings as well as rock art.

They lived in a country that for a long time would not have supported a large social unit, but they were able to collect wild plants, hunt small animals and big game, and hunt larger game.

In the struggle for survival, these prehistoric people found creative energy to paint pictograms that can still be found in many places in the United States and other parts of the world. The spread of these different styles extends to the San Bernardino National Forest, the Mojave Desert and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

It is known that there are more than 200 pictogram pages in the cave, ranging from individual paintings to a cave containing more than 1,000 pictograms and hundreds of pages of text and drawings. Since numerous figures and motifs are repeated in different places, the exact meaning of each painting lies in the details of the people who painted it.

The first European to know the area was Castano Sosa, who moved from Monciova, Mexico, in 1590 to what is now Val Verde County, the first area known to a European. Lieutenant Nathaniel Michler explored this area in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as part of his expedition to Mexico. During the Civil War, the US Army operated in these areas and was the "first American presence" on the lower Pecos. Bullis was blown up, allowing the military to shorten the route between Forts Clark and Davis.

In 1882, Southern Pacific Railroad reached its current location and the El Paso-San Antonio connection was put into operation. Part of the railway line through the Rio Grande Gorge was abandoned after the new bridge was completed. The present bridge was built on the same site as during the Second World War.

Current conditions and the fire ban may vary from day to day, please contact the park for more details. Located on the south side of Rio Grande Gorge, north of San Antonio, Texas.