Parks

Flashback! A Photo Essay of Texas State Parks Through The Years

To celebrate our 100-year anniversary, we dove into our archives for photos of Texas State Parks.

May 2023

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, 1944: The stone facade of this park’s interpretive center, originally known as the Coronado Lodge, was designed to mimic the canyon wall. For this photo (above), art students in a class from West Texas A&M University (then West Texas State Teachers College) in Canyon perched on the canyon rim for a lesson in sketching scenery in 1944.

TPWD

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, 1944: The stone facade of this park’s interpretive center, originally known as the Coronado Lodge, was designed to mimic the canyon wall. For this photo (above), art students in a class from West Texas A&M University (then West Texas State Teachers College) in Canyon perched on the canyon rim for a lesson in sketching scenery in 1944. TPWD

Memories of state parks span generations — an 80-year-old and an 8-year-old might share a fond recollection of splashing in the sparkling swimming pool at Lockhart State Park or feeling the sand between their toes at Monahans Sandhills. To celebrate our 100-year anniversary, we dove into our archives to bring you photos of Texas State Parks taken over the past century. Many things have changed since these snapshots, but the fun and freedom of exploring a new park remain the same. Enjoy!

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