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History of the Park
More than 400 years ago, Spanish
explorers were the first Europeans to report the vast hills of sand.
Man was present in this area as far back as 12,000 years ago. Later,
various Indian tribes used the area for temporary campgrounds and
a meeting place, finding game, abundant fresh water beneath the
sands, acorns, and mesquite beans available for grinding into paste
with their stone tools. The area remained a favorable environment
for Indians until the 1880s, when the Texas and Pacific Railroad
selected Monahans as a water stop between the Pecos River and the
town of Big Spring. In the late 1920s, oil production began in the
area, now commonly known as the Permian Basin, and today Monahans
is a marketing center for more than 800 square miles of oil and
cattle country.
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