Chisos Mountains
The Chisos Mountains are a mountain range in western Texas, in the Big Bend area of Brewster County . It is the only mountain range in the USA that is completely within a national park, Big Bend National Park , and is the southernmost mountain range in the USA on the American continent.
The origin of the name is unclear and there are different interpretations: after the Spanish word “hechizos”, which means “magic”, or after the Castilian word “chischas” = “clash of weapons” or after a word from the Apache language “chisos” “= Spirit, because according to a legend, the Apache chief Alsate hid himself in the mountains. The mountain range was probably named after the Chizos Indian tribe living in the area.
The mountains were unfolded during the Cenozoic , and rock formations from the Cretaceous period can also be found in the upper areas of the mountains. The highest point of the mountains is the Emory Peak with 2385 meters above sea level. Other peaks above 2000 meters are the Lost Mine Peak at 2297, the Toll Mountain at 2260 and the Casa Grande Peak at 2233 meters above sea level.
The mountains are surrounded by the Chihuahua Desert . The average maximum temperatures from May to August are over 28 degrees Celsius, the long-term average precipitation (1943–2016) from June to September is over 55 mm per month.
After the overgrazing of the area, the mountain slopes are partly wooded again until the 1930s, here you will find mainly Douglas firs , American quivering aspen , Arizona cypress , maples , yellow pines and strawberry trees .
In the 18th century, the Mescalero- Apache settled in the mountains, and from there they undertook raids to northern Mexico. At the end of the 18th century, several punitive expeditions by the Spaniards drove the Mescalero back to the Guadalupe Mountains . Since the beginning of the 19th century, the Chisos Mountains have been the base of the Comanche on their raids into northern Mexico. In the second half of the 19th century, the area began to be slowly settled by white traders and ranchers. In 1944, the Chisos Mountains became part of Big Bend National Park.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kohout, Martin Donell: "Chisos Mountains" . In: Handbook of Texas Online. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ↑ More precise climate data from the Western Regional Climate Center
Web links
Coordinates: 29 ° 9 '36 " N , 103 ° 10' 48" W.