Why Camping at Enchanted Rock Will Keep You Up All Night?

Located 23 minutes North of Fredericksburg, Texas, and 1 hour 45 minutes Northwest of Austin, Texas, Enchanted Rock is one of the most popular destinations for hikers, campers, climbers, and cavers in the State. The uniqueness of this Park brings hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Most come for the beauty and activities the Park provides but there is much more available if you are willing to scratch the surface.

Geology of Enchanted Rock

Enchanted Rock is a large pink granite rock that is the product of a never erupted chamber of magma that cooled over a period of a billion years creating a distinctive underground batholith. What makes the area even more interesting is that although it cooled underneath earth's surface, today it is 300-400 ft above ground and is one of the highest points in the area. Geologists call this type of feature a monadnock or less technically, an isolated rock hill. This "rock mound" rises sharply from the surrounding area.

Enchanted Rock, like most monadnocks, was formed through millions of years of erosion caused by rain, wind, and ice. It is staggering to think just how much erosion would have had to take place to uncover this huge mound of rock and reduce the surrounding limestone so much. Since granite is much harder than the softer limestone that surrounds Enchanted Rock, it withstood the erosion process and eventually became exposed as the ground around it eroded away. Keep in mind though, Enchanted Rock is like an iceberg, the vast majority still resides underground. Experts suggest that the underground portion of Enchanted Rock could be as big as Manhattan Island. That means Enchanted Rock is one really big rock. In fact, it is the second largest monadnock in North America right behind Stone Mountain in Atlanta, Georgia.

It is also unique because of its color. The rock has a strong pick hue that comes from the mineral composition that makes up the granite. It consists of orthoclase, a pink mineral that is very abundant and makes up most of Enchanted Rock, schist a clear to grey looking mineral that is very resistant to weathering, plagioclase a white mineral, along with hornblende a dark mineral. Each of these minerals contributes to the overall makeup of Enchanted Rock and because of the slow cooling process, they were allowed to grow quite large.

Pre-History & Archaeology

Archaeological evidence indicates human visitation at Enchanted Rock might have begun as early as 11,000-12,000 years ago. Paleo-Indian projectile points or arrowheads have been found in the area as well as depressions in the granite that are the result of prehistoric people using the granite rock to grind and pound their food. These depressions are known as bedrock mortars. The hunter-gatherers were also known to utilized fire, and with these resources, the Paleo-Indians became the first occupants of the area and forbearers to the Plains Indians. And, archaeological evidence is confirmed with the artifacts left behind and found in the park. The oldest authenticated projectile point found within the present day park is a Plainview point, dating back 10,000 years.

History of Enchanted Rock

From the time of the Paleo-Indian onwards, there is little historical evidence of the people that lived around the Enchanted Rock. It is not until the 16th-century that historical evidence again offers up new information about human occupation around Enchanted Rock. At that time, we have strong evidence that the Tonkawa Indians moved into the Enchanted Rock area. There, they prospered until the early 18th-century when they were replaced by the Apache Indians. The decline of the Tonkawa can be attributed to their practice of cannibalism which alienated them from the other Indian tribes. When the Apache came to central Texas, the Tonkawa were easy targets because other tribes would not come to their aid when the Apache attacked so the Tonkawa retreated to other areas. But, the Apache too was pushed out with the coming of the Comanche Indians later that same century.

The first Europeans to come to Enchanted Rock occurred in 1723 when the Spanish began making a hard push to colonize Texas. This would have been when the Apache was still dominant in the region. Anglo-Texans first came in 1829 and in 1834, but it was not until the 1840s when German colonists came, that a settlement was first established in central Texas near to Enchanted Rock. This is modern day Fredericksburg.

One interesting report that was recorded in 1841 involved, Captain John C. Hays, a Texas Ranger, and surveyor. Captain Hays was on a scouting expedition and became separated from his team. As he searched for his party he encountered a large group of Comanche Indians and was forced to retreat to the base of Enchanted Rock. As Hays retreated further up the dome, he began firing at the Comanche. Toward the summit, he found a crevice to hid in with a view down the dome giving him an advantage over his pursuers. Standing his ground, he battled the attacking Indians for three hours until their mounting losses persuaded them to give up and leave.

It was shortly before the Hays event in 1838 when the Enchanted Rock area first went up for sale and was purchased by a Spanish settler. From that time until 1978, Enchanted Rock continued to be privately owned, passing from one individual or family to another. In 1978, the land was again up for sale. The landowner did not want the land to fall prey to developers who wanted to mine the granite of Enchanted Rock for profit and worked with Lady Bird Johnson, wife of Lyndon B. Johnson (US President), to find an alternative solution. It was Lady Bird who brought the Nature Conservancy to the table and negotiated the sale of Enchanted Rock. The Conservancy, in turn, turned over the land to the State of Texas in Oct, 1978. It was at that time that Enchanted Rock Park was officially opened to tourism.

Legends of Enchanted Rock

Since the time of the Tonkawa Indians, there have been many legends surrounding Enchanted Rock. The name itself speaks of the many legends that were passed down from the native populations to the first Spanish and Anglo-Texan explorers. These legends spoke of strange, eerie, lights and ghost fires seen at the top of the dome and in particular, the unexplained creaking and groaning sound at night. These noises are also where another common name for Enchanted Rock comes from, "Crying Rock." Today we know these sounds are the result of the rock's night-time contraction after being heated by the sun during the day, but the Native Americans, having no knowledge of this natural process, had to use mysticism to explain their occurrence.

All 3 of the Native American tribes had other superstitions related to the granite dome as well. These included such things as the belief the rock served as a portal to unknown worlds, that invisibility could be obtained at night, and that bad things could happen to those who climbed the dome with evil intentions in their heart. They also believed the bedrock mortars created by their prehistoric ancestors were actually the footprints of an Indian chief's spirit forced to walk along the top for all eternity because he had sacrificed his daughter on Enchanted Rock. Other legends included phantom warriors of an extinct tribe that haunted the rock after unsuccessfully defending themselves against enemy foes, or that of a princess who committed suicide on Enchanted Rock following the slaughter of her people, resulting in her spirit being forced to roam the area forever.

Conclusion

Legends, history, and archaeology have all conspired to create a beautiful story interwoven with fact and fiction, but most visitors today only know of the activities the Park provides. It is a day trip for many but for those wanting to understand the rock and its evolution, there is a lot to discover and a lot more to be discovered. Enchanted Rock will always remain a popular destination and if you decide to stay the night, be prepared for the eerie sounds that will surely wake you. Then ask yourself, "are these the sounds of a natural geologic process scientist say is normal or are these the supernatural wailings of a people long forgotten. You will have to judge for yourself as you try and go back to sleep in the pitch darkness that surrounds you.

History is history but original thoughts and photographs are my own.
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