Photograph made in 1898 in El Paso of Mamie Crosson wearing a fancy hat with flowers on it. She also wears glasses. This photo was included in a research paper by Marion Quick for an American History class at Marfa High School in 1967.

Photograph made in new Orleans of Lizzie Healy Crosson in 1894. This photo was included in a research paper by Marion Quick for an American History class at Marfa High School in 1967.

Photograph of Lizzie Crosson at age 80, in August 1924, seated out of doors near a picket fence under a tree. She wears a long dress and has her hair pulled up. This photo was included in a research paper by Marion Quick for an American History class at Marfa High School in 1967.

Photograph of G.F. Crosson in front of what is left of his parents' first adobe home at Goat Ranch, northeast of Fort Davis, Texas. His parents were George and Lizzie Crosson. This photo was included in a research paper by Marion Quick for an American History class at Marfa High School in 1967.

Photograph of G.F. Crosson, son of George Crosson, in front of the Catholic Church in Fort Davis that served as parents' home while they built a house, upon their arrival in Texas around 1878. This photo was included in a research paper by Marion Quick for an American History class at Marfa High School in 1967.

Photograph of a rocky mountain ( part of the Davis Mountain range) behind a line of trees in the Big Bend area of Jeff Davis County, Texas. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "[According to an] Indian legend [...] After the heavens, the earth, and the living creatures had been shaped, the Great Spirit had a great accumulation of rocks and stony material left over. Even the Evil Spirit refused the pile, and so it became the mighty Big Bend of Texas" (p. 1).

Photograph of an oval, white soapstone Indian artifact carved with the shape of a small canine. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "The first tribe of Indians to be recorded were called the 'Basketmakers.' They quickly faded into the background with the coming of the Jumanos" (pp. 2-3).

Photograph of the Davis Mountains at Big Bend National Park, taken from between two mountain peaks overlooking a valley. Another mountain peak is in the background.

Close-up photograph of the exterior of McDonald Observatory, a round, white building several stories tall, capped with a very large dome. A seal and text are visible above the entrance. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "Some would designate the rough inaccessibility of the Davis Mountains of the Big Bend a handicap, but this resource has turned to great advantage. The McDonald Observatory was constructed on Mt. Locke in the Davis Mountains in the 1930's with money given to the University of Texas by William Johnson McDonald" (pp. 9-10).

Photograph of two domed buildings on a mountaintop; they contain telescopes that are part of the McDonald Observatory. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "The McDonald Observatory was constructed on Mt. Locke in the Davis Mountains in the 1930's with money given to the University of Texas by William Johnson McDonald. The site was chosen because of its high percentage of clear nights and its isolation from brightly lighted cities. The observatory is sixty-eight hundred feet above sea level, and until 1948, the 82-inch lens was the larges in the world. In 1968, a new 107-inch lens was installed in a new building adjacent to the original plant" (pp. 9-10).

Photograph of a body of water at Big Bend National Park, with hills and mountain ridges rising up on either side and in the background of the photo. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "Long termed as 'the end of the world' of the 'jumping off' place, the thorns and rocks and adverse geography with the land's beautiful and unusual contrasts have been enjoyed by many people who pass through the Big Bend National Park" (p. 10).

Photograph of a mountain peak and grassy hills in Big Bend National Park; a group of cacti are visible in the foreground. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "Long termed as 'the end of the world' of the 'jumping off' place, the thorns and rocks and adverse geography with the land's beautiful and unusual contrasts have been enjoyed by many people who pass through the Big Bend National Park" (p. 10).

Photograph of mountains at Big Bend National Park, taken from between two mountain peaks overlooking a valley. Another mountain peak is in the background. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "Work was begun in 1934 to establish a national park out of the newly created Big Bend State Park. It wasn't until nine years later that the park became a reality" (p. 10).

Photo of men at the CCC Service Camp at Fort Davis in 1933 during their time off from work. Marfa resident, Juan Jeso is circled in this photo.

This color photograph has a stone building and surrounding rocks and plant life in the foreground and distant mountains and desert landscaping in the background. The inscription on the back of the photograph says: "Look out tower built by CCC boys at Ft. Davis on Scenic Loop at State Park."

This photograph is a scenic photo showing the landscape of Davis Mountain State Park. There are rocks and vegetation in the foreground and mountains in the distance. The inscription on the back of the photograph reads, "Overlooking Ft. Davis, Texas from same position at State Park."

This photograph is of a small body of water surrounded by rock cliffs. In the center of the photo, trees and other brush are growing atop the rocks. At the bottom of the photograph, the writing "Calf Slide - Nations Canyon - Davis Mts. - #3. Frank Duncan (c) Marfa - Texas" has been added. On the back, there is a signature that appears say "Ben S. Arant".

This photograph is a scenic photo showing the landscape of Davis Mountain State Park. There are large rocks in the foreground and mountains in the distance. The inscription on the back of the photograph reads, "Overlooking Ft. Davis, Tex. from same position at State Park."

This photograph has a large white building in adobe (pueblo) style architecture, centered within the scenery. There are trees and brush in the foreground, outside wire fencing which encloses the building, and hills in the background.

Photograph of several large rocks. There is a woman, dressed casually, sitting atop the rock at the front of the photograph. In the distance, there is a desert landscape with scrub and other rocks. At the bottom of the photograph, there is a handwritten label: "Davis Mtn's State Park."

This photograph shows Fort Davis at a distance with mountains in the background. In the foreground, there are cacti and two young boys sitting on a rock in the lower right hand corner.

Photograph of several old brick buildings which are clearly unused and dilapidated with roofs that are sagging and disintegrating. There are at least two separate buildings in the foreground and appear to be several more in the background. The buildings are near a dirt road and surrounded by desert scrub and trees.

This photograph shows the Harvard Radio Astronomy Station. To the left, there is a white building that appears to be a pre-fabricated structure; an old-fashioned pickup truck is parked next to the building. To the right, there is a large satellite propped up on what appears to be wooden supports. Two men are standing next to the satellite. In the foreground, there is some scrub and a wire fence enclosing the station area. Behind the station, there are telephone poles and rolling hills with scattered brush. A handwritten note on the back of the photograph reads "Big Bend Sentinel, Marfa, Texas. 4 col x 4 flush mounted 175 cropped."

Photograph of a row of 13 nearly identical houses in Fort Davis. Each house is brick and has a white front with a short flight of stairs from the ground to a porch surrounded by white pillars. There appear to be other buildings behind the initial row. In the foreground, the ground is bare and there are several mounds of dirt. In the background, there are hills covered in desert brush.