Sul Ross State University - Brand Yearbook (Alpine, TX)

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im A Sul Ross co-ed checks her camera before she continues her exploration of McDonald Observatory. Students stand in awe before the dome housing the 82-inch telescope. . . .McDonald Observatory Built with funds from an endowment of a Texas banker, W. J. McDonald, the McDonald Observatory complex has promoted the s tudy of astronomy throughout this hemisphere. Two telescopes, an 82-inch model and the newly erected 107-inch device, provide one of the great observatory centers of the world. Operated primarily by astronomers from the University of Texas, McDonald Observatory boasts an altitude of 6,800 feet. Its southerly latitude and its distance from artificial lights of big cities make Mount Locke an ideal site. In addition, the area has a high ratio of cloud-free nights, an important consideration for star gazing. Sul Ross students make up a large percentage of the people who are permitted to view the stars on the nights that the facilities are open to the public.

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Picturesque Indian Lodge affords a spacious dining room and meeting place for campus groups and civic organizations. Established in 1854 to protect the settlers in the Davis Mountain area of West Texas, Fort Davis occupied the mouth of Limpia Canyon. During the period before the Civil War, the men of the fort spent much of their time in the arduous, though unromantic, duty of escorting mail and freight wagons. On occasion cavalry expeditions used the fort as a base for operations against the Indians—both the Mesca- lero Apaches and the Comanches. After testing the feasibility of using camels for military purposes on the western deserts, Fort Davis was aban¬ doned when Texas seceded from the Union. Although Texas troops used the fort for almost a year, Fort Davis was again closed when the attempted conquest of New Mexico failed. Wrecked by the avenging Apaches, Fort Davis lay in ruins for five years. After the fort was re-established in 1867, the troops engaged in chasing the raiding Apaches. The final contest came in 1890, when the Indians were forced to retreat to Mexico. With the Indian menace ended, the troops set¬ tled into routine garrison life until the fort was permanently closed in 1891. The 447-acre site was established as a unit of the National Park System in 1963. Tourists and historians flock to the site to relive days of the Old West. untiu imuic mi mint suits MrutMiVT ot iHt imiiioi MAU0MA1 tAIC SftVICf J » W Entrance to Fort Davis, mountain fort occu¬ pied by both Union and Confederate forces.

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The dome for the giant 107- inch telescope looms over its visitors. Even when viewed from a dis¬ tance, McDonald Observatory Complex makes an impressive sight. I