BIG SPRING, Texas — While these days Big Spring’s historic spring site is preserved for its views of nature, a trip through time as told by the director of Big Spring's Heritage Museum reveals a much different picture.
"Well of course, the first settlers were the Comanche, and they used to camp at the big spring and they call it their play ground because they could swim and enjoy the beautiful views of the spring,” said Tammy Schrecengost, a Big Spring historian.
The water of the spring not only attracted the Comanche and their main food source, buffalo, but eventually brought American settlers.
"Captain Marcey first discovered the springs on October 3, 1849. He was an explorer and discovered these different areas,” said Schrecengost.
After spreading word of the spring, more Americans followed, particuarly a group of hunters that would change life for the Comanche as they knew it.
"The Comanche were forced to their reservation because of the buffalo hunter because that was their main source of food."
All this gave way to new type of settlers at the spring.
"The railroad came through and purchased all this land ahead and time and they were the largest land holder in this area,” said Schrecengost.
Starting with a tent city at the spring, life at Big Spring expanded fast and grew rough.
"Big Spring had like 13 saloons when it was first established because of the cowboys coming to town and wanting to drink and also the railroad men, drinking was popular," Schrecengost said.
"It was a rough town at that time, rowdy; a lots of killings, shootings-you know, just what you'd expect a cow town to be."
But once the tracks were laid and business continued to grow, a more ruly city life developed.
"Then when the railroad finally established train service, the tents were picked up and brought downtown and built around the downtown railroad depot."
A no longer lawless land, Big Spring gave rise to some of West Texas’ cultural icons, including artists and a famous woman bull rider, and of course an environment ripe for the oil boom.
"Big Spring really had the oil boom in 1928-1929 and as well a building boom. That’s when the Settles Hotel was built, the petroleum building, a lot of the Big Spring sky scrapers were built in that time period," Schrecengost said.
A time where structures that would stand the test of time were built and the humble beginnings of a modern town were started, all thanks to the fresh water of a historic spring.