Guadalupe Mountains National Park: A Texas oil geologist first saw McKittrick Canyon in 1921, later bought the land for a private retreat; 38 years later he donated 4,942 acres and his home, helping create Guadalupe Mountains National Park

When petroleum geologist Wallace Pratt first visited McKittrick Canyon in 1921, he had been sent to West Texas on a trip with oil brokers to acquire leases for Humble Oil and Refining Company. Local land brokers offered to show him what they called the most beautiful spot in Texas, a hidden oasis of clear streams, waterfalls and lush greenery in the Chihuahuan Desert. Impressed by the canyon’s geology and natural beauty, Pratt bought land there with two business partners to use as a private summer retreat. Nearly four decades later, that personal refuge became the foundation for Guadalupe Mountains National Park. According to historical records maintained by the National Park Service, Pratt’s first land donation included 4,942 acres and was accepted by the federal government in 1959. He and his family later gave an additional 690 acres between 1960 and 1961. Together, these gifts formed the core of the land that became Guadalupe Mountains National Park in 1972.

Building a stone sanctuary in the canyon

Pratt’s first development in McKittrick Canyon was simple and practical. During the winter of 1931 and 1932, he hired architect John Staubs to build Pratt Cabin, a two-bedroom stone structure made with locally quarried stone and timber. The Pratt family used the cabin as a summer home. But its location deep inside the canyon, near a wash, left it exposed to strong floods and bad weather. The family continued using it as a retreat even after building a second home on higher ground. After Pratt’s first wife, Pearl, died in 1940, he married Iris Calderhead in 1941. Calderhead was a prominent early 20th-century suffragist and former leader of the National Woman’s Party. Soon after their marriage, the couple decided to build a permanent home on higher ground near the mouth of McKittrick Canyon.

Architectural marvel inspired by oil tankers

To design their new home, the Pratts hired the New York City architecture firm Milliken and Bevin. The house, completed in 1943 and named Ship on the Desert, became an important early example of modernist architecture in West Texas. According to National Park Service records, the house was designed to look like an ocean-going oil tanker. The design reflected Pratt’s long career in the oil industry. The long, narrow home used local limestone, wide areas of glass and a layout designed to blend with the surrounding mountains. The design also included details tied to Iris Pratt’s life. The entrance door was painted bright purple, a color linked to the women’s suffrage movement and the National Woman’s Party. Although Milliken and Bevin received formal credit for the design, Pratt’s letters credited Newton and Elizabeth Bevin with much of the actual design work. The couple stayed at the original Pratt Cabin while supervising construction of the new house. National Park Service records say construction began in 1942 and was completed in 1943.

Conservation gift and creation of a national park

Wallace and Iris Pratt lived at Ship on the Desert for about 15 years. Wallace kept an office in Carlsbad, New Mexico, and often flew his small plane from the private airstrip near the house to his office. The Pratts also operated a ranch from the property. As Iris’s health declined, the couple moved to Tucson, Arizona, around 1960. Pratt wanted to protect McKittrick Canyon and the Guadalupe Mountains from future development. Beginning in 1959, he began giving his land to the federal government. The first donation, accepted on December 30, 1959, covered 4,942 acres. A second donation involving 690 acres was accepted in 1960 and 1961. The National Park Service says the total Pratt property accepted by the government was 5,632 acres. Pratt’s gift helped drive the effort to create a national park. The federal government later purchased about 80,000 acres owned by rancher and developer J.C. Hunter Jr. to complete the larger park area. Congress passed the legislation needed to establish Guadalupe Mountains National Park in 1966. The land transfer was completed by 1970, and the park was formally dedicated and opened to the public in September 1972. The park now covers 76,293 acres and includes Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas, as well as the extensive exposed Permian fossil reef for which the Guadalupe Mountains are known.

Preservation status of the Pratt structures

Both of Pratt’s historic residences remain preserved inside Guadalupe Mountains National Park today. Pratt Cabin is located along the McKittrick Canyon Trail and is a popular stop for hikers. The cabin is now an interpretive site that tells the story of the Pratt family. The building is not normally open to the public unless a volunteer or ranger is present. Ship on the Desert was added to the National Register of Historic Places and remains under National Park Service care. Over the years, it has been used as housing for staff and volunteers and as a research center for scientists studying the park’s geology. It is not currently open to the public. In 2018, the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed Ship on the Desert on its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The National Trust cited deferred maintenance and the need for preservation work on the early modernist building. The National Park Service continues efforts to raise funds and plan restoration work to protect the house for future study.