Blue Mountain
Kermit, Winkler County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(4.5 mi N) Winkler County's highest point (3400 ft.), "Blue Mountain" is actually not a mountain, but is instead the southern escarpment of the Llano Estacado. The site has long served as a lookout and landmark on the west Texas plains, as well as a dependable location for fuel, shelter and water. A 1938 archeological excavation of rock shelters located along the ridge of the feature unveiled signs of prolonged occupation, such as mortar holes and pictographs on the shelters' walls, including images of human hands, serpents, horses and geometric patterns. A spring that once flowed near the rock shelter has become dry due to the lowering of the underground water table. (1964, 2009)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Despite its name, Blue Mountain is the southern escarpment of the Llano Estacado and the highest point in Winkler County. For centuries it served as a landmark and lookout on the West Texas plains, offering fuel, shelter, and water to those who passed. A 1938 excavation of its rock shelters found mortar holes and pictographs of hands, serpents, horses, and geometric designs, evidence of long human use.
Why it matters
The site records thousands of years of Indigenous life on the high plains, a natural waypoint that people relied on long before the region was mapped.
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Themes & tags
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