Hill, Robert Thomas
Langtry, Val Verde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Tennessee native Robert T. Hill (185801941) moved to Comanche, Texas at age 16 and developed an interest in Texas Geology. Educated at Columbia University, he worked for the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Texas and as State Geologist. Known as the father of Texas Geology, he identified many of the state's geological features and regions. In 1899, he and five others surveyed the Rio Grande. Beginning in Presidiio, the team charted the river's path through steep canyons and periolous obstacles. After 350 miles of river travel, the men saw a landmark eagle's nest and at that point ended their trip and hiked into Langtry. Hill's work was the first to document the Rio Grande through the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Robert T. Hill came to Comanche, Texas as a teenager and grew fascinated with the land itself, eventually earning the title "father of Texas geology." Educated at Columbia and working for the U.S. Geological Survey, he mapped many of the state's defining geological regions. In 1899 he led a party surveying the Rio Grande, charting 350 miles of steep canyons and perilous rapids from Presidio before hiking out at Langtry—the first documentation of the river through the Trans-Pecos.
Why it matters
His scientific exploration turned a little-known stretch of the Southwest into mapped, understood country, part of the great age of American surveys that opened the West to knowledge.
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Related people
- · Robert T. Hill
Related events
- · 1899 Rio Grande survey
Themes & tags
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