DUANE
Duane's take
The way I heard it, this comes straight from the official marker — so let me tell it true. Robert Thomas Hill was born in Tennessee, but Texas had other plans for him. He moved to Comanche, Texas at age sixteen, and somewhere out there on that wide open ground, he caught a feeling for what was underneath it all.
Texas geology. Not the most obvious calling for a young man, but Hill ran with it. He went on to study at Columbia University, then came back and put that education to work — for the U.S.
Geological Survey, for the University of Texas, and as State Geologist. Along the way, he identified many of the state's geological features and regions, and in time he'd be known as nothing less than the father of Texas Geology. That title doesn't get handed out lightly.
Now here's where the story gets its legs. In 1899, Hill and five others set out to survey the Rio Grande. They started in Presidio and aimed themselves downriver, into some of the most unforgiving terrain this state has to offer — steep canyons, perilous obstacles, the kind of country that doesn't care how educated you are.
Three hundred and fifty miles of river travel. Think about that the next time you're griping about a long drive on a paved highway. And then, after all of that, the men spotted a landmark eagle's nest along the river.
That eagle's nest told them what they needed to know — that was the spot. They ended their river trip right there and hiked into Langtry. Hill's work became the first to document the Rio Grande through the Trans-Pecos region of Texas.
The river had always been there. The canyons had always been there. But Hill and his five companions are the ones who finally told the world exactly what was down inside them.
Robert Thomas Hill, born 1858, died 1941 — a Tennessee boy who helped Texas understand itself.
What the marker says
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)