VALLEY OF HIDDEN WATERS

The small farming and ranching community of Dell City lies in the shadow of Guadalupe Peak, at 8,750 feet the highest mountain in Texas. The peak, a feature of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, is a big draw for Dell City visitors who arrive here to stock up on hiking and camping supplies, fill their tanks with gas, or grab a hot breakfast before hitting the trails in the nearby scenic park. In fact, Dell City is the closest Texas community to the Park entrance, a fifty-two mile drive around the southern base of Guadalupe Mountains. The only closer community lies northward across the state line in New Mexico.

Dell City, established in the late 1940s after the discovery of its significant supply of underground water, served as an unlikely green belt for crops like cotton and tomatoes in a region better known for its Chihuahuan Desert environs. The community’s water reserve, called the Bone Spring-Victorio Peak Aquifer, is a valuable resource vital to successful agricultural endeavors in and around the Dell Valley. With Dell City at its center, this rural farming community celebrates annual events like the Dell Valley Hudspeth County Fair and Parade, a Main Street Halloween Parade, and the Dell City Junior Livestock Show. Events and schedules are covered in Dell City’s own weekly – The Hudspeth County Herald and Dell Valley Review.