Pratt Lodge in Guadalupe Mountains National Park
historic place
In Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas, stands the historic Pratt Lodge, also known as Pratt Cabin or The Stone Cabin. This site, located in Culberson County, is found just over two miles inside McKittrick Canyon, at the confluence of North and South McKittrick Creek. The cabin was constructed between 1931 and 1932. It served as a summer residence for Wallace Pratt, a petroleum geologist. Pratt first visited the Guadalupe Mountains in 1921 and began purchasing land in McKittrick Canyon. By 1930, he owned a significant portion of the canyon. Pratt eventually acquired over 5,000 acres. He donated these lands, including the cabin, to the National Park Service between 1959 and 1961. This donation formed the core of what would become Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The Pratt Lodge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 26, 1975. Today, it functions as an interpretive site and a rest area for hikers. The cabin represents Wallace Pratt's efforts to preserve this natural area.