1945 Diary from Big Bend National Park area in Texas

Hola ~ from "Where Rainbows Wait for Rain" ~ in the Big Bend National Park area in Texas ~ on the banks of the Rio Grande and Old Mexico ~

For several years I have had in my possession three diaries believed to have been written by Peter Koch. Anyone familiar with this name well knows who Peter Koch was but for those of you who don't know, Peter was an outstanding photographer of wildlife and a lecturer in the 1940's. Peter was working as a photographer for the Cincinnati Times Star (newspaper) but left there to do freelance work and one of his first assignments was to photograph the Big Bend which had just become a national park. (Peter also filmed the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and I have this diary as well)

This assignment of photographing the Big Bend National Park was however only meant to be a temporary position ~ Peter and his family were actually enroute to Arizona which would be their new home and where he would do desert filming.

All those years ago ~ while World War II was going on ~ and Big Bend was just getting its start as a national park ~ Peter, however, fell in love with this area and it became his home ~ ~ ~

As to how I came to have these diaries? The home I live in once was lived in by Peter. Years back when my husband and I purchased this property and the house, we were cleaning out the attic ~ and we found boxes and boxes of documents with Peter's name on them ~ bills and ledgers documenting his expenses for his bookkeeping records, letters and photographs ~ and three diaries. His initials "PK" and the date "45" are on the front. I have every reason to believe these are indeed Peter's diaries.

The entries are brief and never personal ~ mostly entries regarding the weather and wildlife ~ and because they are not personal in nature and because Peter Koch loved the Big Bend so much ~ I think he'd be pleased to know he is still able to share his love of this area with others.

I have enjoyed reading his diaries ~ perhaps you will, too. I will post to this blog as often as my schedule allows so please feel free to follow the entries if you'd like.

Also I am still working on my painting of Santa Elena Canyon ~ might be finished in a few days ~ hope you will check it out!

Post From Tuesday, March 27th, 1945:

Fair (I presume this means the weather was "fair" this day)

Went to Study Butte and photographed the people in a Rosary Service. Marched up the hill responsively reciting their Hail Mary's - beautiful scene as they climbed to the top of a butte where they knelt in solemn prayer.

This was outlined in a talk with - Rev. Francis Juaniz P.O. 476 Alpine, Texas. A high typle of Catholic priest.

On the way I took a number of pictures - the ocotilla are all doing well and now are at the heigth of bloom - the yuccas are doing well too, around Terlingua.

A very picturesque scene was filmed on Terlingua Creek - the green cottonwoods against the yellow cliffs.

14 mallards rose from the shallow water - circled and flew about half a mile up the creek - four of them were males -

Received roll of film from Lindy

End of today's Diary Entry

Have a great day folks and please stop in again soon for more! RoMy