THE LEGACY OF
KOKERNOT
AND
MORELOCK
The Lodge and Amphitheater
by Chelsea Rios
Photo courtesy Archives of the Big Bend, Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library, Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas
A place set apart for rest and relaxation of the students of Sul Ross State University by rancher H.L. Kokernot, the lodge and amphithe-
ater sit by Kokernot Springs (lower right), down the Loop Road from the campus (upper left). Photo dates probably to the 1940s.
H
ave you ever had a special place
where you could go, to escape
the torments of everyday life?
Nearly every town has a cultural or his-
torical place that influences its residents.
Located on the northeast side of Alpine,
Texas, along current State Hwy. 223,
also known as Loop Road, are the
Kokernot Amphitheater and Lodge.
From the road, the lodge appears much
as it did 80 years ago. The amphi theater
however, looks much older than its 77
years. The imprint these landmarks
have had on Alpine’s history is large,
because at one time, the lodge and
amphitheater were active places of fel-
lowship, laughter and the coming
together of performing arts in the Big
Bend area.
It started in 1929 when Horace W.
Morelock, third president of Sul Ross
State Teachers College, decided that the
students of Sul Ross needed a place
where they could relax and get away
from the pressures of education. The
“Annual Scenic Drive” had been a popu-
10
lar activity for students in the 1920s. They
drove through the Davis Mountains in
the cars of area residents who were acting
as hosts, stopping along the road to enjoy
what beauty nature had to offer.
Ranchmen supplied land along the high-
ways as rest stops. As time went by, how-
ever, some students hiked or picnicked in
these areas on their own and became
careless in “leaving gates open, fires still
burning and sharp-edged tin cans as a
hazard to cattle,” causing ranchers to
close their property to students.
Near Loop Road is the site of
Alpine’s original water hole, once known
as Charco de Alsate and Burgess
Waterhole, the water source now called
Kokernot Springs. Used by wildlife and
Indians for hundreds of years, Kokernot
Springs was a primary source of water
in the area and was responsible for the
founding of Alpine. In 1886, Daniel
Murphy obtained the land where the
springs are located and leased the water-
hole to the Southern Pacific Railroad,
which needed the water for its engines.
Cenizo
Second Quarter 2011
Murphy built a pump house and a
pipeline to the railroad tracks. Shortly
after, however, the railroad stopped
using the water from the springs. It was
in the late 1880s that the Kokernot fam-
ily acquired ownership of the springs to
water their cattle, and Burgess
Waterhole became Kokernot Springs.
With no place for the students to go
on hikes or picnics, Morelock
approached H.L Kokernot Sr. with the
idea of using land from the Glenn
Kokernot Estate as a haven for the stu-
dents to spend their leisure time.
Kokernot met with Morelock and said
to him, “Go down to the springs, select
the area that will serve your purpose, set
up corners, have the tract surveyed, and
I will arrange to get the state a deed to
the plot.” In addition, Kokernot had
three conditions for the land transaction,
“the tract (of land) must be fenced, the
Kokernots would reserve priority rights
on water in case of drought, and every
effort must be made to get a highway
leading to the park.”
After acquiring the land for his proj-
ect, Morelock invited a group of repre-
sentatives from the appropriations com-
mittee of the Texas Legislature to see
the site of his recreational club house.
The legislators were at first confused
about Morelock’s interest in an off-cam-
pus project, but as Morelock explained
the purpose for the lodge, they grew sup-
portive, and he told them about his lack
of funds. The committee saw potential
in Morelock’s plan and asked him how
much money he needed to put the proj-
ect in motion – Morelock asked for
$10,000, and the money was later
appropriated by the committee.
In accordance with Kokernot’s condi-
tions, Morelock had the land fenced in
and set aside $2,000 from the initial
grant for the state highway department
expenses so that a highway presently
State Hwy. 223) would lead to the park.
Furthermore, following a recommenda-
tion by area rancher and civic leader J.D
Jackson, a large barbecue pit was con-
structed next to the lodge.
The rest of the budget was applied to
the construction of the club house. The
club house, known as Kokernot Lodge,
is made up of seven rooms: two rest-
rooms, a kitchen, two visiting rooms, a
maintenance closet and a large (24-foot-
by-50-foot) social hall (fireplace includ-
ed) to be used for dances, get-togethers
and performances. The exterior of the
lodge is made up of stucco and native
stone.
On July 21, 1930, the lodge was
opened to Alpine locals and Sul Ross
students. The open house concluded
with an invitation to the community for
an “old western barbecue” held on the
lodge grounds.
Over the years, the lodge became a
place of concerts and socials, as well as
the home of the “Lodge Players”
Formed in 1958, the Lodge Players was
a drama club limited to freshman who
would perform four short plays every
year called “floor shows.” For eight years
the Lodge Players presented shows to
enthusiastic audiences. Buffet dinners
prepared by the students and directors
followed the performances.
In 1933, an agency of the New Deal,
the Works Progress Administration
(WPA), began work on an outdoor the-
ater for Sul Ross State Teachers College.
The outdoor theater was placed on the
grounds of Kokernot Lodge, built in the
style of ancient Greek theaters and was
to be used as a center for the performing
arts. The amphitheater itself was built
along a sloping bank, allowing audience
members to bring blankets or chairs and
sit on the grassy steps as they watched