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25-634: The Caddo Mounds site is located in East Texas, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Alto on Texas State Highway 21 near its intersection with U.S. Route 69 in the Piney Woods region. Operated by the Texas Historical Commission , the museum at the site was reopened in October 2015. The new museum offers visitors a chance to explore a replica Caddo village, and all exhibits are hands-on. Visitors can walk

50-517: A 30-week course at TPWD's Texas Game Warden Training Center in rural Hamilton County . The department is made up of 12 divisions: TPWD publishes Texas Parks and Wildlife , a monthly magazine available both in print and online editions. The magazine features articles and full-color photos on topics such as birding, boating, camping, fishing, hunting, state parks, travel, wildlife, and environmental issues. Texas Parks and Wildlife has been in publication since 1942. Texas Parks & Wildlife

75-463: A Caddo grass house at the site, with workers using traditional techniques. On April 13, 2019, during celebrations of Caddo Culture Day, an EF3 tornado struck the Mounds, killing one person and injuring 30 to 40, including 8 who were critically injured. Patients were transported to the hospital on a school bus or were life flighted. The mounds' visitor center and service buildings were heavily damaged, with

100-620: A capital loss estimated at $ 2.5 million. The loss of the visitor center's museum-like display space destroyed many replica items, but actual artifacts had been withdrawn from public view long before by agreement between the Historical Commission and persons with standing in representation of the Caddo Confederacy of Native Americans . Alto, Texas Alto is a town in Cherokee County , Texas , United States. With

125-476: A permanent water source that flowed into the Neches River. What eventually became the largest mound, Mound A, was begun at this time. It is at the southern edge of the site and was surrounded by about 40 houses. In 1100 a new mound was begun near the center of the site, Mound B, and would eventually measure roughly 175 feet (53 meters) north-south and 115 feet (35 meters) east-west. Mound C, the northernmost mound of

150-530: A population of 1,027 at the 2020 U.S. census , Alto is the closest municipality to the Caddo Mounds State Historic Site , an archaeological site dating back to 800 BC, featuring a prehistoric village and ceremonial center. An early settler in the region was Martin Lacy, who built Lacy's Fort just to the west to the current site of Alto in around 1838. In 1838 and 1839, during the campaign to suppress

175-628: A total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km ), all land. Alto had a prisoner of war camp during World War II , which served the Cherokee County area. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Alto has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 1,027 people, 459 households, and 283 families residing in

200-599: Is a weekly, half-hour television series aired on Texas PBS stations, as well as on a number of other PBS stations around the country. Viewers can stream episodes on the PBS website and on the TPWD YouTube channel. Originally titled Made in Texas , the series began production in 1985 as a magazine style show, with three or four different segments each week. For several years, the show focused on one topic each week, documentary style. In 1991,

225-603: Is the capital of the federally recognized Caddo Nation of Oklahoma . The earliest recorded written mention of the mounds was in 1779 by Athanase de Mézières, who traveled from Louisiana to San Antonio in the employ of the Spanish government. In 1919 American James Edwin Pearce was the first professional archeologist to record the site for the Bureau of Ethnology (Smithsonian Institution). In 1933 archeologist E. B. Sayles concluded that

250-681: The Córdova Rebellion , the fort served as an operations and supply base for the Third Militia brigade commanded by Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Rusk . The town of Alto was laid out in 1849 and named for the Spanish word meaning "high," on account of the site's elevation on a drainage divide between the Neches and Angelina Rivers . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has

275-679: The Neches and Angelina River valleys up to the 1830s, but by the early 1840s, all Caddo groups had moved to the Brazos River area in an effort to avoid Anglo-American colonization. In 1855 the U.S. government moved them to the Brazos Indian Reservation . In 1859 it forced them to move again, to the Washita River in Indian Territory (now western Oklahoma ). The Caddo still primarily live in western Oklahoma, and Binger, Oklahoma

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300-645: The 0.7 miles (1.1 km) self-guided interpretive trail to see the Caddo burial, low temple, and ceremonial mounds. An additional trail along the El Camino Real is also available. The site began with the founding of a permanent village by the Hasinai , who moved into the region from the Red River area to the northeast, in roughly 850 to 900 CE. The region had ideal qualities for a village: good soil, abundant food resources, and

325-744: The Fish and Oyster Commission to regulate fishing. The legislature added the Game Department to the commission in 1907. The Legislature created the State Parks Board as a separate entity in 1923. In 1963, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was formed through merger of the State Parks Board and the Game and Fish Commission. In 1983, the Texas legislature passed the Wildlife Conservation Act, giving

350-474: The Texas Sky features outdoor experiences of both everyday people and experts from inside and outside TPWD. Founded in 1991, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation is the nonprofit funding partner of TPWD. Overseen by a board of trustees and administered by full- and part-time staff members, the foundation has raised over $ 205 million since its inception to ensure all Texans can enjoy, explore, and be inspired by

375-536: The agency is responsible for managing the state's parks and historical areas. Its mission is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations . The agency maintains its headquarters at 4200 Smith School Road in Austin, Texas . In 1895, the Texas Legislature created

400-630: The department the authority for managing fish and wildlife resources in all Texas counties. The department operates 95 state parks and historic sites , 51 wildlife management areas, eight fish hatcheries, and numerous field offices statewide. On January 1, 2008, and September 1, 2019, TPWD transferred management of several historic sites to the Texas Historical Commission . The agency employs more than 3,500 permanent employees, and 300 interns every summer, from every field of study. Intern programs vary but are typically 12 weeks long and go from May until August. Game wardens and Park Police Officers undergo

425-500: The name of the series changed to Texas Parks & Wildlife and reverted to its original magazine format. Beginning in June 2016, TPWD Game Wardens were featured in a new reality television series on Animal Planet titled Lone Star Law . Passport to Texas is a daily series broadcast on radio stations throughout Texas. The series includes 90 second radio spots on topics, including wildlife, state parks, and outdoor activities. Under

450-492: The population. Public schools are managed by the Alto Independent School District . These are Alto High School , Alto Middle School, and Alto Elementary School. In 2011, the city eliminated its entire police force after the city council cut the police budget to zero, causing residents to brace for increased crime. A councilman is quoted as saying "The police department, being a non-money-making entity,

475-646: The site and concluded that it had been a major Caddo site. Further excavations in the 1960s and early 1970s by Dee Ann Story pinpointed the timeline of the site to 780 and 1260. After acquiring seventy acres of the site, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department established a historic park in 1974. It funded a series of excavations in the 1970s and 1980s. As a result of these excavations by the University of Texas at Austin , Texas A&M University , and private contractor Elton R. Prewitt , another twenty-three acres of land

500-450: The site for religious and political matters. The Caddo culture that remained was similar to the earlier culture in many ways but was more egalitarian and did not import as many exotic goods. By the time Europeans arrived in the area in the 18th century, the Caddo groups in the area lived in small villages and hamlets, spread across the local landscape, and which had more autonomous, local governmance. The Hasinai groups continued to live in

525-406: The site was a Caddo mound center, after conducting surface collection of artifacts at the location. The first scientific excavations were conducted from 1939 to 1941 by H. Perry Newell , a University of Texas archeologist with the federal Work Projects Administration in the government of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. When Newell died, archeologist Alex D. Krieger took over investigations at

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550-470: The three, was used as a burial mound, not for elite residences or temples like the other two. The site was the southwesternmost ceremonial mound center of all the great mound building cultures of North America. The settlement was abandoned when the local Caddo ritually capped the mounds around 1250 CE and focused their activities from the east to west, according to their oral history . The outlying hamlets became more self-sufficient and grew less dependent on

575-519: The town. According to the 2000 U.S. census , there were 1,190 people, 452 households, and 282 families residing in the town. The population density was 707.1 inhabitants per square mile (273.0/km ). There were 534 housing units at an average density of 317.3 per square mile (122.5/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 65.55% White , 24.79% African American , 0.50% Native American , 0.17% Asian , 6.81% from other races , and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.25% of

600-476: Was added to the park in 1981. An interpretive visitors center was constructed at the site. In 2008, the 80th Texas Legislature transferred operational control of the property to the Texas Historical Commission . The museum and members of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma have collaborated on activities that help the public understand Caddo culture. In July 2016, elder Phil Cross was interviewed about construction of

625-504: Was the easiest to get rid of." Meanwhile, police services are provided by the county sheriff and, assuming the town's finances improve, it will be opened up again in December. [REDACTED] Media related to Alto, Texas at Wikimedia Commons Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department ( TPWD ) is a Texas state agency that oversees and protects wildlife and their habitats . In addition,

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