Judge Jesse Coleman "J.C." Hunter

In the early 1920s, oilman, banker, and politician J.C. Hunter began acquiring over 72,000 acres in the Guadalupe Mountains, including Texas’s highest peak and McKittrick Canyon. Managing the land conservatively, he maintained low stocking rates and in the late 1920s and early 1930s, pioneered wildlife restoration by introducing Merriam’s wild turkeys and Rocky Mountain elk. From the start, Hunter promoted the land’s protection—maintaining trails, permitting camping, and banning hunting. In 1928, he hosted the governors of Texas and New Mexico to propose a park, and in 1934 he offered 43,000 acres at cost to the federal government. Four years later, he proposed donating 1,000 acres of McKittrick Canyon to the state. Though early efforts failed, his conservation vision was realized when Guadalupe Mountains National Park was authorized in 1966 and opened in 1972.