White Sands history

Foundation and First Mentions

Although White Sands is not a city in the traditional sense, but rather a unique national park and natural site, its history spans millennia. The first evidence of human presence here dates back more than 23,000 years — this is the age of the fossilised footprints of ancient people found here. The modern history of its "foundation" is linked to the territory being granted protected status:

• 1898 — The first attempts to create a park here to preserve nature were undertaken by local enthusiasts.
• 18 January 1933 — President Herbert Hoover officially proclaimed White Sands a National Monument.
• 2019 — The site received the status of a US National Park.

Key Development Factors

Several unique circumstances determined the development of the territory as an important tourist and scientific centre:

• Geography and Geology: Its location in the enclosed Tularosa Basin, where winds and rains have washed gypsum down from the mountains for centuries, created the world's largest field of gypsum dunes. The impossibility of traditional agriculture kept the landscape untouched.
• Political and Military Authority: In the 1940s, the White Sands Missile Range was created around the dunes. The proximity of military bases and the site of the first atomic bomb test ("Trinity") paradoxically protected the park from commercial development and urban expansion.
• Tourism Potential: The efforts of local businessman Tom Charles, who promoted the idea of the park as "economically useless but monumental" land, were decisive in attracting Washington's attention.

Early Cultural and Economic Features

Before the arrival of Europeans, these lands were inhabited by representatives of the Jornada Mogollon culture, who hunted and gathered crops, leaving behind examples of pottery. Later, the region was controlled by the Apaches.

In the late 19th century, attempts were made to establish a ranch (the Lucero family) and gypsum mining here, but this proved economically unprofitable due to the remoteness and low value of the raw material. It was precisely the failure of industrial development that allowed the snow-white dunes to be preserved for future generations of travellers.

Major Milestones in the History of White Sands

• Approx. 21,000 BC — Ancient humans and Ice Age megafauna leave footprints on the shores of Lake Otero, which have survived to this day.
• Approx. 1400 AD — Apache Indian tribes begin to settle the Tularosa Basin territory, using local resources for survival.
• 1849 — A group of US Army officers conducts the first official reconnaissance and mapping of the white sands area.
• 1897 — Jose Lucero and his family establish a ranch near the lake of the same name, attempting to establish cattle breeding in the arid climate.
• 1930 — Local entrepreneur Tom Charles proposes the idea of creating a park to protect the unique dunes from commercial gypsum mining.
• 18 January 1933 — President Herbert Hoover signs a decree creating the "White Sands National Monument".
• 29 April 1934 — A grand opening ceremony for the park is held, attracting over 4,000 visitors.
• 1935–1938 — Workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) build historic adobe buildings and a road through the dunes, which are still in use today.
• 1945 — Creation of the White Sands Missile Range around the park territory, which increased control over the region's airspace and lands.
• 1969 — African Oryx antelopes are introduced to the region, and the population successfully adapted to the desert conditions.
• 2006 — Researchers discover new significant clusters of fossilised footprints, confirming the ancient presence of humans in this area.
• 20 December 2019 — White Sands officially receives the status of the 62nd US National Park, raising its prestige and level of protection.

Stages of Transformation and Territory Development

White Sands has journeyed from an impassable desert to a World Heritage site. Key development milestones are linked to the creation of tourism infrastructure, scientific discoveries, and interaction with the military sector.

• Construction of Dunes Drive (1930s)
  Laying a road deep into the gypsum dunes became the main "urban planning" decision for this area. It turned the wild landscape into an accessible tourist attraction, allowing any motorist to see the heart of the desert, which kickstarted mass tourism in the region.
• CCC Architectural Ensemble (1936–1940)
  The Civilian Conservation Corps erected a visitor centre and service buildings in the Pueblo Revival style (Spanish Pueblo). The use of adobe and traditional technologies created a unique architectural appearance, which is protected as historical heritage today.
• Military Neighbourhood (since 1945)
  Surrounding the park with the White Sands Missile Range defined the specifics of its operation. Periodic road closures for tests became the norm, but it was the strict military regime that protected the unique sands from commercial construction and industrial exploitation.
• Cinematic Recognition (1950–1990s)
  The park became a sought-after location for Hollywood (movies like "Transformers", "The Book of Eli", and westerns were filmed here). The cultural significance of this stage is immense: the white dunes became a recognisable visual brand, attracting film fans from all over the world.
• Introduction of Oryx (1969)
  The importation of African antelopes for sport hunting was a bold but controversial ecological experiment. Today, the presence of these animals is an exotic feature of the park, attracting photographers and naturalists.
• Discovery of "Ghost Tracks" (2000s – present)
  The discovery of the largest collection of fossilised footprints of humans and Ice Age animals transformed the park into a world-class archaeological site. This shifted the focus from simple recreation to scientific and educational tourism.
• Designation as a National Park (2019)
  Upgrading the rank from "Monument" to "Park" was a major economic event. This attracted federal investment and sharply increased the flow of tourists, which gave a powerful impulse to the development of the service sector in the neighbouring cities of Alamogordo and Las Cruces.

Architectural Appearance and Infrastructure Development

Since White Sands is a national park and not a traditional city, there is no customary succession of architectural eras from Gothic to Postmodernism here. However, the park possesses a unique and coherent architectural ensemble recognised as historical heritage. The "urban planning" development of this territory was subordinate to one goal: to create infrastructure for people that is harmoniously integrated into the harsh and shifting landscape of the desert.

Dominant Style: Pueblo Revival

The architectural look of the park was formed in a short but significant period — during the "New Deal" era of the 1930s. The primary and practically sole style here is Pueblo Revival, also known as "Spanish Pueblo".

This style was chosen intentionally to reflect the cultural traditions of the New Mexico region and visually link the buildings with the surrounding nature. Characteristic features of the style at White Sands:

• Materials: Use of unburnt brick (adobe), covered with earth-coloured plaster, imitating traditional Native American and Spanish structures.
• Forms: Rounded corners, thick walls, flat roofs, and a stepped building structure.
• Details: Protruding wooden ceiling beams (vigas), serving as both a structural element and decoration.

White Sands Historic District

All the main buildings of the park are concentrated in the so-called White Sands National Monument Historic District. This complex was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1936 and 1940. It is a benchmark example of park architecture of that time.

Key objects shaping the park's appearance:

• Visitor Centre: The central building of the complex. It is a masterpiece of adobe architecture, decorated with traditional wooden elements and handmade wrought-iron lamps. The inner courtyard (patio) with a garden creates an oasis of coolness amidst the desert.
• Service Residences: Several residential houses for rangers, built in the same Pueblo style, create the feeling of a small historic village.
• Picnic Areas: Deep in the dunes lie unique modernist picnic shelters from the 1930s. Their futuristic streamlined shape was designed specifically to protect tables from wind and flying sand, and they have become one of the park's symbols.

Planning Features in Dune Conditions

The engineering and planning development of the territory faced a unique problem — dune migration. The sands here are constantly moving, which makes the construction of stationary buildings deep in the field impossible.

Therefore, the park's "urban plan" has a linear structure:

• All permanent historic buildings are located on the edge of the dune field, where the soil is stable.
• A single road, Dunes Drive, leads deep into the sands; it is regularly cleared by graders, essentially being a temporary structure in an eternal landscape.

Founders and Guardians of the Park

• Tom Charles
  Entrepreneur, first custodian of the park
  Considered the "Father of White Sands". An insurance agency owner in neighbouring Alamogordo who, in the early 20th century, actively lobbied for the idea of protecting the dunes from commercial gypsum mining. It was his efforts that led to the territory being granted federal protected status.
• Herbert Hoover
  31st President of the USA
  Played a decisive administrative role in the site's history. On 18 January 1933, in the final days of his presidency, he signed the decree creating the "White Sands" National Monument, legally securing the boundaries of the protected zone.
• David Bustos
  Biologist, National Park Service employee
  A modern researcher whose observation led to a sensational discovery. In the 2000s, he identified and documented thousands of fossilised footprints of humans and megafauna ("Ghost Tracks"), proving that people lived here more than 20,000 years ago.

Science and Technology

• Wernher von Braun
  Rocket and space technology designer
  After World War II, he worked at the White Sands Missile Range surrounding the park. Here, he directed the launches of V-2 rockets, laying the foundation for the American space programme.
• Clyde Tombaugh
  Astronomer
  World-famous as the discoverer of the planet Pluto. He worked for many years at the White Sands range, developing powerful optical telescopes and tracking systems to record the flights of rockets tested in the desert.
• J. Robert Oppenheimer
  Theoretical physicist
  Head of the Manhattan Project. Although the explosion itself occurred at the northern border of the White Sands range ("Trinity" site), Oppenheimer's activities forever linked the name of this desert with the beginning of the atomic age.