BIG SPRING, TX (KWES) - It's where Big Spring gets its name.
The Historic Spring, after 11 months of construction, brings on new changes and it's finally open to the public.
The funding was provided by the city's hotel and motel tax.
The spring includes new features from three waterfalls and observation decks, an expanded walking trail, plus 8 storyboards that tells the story of the spring. It's something that is an underlying factor to why its history plays a big role in West Texas.
"This spring is so important," said Community Services Director, Debbie Wegman. "West Texas would not have taken the route it did if it weren't for this spring. I-20 would not be here. The railroad would not be here."
Kelly Cook of KDC Associates is the architect of the park. He had to do a lot of research before making the design a reality.
"We pulled documentation back from the 1800's," said Cook. "I think I ended up reading 17 books. With that, we came up with 8 periods that we could define that could identify West Texas for what it was. We wanted the architecture to match the state park and make it look like the 1930's architecture collided with the 21st century."
Studies show that the spring was a watering hole before humans ever stepped foot into the park and that it was also a meeting place for the Comanche Tribes.
"Prior to the highways, the rail came, they needed the spring for a source of water," said Cook. "It was the only source of water south of here. Virtually every city on I-20 west of Weatherford is here because of this site. Midland and Odessa exist because of this site."
The project has been in the works since 2014, and with these new features, the community hopes this site can continue preserving Big Spring's history, but making sure its story lives forever.
