In 1934, rancher J.C. Hunter of Van Horn offered 43,200 acres to the federal government for $237,600, but the proposal stalled because the Treasury was unwilling to finance a remote acquisition and the area lacked infrastructure.
After Hunter's death in 1945, his son, J.C. Hunter Jr., inherited the ranch and expanded it to 72,071 acres, raising sheep and goats while maintaining water channels for livestock.
The federal government finally agreed to purchase the expanded tract in December 1969 for $1.5 million; the National Park Service notes that the sale supplied more than 90 % of the land that would become Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
The park’s creation was bolstered by Wallace Pratt’s donation of nearly 6,000 acres in 1966, a contribution that, along with the Hunter sale and other smaller acquisitions, satisfied the acreage requirement set by Congress.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park opened its gates in September 1972, and today the park’s rugged peaks and canyons still bear the imprint of ranching, with historic sites such as Frijole Ranch and Williams Ranch preserved as reminders of the Hunter family’s legacy.