History blends with nature along Devils River

Devils River Country—In the rugged canyons of southwestern Texas, where limestone walls rise above arid scrub and the Devils River winds through remote wilderness, a cluster of clear springs bubbles up from ancient rock.

Known as Dolan Springs, the waters feed Dolan Creek, which spills into the Devils River at Dolan Falls, one of the state’s most striking continuously flowing waterfalls. The cascade tumbles over a limestone cliff into turquoise pools bordered by green vegetation, creating a rare oasis in an otherwise harsh landscape.

Today, the area is protected within The Nature Conservancy’s Dolan Falls Preserve and the Devils River State Natural Area, home to diverse wildlife, prehistoric rock shelters and pictographs dating back thousands of years. Many consider the Devils River one of Texas’ most unspoiled waterways.

But long before conservationists arrived, the region was shaped by centuries of conflict, survival and frontier law enforcement.

A land of Native trails and contested ground

For generations, this stretch of the Devils River lay within the Comanchería, the vast territory controlled by the Comanche people across the Southern Plains. Reliable springs and hidden canyons offered sanctuary and travel routes, including paths associated with the Great Comanche War Trail.

As Spanish explorers, Mexican settlers and later Anglo-Americans moved deeper into Texas, the land became a contested borderland. By the 1870s, military campaigns such as the Red River War had weakened Comanche resistance, bison herds had collapsed and reservation systems pushed Native peoples farther north.

Still, small bands of Comanche, Kiowa and possibly other groups continued to pass through remote refuges like the Devils River, hunting or seeking shelter.

Captain Dolan and the frontier Rangers

The name “Dolan” honors Capt. Patrick Dolan, a Texas Ranger and Civil War veteran who later became the first sheriff of Uvalde County.

Dolan arrived in the region during the unstable years following the Civil War, when the Devils River and its tributaries were notorious as hideouts for rustlers, horse thieves and outlaws who used the canyon country for concealment.

His name became linked to the area as early as 1873, when he participated in a skirmish near the confluence of Dolan Creek and the Devils River. Historical details remain limited, but the encounter reflected the low-level frontier violence that persisted even as large-scale Native resistance was coming to an end.

Earlier precedents included an 1857 U.S. Army clash nearby involving a young John Bell Hood, later the namesake of Fort Hood, against Comanche warriors.

Dolan’s most significant contributions came through his later service with the Texas Rangers’ Frontier Battalion, established in 1874. He worked closely with Capt. Neal Caldwell, commander of Company F, conducting long horseback patrols across the Hill Country and along rivers including the Nueces, Guadalupe and Devils.

Dolan served as Caldwell’s first lieutenant before assuming command as captain in 1878. Their mission focused on disrupting outlaw bands and restoring order in a region long defined by isolation and lawlessness.

Memoirs such as James B. Gillett’s Six Years With the Texas Rangers describe the grueling rides and frontier conditions faced by Company F under Major John B. Jones. While specific dispatches from the Dolan area are scarce, Ranger patrols gradually pushed rustlers and thieves out of the canyon sanctuary.

Their success helped open the region to safer travel and ranching as Texas moved toward stability.

The legacy remains in the names Dolan Creek, Dolan Springs and Dolan Falls, documented in sources including the Texas State Historical Association’s Handbook of Texas.

From frontier battleground to protected treasure

Today, Dolan Springs stands in stark contrast to its turbulent past. Protected lands preserve the river’s purity, fed largely by springs, with limited access intended to safeguard fragile ecosystems.

The area now draws kayakers, hikers and nature enthusiasts to its jade-colored waters, rapids and biodiversity rather than to its history of conflict.

From prehistoric inhabitants and Native trails to Ranger patrols and modern conservation, Dolan Springs reflects Texas’ transformation from a contested frontier into a cherished natural refuge, where the water still runs clear through the canyon walls.