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Final Report March 1997 The Illinois State Museum, in Springfield, Illinois, was established in 1877 but only has experienced substantial growth in its holdings since the 1970s. Springfield has a population of approximately 100,000 and is 1 1/2 hours from St. Louis and 4 hours from Chicago by car. The museum was visited by 197,021 people in 1996 (Fyfe, 1996). Our community should explore the possibility of developing a Natural History Museum celebrating the natural heritage of our community. Many people have discovered artifacts along the river, but these artifacts are not seen by many nor is our knowledge much advanced about the cultures which created these objects. Reportedly, SWT is storing a variety of artifacts. We should explore the possibility of using these resources in the development ofthe natural heritage of our community. San Marcos Historic Attraction San Marcos is an old community, by western standards. Spanish explorers traveled through the area as early as 1535. Alfonso De Leon named the San Marcos River on Saint Mark's day, 25 April 1689. A Spanish mission was established on our river in 1755 but drought forced its abandonment two years later. The first settlement, the Villa San Marcos de Neve, was founded in 1808 at the river crossing in the Camino Real. It was abandoned in 1812 due to Indian raids and floods. The founder ofthe pennanent settlement here in 1844 was General Edward Burleson (San Marcos Horizons, 1996 : 2- 7), leader of the First Regiment, the Texas Backbone of the army at the Battle of San Jacinto, and a vice-president of the Republic of Texas. The development of an attraction, such as a museum could reflect the history of Texas as it has played out in San Marcos- Spanish mission, Mexican province, independent country, member ofthe Union, member state ofthe Confederacy, and its return to the Union and subsequent history as a part of the kingdoms of cattle and cotton. This museum could be a source of increased community pride as many could participate by contributing pieces to the museum collection. San Marcos Plaza From Tierra del Fuego to northern California, it is customary to have a park dedicated to the saint namesakes of the communities. The headwaters of our river were discovered by Spanish explorers on St. Mark's Day in 1689. Three missions were moved here temporarily from 1755-1757. The first settlement, Villa San Marcos de Neve was established in 1808. It is long overdue for us to develop a plaza in commemoration of St. Mark and the discovery of our river's headwaters. This site should be in a highly visible and accessible location in our community. To enhance the development of the park. a statue and park design competition open only to Texas artists could be organized. This would generate quite a lot of free publicity for our community and enhance the whole process ofthe development of such a park. Such a park would be an added attraction for visitors to our community. Nature Tourism - Birding and Ecotourism Although many tourism professionals place nature tourism within cultural tourism, for our purposes we thought it would be best to separate the fonner from the latter. Weare Mayor's Blue Ribbon Committee on Tourism Development Page 15