Capote Peak is fourteen miles northwest of Farm Road 2810 in western Presidio County (at 30°17' N, 104°33' W). At an elevation of 6,212 feet above sea level, its summit rises 1,882 feet above nearby Capote Creek. The peak stands at the southeastern edge of the Sierra Vieja range. The area is characterized by desert mountains and canyonland of rhyolite and tuff; vegetation includes sparse grasses, cacti, and conifer and oak shrubs. Capote means "cloak" or "cape" and refers to the fog and mist that at times surround the peak. In 1870 William Russell grazed sheep on the southern edge of Capote. Although the shepherds were considered safe from attack because of their distance from Indian trails, Apaches raided the area and allowed only one sheepherder to escape. Lucas Charles Brite II brought cattle to Capote Peak in 1885 and built his ranch in its shadow.
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Virginia Madison and Hallie Stillwell, How Come It's Called That? Place Names in the Big Bend Country (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1958). Ronnie C. Tyler, The Big Bend (Washington: National Park Service, 1975).
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Anonymous,
“Capote Peak,”
Handbook of Texas Online,
accessed May 22, 2022,
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/capote-peak.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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Original Publication Date:
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1952
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Most Recent Revision Date:
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September 11, 2019
