About Paint Rock

Paint Rock is a town and the county seat of Concho County, Texas. The town's name comes from Indian pictographs painted on cliffs overlooking the nearby Concho River. Paint Rock is one of the major rock art sites in Texas and the premier site in Central Texas. There are an estimated 1,500 paintings spread out over a distance of one-half mile. Paint Rock is something of an enigma as to why this spot was chosen for decoration or what the symbols mean. Evidently Paint Rock was only a resting place for Indians or possibly a crossroad for hunting parties and the paintings only a way to pass the time. Paint Rock was visited by Lula and Olea Forrest Kirkland in the early 1930s. They made watercolor paintings of a great many of the pictographs here. Paint Rock has been victimized by vandals who seek to leave their mark by their own names or initials. In 1935 an estimated 25 percent of all pictographs had been destroyed beyond recognition by graffiti, smoke, and soot from fires. Paint Rock is currently served by the Paint Rock Independent School District where the biggest schools are Paint Rock Junior High school and Paint Rock High School. Local businesses include Lowake Steak House and Box Michael Construction.

-- Latest Update 2010/08/11 by lovelylowery2