History

Enchanted Rock: Tales and Legends of This Mystical Mount

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Tony Maples Photography

 

As its name suggests, Enchanted Rock mystifies and intrigues those who visit it. Even as far back as when Native Americans reigned in the Hill Country, legends have surrounded this granite batholith. These tales make ideal campfire stories, and these Enchanted Rock tales illustrate how the area has been viewed by others over time.

Spirits of the Doomed

Light reflecting off water or feldspar on the surface of Enchanted Rock may have created the ghost lights people see

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Several Enchanted Rock tales recount doomed people who passed away on the hill. Stories tell of either a band of Native American warriors who, though outnumbered, fought valiantly to the death from Enchanted Rock. Another variation of this is the Indian princess who throws herself off Enchanted Rock after seeing her people slaughtered. The ghosts of these people still wander the area, if you believe the legends. Those who visit the area at night claim to see strange lights and hear unnatural sounds from Enchanted Rock. Could these be from light reflecting off the rock and the stone contracting as it cools at night? Or are these phenomenon from something more mysterious?

The Priest Who Talked to Spirits

Enchanted Rock tales include one of a priest who fell into the rock and spoke with spirits he found there

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Another of the Enchanted Rock tales come from the Spanish days of Texas. A priest allegedly went to Enchanted Rock at night and vanished from his party, but when he returned two days later, he had an unusual tale to tell. He claimed that while on Enchanted Rock, he slipped between rocks and fell into a crevasse that led to a spirit world. In the spirit-inhabited world where he fell, he interacted with the specters for two days until the rock ejected him back to the surface.

Made of Silver?

Mountains in the Central Mineral Region of the Texas Hill Country, near Enchanted Rock No silver in these hills

Photo: Facebook/Reata Ranch Realty

One of the more unusual legends surrounding Enchanted rock hints at the misinformation the Spanish had about Texas. They believed the area harbored silver deposits, and some thought Enchanted Rock itself was made of silver. Others even linked this geologic feature to the mythical El Dorado. The quest for riches drove the Spanish, Germans, and Anglos to the area. In fact, the Spanish attempted to mine silver nearby in the Riley Mountains at Las Almagras Mine, and while they didn’t find gold or silver, they did discover the geological wonders of Texas on the Llano Uplift including the Riley Mountains and Enchanted Rock.