Cypress Bend Park Marker
Majestic cypress trees along the Guadalupe River could tell quite a
story -- if only we could read those tree rings. Tree rings would tell
us that the first German settlers crossed the River in 1845 and entered
New Braunfels at a site not far from Cypress Bend Park. We would learn
that Hermann Seele, first teacher in New Braunfels, crossed the
flood-swollen Guadalupe River into today’s Cypress Bend Park. There, he
found Prince Carl’s workers cutting shingles for the newly founded town.
Prince Carl of Solms Braunfels, Germany, was the founder of New
Braunfels under the auspices of the Adelsverein or the Society for the
Protection of German Immigration in Texas. The same tree rings would
tell us about more recent generations’ experiences: of birthday parties
held at the Park’s Pavilion; of life-lessons learned as Scouts used the
facility for their retreats; or simply, how children first learned to
set a tent and bait a hook. We would learn that military troops from San
Antonio’s Fort Sam Houston camped there. We would also learn how
families seeking the great outdoors continue to camp overnight at
Cypress Bend Park, and about the 5K-Runs originating in Cypress Bend
that helped create one New Braunfels Park and benefited several others.
The tree rings would also reveal great tragedy, whether it was a
family’s drowning or floods brought by a raging Guadalupe River. Let’s
look now beyond the tree rings for an accounting of Cypress Bend Park.
