Alpine visitors and residents may have noticed two new additions to popular spots around town – informational signs about the history of Murphy Street and the trails on Hancock Hill behind Sul Ross State University. The signs are recently completed projects by the City of Alpine in partnership with Brewster County and the university.

The Hancock Hill sign includes maps of suggested trail routes, including the path to the desk, a well-known curiosity placed at the top of the hill with a commanding view of the surrounding landscape. The sign also offers basic information about the trails, some notes on the history of the desk, and a QR code for smart phones to access a Google Map of the trails. Printed trail maps are also available at the Alpine Visitor Center.

The Hancock Hill trailhead was the gathering place last week of representatives of the city and the university. Those present included President Pete P. Gallego, city council member Jerry Johnson, Alpine Public Works Director Eddie Molinar, Tourism Director Chris Ruggia, Dr. Kevin Urbanczyk, and the guest of honor, Jim Kitchen.

Kitchen was one of three Sul Ross students who, 40 years ago, carried the first desk up the hill to make their own private office space both for study and meditation on the beauty of the desert mountains.

“Carrying the desk was the easy part,” said Kitchen. “The real work was making the trails.”

Gallego, a classmate of Kitchen’s as a Sul Ross undergraduate, said, “Forty years ago, you had no idea what you were going to start. You probably thought you were going to get in trouble, but what a favor you did for the University.”

The sign projects are Ruggia’s work. He brought the concepts to the partner institutions, managed the projects, and provided the graphic design for both signs. Ruggia shepherded the sign content through approvals and oversaw the fabrication, then coordinated with Molinar, whose team installed both signs.

The Murphy Street sign, located at the corner of Fifth and Murphy streets, was the result of a partnership between the city and the county. The sign includes historic photos of the existing buildings along Murphy Street and text by archaeologist David Keller of the Center for Big Bend Studies.