India, Sept. 29 -- Most people cheer when a new national park opens. In the 1960s, however, not all West Texans shared that enthusiasm for the new park. Congress authorized Guadalupe Mountains National Park in 1966, and, as the National Park Service's history of the Pine Springs Store explains, Walter and Bertha Glover operated a small roadside store and cafe within its soon-to-be boundaries. The agency describes the store as a significant rest stop for nearly three generations of travelers. But the Glovers didn't want a park there at all.

Walter Glover purchased land near Pine Springs in 1913. Eventually he and his wife Bertha opened a gas station, store, cafe, and a motel with cabins. The park service history notes that all the park wa...