The Big Bend is an account of human society in one of the most rugged and remote parts of this country. This volume is intended to supply a needed interpretive narrative for the exhibition at the park and to introduce park visitors to the human record in the Big Bend country, and to fill a considerable gap in the available professional studies on the Big Bend. The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations.