J.O. Langford, a homesteader from Mississippi, arrived in 1909 afflicted with recurring malaria and spending his last pennies in search of health and fortune. Long before Big Bend National Park was established, he developed this area into a rustic riverside resort so others could experience the waters he said healed him. In 1909, Langford built his home on the bluff overlooking the springs and designed a pulley system to bring water up the hill; the foundation remains. A bath house at the hot springs was built in 1910 by German mason Herman Jacobs, and its foundation remains. Langford built a motor court in the mid-1920s to house the growing number of tourists and adventurers drawn to the hot springs. After a period of border unrest, he returned in 1927 and built the post office and store to serve communities on both sides of the river. Charles Livingston built the Livingston House in the 1920s, and Peter and Etta Koch lived there in the 1940s; Etta painted the murals in the post office and motor court. Native American inhabitants also left pictographs, petroglyphs, mortar holes, and other evidence of their time here.