The Film & Video Archive of the McDonald Observatory - Franklin Mountains and Dedication Ceremony (1939)

Duration: 14:21

Year Published: 1939

Sound: silent

Description: This intertitled film captures the area surrounding the McDonald Observatory as well as the facility’s dedication ceremony on May 5, 1939. After taking in the vistas around the Franklin Mountains, the camera focuses on the market squares of both El Paso and Juarez, Mexico. Following its journey across the border, the film heads back up the mountain for the observatory dedication. Those assembled enjoy a chuckwagon picnic, while the Girl Scouts that arrive a date late find themselves locked out. A research unit of the University of Texas at Austin, the McDonald Observatory is one of the world’s leading centers for astronomical research and teaching. Its facilities are located atop Mount Locke and Mount Fowles in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.