Walter Glover purchased land near Pine Springs as early as 1913. Ranching in the area first, following the construction of the highway, he and his wife, Bertha, developed a stop for tourists that included a gas station, store, café, and guesthouse with cabins for overnight stays.

In the early 1950s the Glovers had previously deeded a small portion of their property, a one-half-acre tract containing remnants of the old Butterfield stage station, to American Airlines. The airline company had planned to restore the stage station but when costs made the plans unfeasible, the property reverted to the Glovers. It was speculated that the Glovers might be convinced to make a similar agreement with the Park Service.

Before 1964 the Glovers had no previous knowledge of the proposed park and were extremely upset by the news that their property was included within the potential boundary. Inclusion of the Glover property in the park proposal had become important for two reasons: to provide access to Pine Spring Canyon from Highway 62/180 and allow preservation of the Butterfield stage station ruins. About 80 acres out of the more than 4,000 acres they owned was identified for acquisition.   

When a park advocate associated with J.C. Hunter, Jr. stopped to see the couple in the spring of 1964, he was not well received, and the Glovers literally ran him off their property. Shortly afterward, the Glovers told a Park Service planner that as regards the park proposal, “If it helps Hunter in any way, we are against it.”

A May 1964 report Park Service report was not optimistic. It described that the Glovers were "openly hostile to the park proposal and to any suggestion of including any part of their property within it. . . . [T]here was absolutely no opportunity for compromise" as far as the Glovers were concerned. It was suggested that although the Glovers' attitude might soften, the only way to eliminate their opposition to the park was to delete their property from the proposed park boundaries.

The recommendations of Park Service personnel regarding the Glover property brought about no bill revisions in Congress. The Glover tract remained a part of the future park when the enabling lesgislation was passed in 1966.

Two years later, in December 1969, J. E. Williamson, a negotiator from the Office of Land Acquisition and Water Resources, visited the Glovers. He hoped to obtain their permission for an appraisal of their property. In his notes, he bluntly assessed the Glover property and situation:

This is a problem tract. Owners are old and very hostile to the park. Mr. Glover is 91, Mrs. is 77. They have lived on or near the tract for 55 years. . . . The improvements consist of several old unused tourist cabins and an old building along the hwy [sic]. which is used as living quarters, service station and a very dirty little lunch stand. From what I could see the improvements are of little value.
. . . [T]he purpose of my visit was to obtain permission for an appraisal. . . . I made several attempts to communicate with Mrs. Glover and go over the map with her. I failed. She would take-off on a verbal barrage against the park, about how I was trying to steal their land and that our appraisal would be just another trick by another crook. . . . She would talk only on their refusal to have anything to do with the park. She would not listen.

Williamson also met with Bertha Glover's brother, T. C. Miller, a retired Park Service ranger who lived in Carlsbad. Miller was not surprised at the Glovers' response and told Williamson he doubted that there was an answer to the problem. He recommended waiting until both Glovers died, since he did not think the Park Service would condemn the property. Williamson advised Miller not to believe that condemnation would not be utilized. Miller agreed to try to reason with the Glovers.

A month later Williamson met with the Glovers again. This time Mrs. Glover said they would not sell their property for less than a million dollars, but asked Williamson what the federal government would offer. He responded that until an appraisal had been made, he could not make an offer. Mrs. Glover again refused to allow an appraiser to look at the property. Williamson added a parenthetical note to his report, saying he thought an earlier estimated appraisal of $50,000 to $75,000 was too high.

Edward Hummel, Assistant Director of Park Management for the Park Service, suggested offering the Glovers a life estate in the property. However, if that offer was refused, he recommended filing a complaint reserving a life estate, believing such action would reduce "the sting of condemnation." Carl O. Walker, Acting Director of the Park Service, instructed the land office to try negotiating with the Glovers one more time. If that effort failed, he recommended filing a complaint action.

In April 1970, the Park Service offered $35,000 plus a life estate for the Glovers which allowed them the non-transferrable right to continue their business as long as they wished or lived. This offer was refused, and condemnation proceedings began.

The condemnation judgment, filed March 10, 1972, gave the Glovers $55,000 for their land. The presence of water wells on the land justified the increase of $20,000 over the government appraisals. The judgment also gave the Glovers the right to use and occupy the property as it was then improved until the death of the last surviving spouse. The Glover property was the last piece of land to be acquired before official establishment of the park on September 30, 1972.

For the next decade the store operated as it had. Walter Glover died in 1973 at the age of 94; Bertha Glover died in August 1982 at the age of 89. During the years in which Bertha Glover continued to operate the Pine Springs Cafe, she and the park personnel at Guadalupe Mountains maintained a friendly, if distant, relationship.

A month after Bertha Glover's death, park staff met with Mary Glover Hinson, the Glover's daughter, who had been living with her mother. They discussed how much time Hinson needed to close the business and vacate the buildings. Hinson asked to wait at least until the end of the tax year. It was determined that December 31, 1982, would be a "fair and reasonable" date for vacating the property.

On October 26 a national newspaper carried the story of Mary Hinson and announced that Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen had sent a written request for an extension of time for Hinson to vacate the cafe.

At the same time, staff members from the offices of Secretary of the Interior James Watt and Congressman Richard White also became involved in the question of extending Hinson's occupancy of the Pine Springs buildings. The Park Service responded briefly and factually to the query from the Interior Department, advising the staff member of the means of acquisition of the Glover property, the reservation attached to it, and the termination of the reservation with the death of Bertha Glover. He described the buildings on the property and emphasized the fact that the newspaper had distorted the situation by referring to Hinson's dislocation as an eviction.

A market study conducted in 1981 indicated a concession would not be economically feasible. The high cost of rehabilitating the Pine Springs store building to meet standards of safety and structural soundness was also a significant barrier.

Park Superintendent Dunmire agreed to a six-month extension of occupancy, setting June 30, 1983, as the date by which she would vacate the property. Despite the apparent finality of the agreement between Dunmire and Hinson, due to the public and Congressional support Mary Hinson was able to gain, she still occupied the Pine Springs Cafe beyond the June 1983 extension. In the spring of 1983, hoping to "cool the issue" and believing that the decision was not harmful to the park, Superintendent Dunmire acquiesced to Hinson's request to continue to occupy the Pine Springs buildings for another year. He renewed her right to occupancy again in June 1984 and June 1985. During these years Hinson paid $50 per month for rent and charges for water used in the store.

In the spring of 1986, new park Superintendent Richard Smith stated, “To close out the use and occupancy at the expiration of the current permit would be the proper course of action for the preservation and protection of park values.” A tentative date of November 1, 1986 was established as the final date for vacating the property.

Despite what appeared to be orderly progress toward the park's final possession of the Glover buildings, Hinson was not ready to give up. Less than a week after Smith issued his news release about the Glover tract, Secretary of the Interior Donald Paul Hodel overturned the Regional decision to not renew Hinson's special permit. According to the story that appeared in the Washington Post on September 25, Hodel had learned of Hinson's problem from Bentsen and had decided to permit Hinson's occupancy for five more years, until January 1, 1992.

After obtaining the new agreement, Hinson spent little time at the Pine Springs property. She lived in El Paso and the spouse of a highway department employee operated the store for her. The Pine Springs Store closed for the final time at the end of 1992. Because of the dilapidated condition of the structures, the site of the Pine Springs Store was cleared in 1994.

For nearly three generations of travelers in Far West Texas, Walter and Bertha Glover’s Pine Springs Store was a significant waypoint in a remote region. Many stories can be told of the unique regional flavor and hospitality to be found at the little store and café nestled against the mountains. The Glover’s long resistance to the park idea is a reminder that the creation of national parks is not without costs and consequences.