years and another 27 Big Thicket bills were introduced in Congress, both pro and con, that a resolution was reached. Congress passed the Big Thicket National Preserve legislation in 1974 which was finally signed by President Gerald Ford. Protected and public land The headquarters of Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP) are located north of Kountze, Texas, and approximately north of Beaumont via US 69/287. It is administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. It consists of nine separate land units as well as six water corridors and as of October 22, 2019, the preserve includes spread over seven counties. Centered about Hardin County, Texas, the BTNP extends into parts of surrounding Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Orange, Polk, and Tyler counties. It was established in 1974 in an attempt to protect the many plant and animal species within. Along with Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, the BTNP became the first national preserve in the United States National Park System when both were authorized by the United States Congress on October 11, 1974. Senator Ralph Yarborough was its most powerful proponent in Congress and the bill was proposed by Charles Wilson and Bob Eckhardt that established the preserve. The BTNP was also designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1981. National preserves differ from national parks in that some public hunting, trapping, oil/gas exploration and extraction are permitted. Huntsville State Park, Texas Parks and Wildlife () Lake Houston Wilderness Park, Houston Parks and Recreation Department () Martin Dies Jr. State Park, Texas Parks and Wildlife () Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary, The Nature Conservancy () Sam Houston National Forest, U.S Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Big Creek Scenic Area (), Little Lake Creek Wilderness () Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service () Village Creek State Park, Texas Parks and Wildlife () Ghost Road A dirt road leading north out of the town of Saratoga is the core of the area's predominant ghost story. Bragg Road, as it is more formally known, was constructed in 1934 on the bed of a former railroad line that had serviced the lumber industry. In the 1940s, stories began to circulate about a mysterious light, sometimes referred to as the Light of Saratoga, that could be seen on and near the road at night. No adequate explanation of the light has been offered. The various ghost stories include