Marfa to Alpine
If you visualize a map of Texas the left fourth of the state sticks out like a thumb. I had no idea that this is the section where the Rocky Mountains begin their march into Mexico in a series of “sky islands”, isolated mountain ranges that rise out of the desert. The Chios Mountains in the Big Bend area are an example of this and about 75 miles north of Big Bend is another “sky island” range, the Davis Mountains. The Davis Mountains, named after Jefferson Davis, who was Secretary of War when the area was first explored, are a large chain with several peaks rising to over 8,000 feet. Heading north from Presidio towards the Davis Mountains, the small town of Marfa perches on the edge of the desert.
Marfa, TX
Marfa is a small town of less than 2,000 people sitting on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert at an elevation of around 5,000 feet, which means it is a bit cooler and there is more grass than sand and gravel cloaking the land. Founded in 1880 as a water stop for the railroads, Marfa was named after a character in a Jules Verne novel and experienced an early burst of prosperity in the early 1900’s. The Presidio County Courthouse, built in 1886, towers above the town and surrounding desert and can be seen from miles away.
The courthouse square is bordered by several churches, the 1897 First Christian Church, the 1912 United Methodist Church and the 1929 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
The small downtown are stretches for a couple of blocks south of the courthouse towards US Highway 90.
The town reached its’ peak in the late 1920’s when locals latched on to the hope that the oil boom developing north of the Davis Mountains would spread to the south. The landmark Paisano Hotel opened in 1930, hoping to capitalize on a boom that never materialized. The hotel briefly enjoyed some fame as the center of activity when James Dean’s last film, “Giant”, was filmed in the area.
The U-shaped hotel is entered through an outdoor courtyard where double doors open into the ornate lobby.
Any number of quirky sites around town attest to the free spirits that flock to Marfa on the edge of the art scene, including a drive-in liquor store, a trendy motel, and an eclectic rv rental park.
The mystery of Marfa deepens as I wander through the hotel and downtown area. Just off the lobby of the hotel are a line of expensive shops that you would see in any exclusive resort (with prices to match!) Walking up and down the main street empty storefronts alternate with exclusive art galleries and a few restaurants and cafés. Expensive cars are parked along the street rather than the line-up of four wheel drive pick-ups that one usually sees throughout western Texas. What’s up?
The answer arrives after a little research and conversation with locals. Until the 1970’s Marfa slumbered as a small ranching town, famous only for mysterious lights that occasionally play across hills in the area. Folks first speculated that they were UFO’s but scientists talk more about light reflections off the desert skies. But in 1971 life in Marfa began to change. A minimalist artist, Donald Judd, moved to Marfa with intent of permanently installing his art in the area. Fort D.A. Russell sits just southwest of town and was a large military installation during World War II. Decommissioned after the war, the facility was sold off in bits and pieces. The smaller buildings, officers’ housing, etc., were sold to locals. Larger buildings like the barracks and airplane hangers, sat empty. Judd eventually purchased the larger buildings and the art community of Marfa was born. Minimalist art is an acquired taste (and not by me) but currently two foundations carry on Judd’s legacy in Marfa. There seems to be a bit of an uneasy truce between the locals and the art people. This is a relatively poor area of the country and so the locals need the money provided by tourism yet there also seems to be a bit of elitism in the air on behalf of the Chinati Foundation. The most obvious example is on the main street. Amongst the charm of the historic buildings, most adobe and brick, looms the new hotel built by the foundation. A gleaming white minimalist cube with few windows at street level, the hotel sticks out amongst the rest of the small downtown area. The gray band around the first floor is actually marble subway tile. Locals deride it as “bathroom tile.” The contrast between new and old on the street is pretty clear.
The discrepancy can be seen in the small neighborhoods around town as well. Gentrification is clearly taking place and the toll of the impact on rising real estate prices is hitting locals hard.
Ground center of the art scene is actually just southwest of the town center at Fort D.A. Russell. The fort began as a camp in 1911 for forces sent to the area to protect from raiders from Mexico. That mission grew and in 1930 the camp was officially named Fort D.A. Russell. The role of the camp greatly expanded during World War II, including housing German POWs from Rommel’s African Army after their defeat by General Patton. After the war the base was closed (which was devastating to the local economy) and sold to private interests. Much of the officer housing became homes for locals but the large buildings sat empty until Donald Judd purchased the buildings to house minimalist art collections. Today the installation is run by the Chinati Foundation, housing large-scale art installations and hosting guest artists. This really isn’t my kind of place, requiring guided tours, fees for separate galleries, etc. I’m content to view from the street outside the fence…
A group awaits the start of a tour. In the background is a series of open cubes scattered across the desert as part of an outdoor art installation. Frankly, doesn’t do much for me…
As I wander around outside the foundation grounds I stumble upon the crown jewel of my visit to Marfa, Building 98. Often the unexpected finds are the best!
Building 98
Building 98 was the base bachelor officer’s housing and eventually included the officer’s club and a ballroom that was the center of the Marfa social scene during the fort’s existence. After the base closed the building was used as a private residence and now is owned by the International Women’s Foundation, which is a project created by Mona Blocker Garcia to foster and support women artists. Ms. Blocker Garcia was there when I visited and we had quite the conversation. A world traveler, she retired to Marfa and this project is the center of her life. I was the only person there that afternoon and had a great time on a personal tour guided by a young man who was very knowledgeable about the building. Building 98 consists of three wings built around a central courtyard. You enter at the top of the “U”.
This building honors the past but is very much used in the present for community art activities, hosting guest artists, etc. The Officer’s Club often hosted General Patton, who leaned against the bar after watching polo on the fort’s grounds.
The large formal dining room (originally three individual officer bedrooms combined during the 1940’s) is now an art gallery.
The large L-shaped ballroom hosted many parties where local dignitaries and ranchers brought their daughters to be introduced to eligible young officers.
Two of the German prisoners of war were artists and the murals that they painted on the walls of several rooms generally remain in excellent condition. Even though they were confined to the base, the Germans painted scenes of the landscape around Marfa and a western way of life as they imagined it had been.
Not all of the murals were of the Texas southwest. In a discreet corner the two men painted a reminder of their past, Lake Constance in the Alps.
Really a fascinating visit into the past…
The next morning another stunning desert sunrise unfolds over the Tumble-In RV Park, enjoyed while walking Joey for his morning “constitutional.” Not really sure what the steel columns with designs in green neon are meant to be, but they were interesting and surrounded a large circle that clearly is used for some kind of gathering. Ah, the quirkiness of Marfa!
As I leave Marfa and head northeast towards my next stop, Alpine, the Davis Mountains frame the horizon to the north.
About 30 miles to the east nestled in the foothills of the Davis Mountains, Alpine is the commercial center of the Big Bend area and home to half of the entire population of approximately 12,000 people who live in the three large counties that make up the Big Bend.
Alpine, TX
The Davis Mountains and Big Bend country are remote, conditions are harsh, and the economy reflects those constraints. Towns were historically tied to the railroads and/or the presence of the US Army and when the changing conditions of the post-World War II era hit the area, a slow decline began which really hasn’t stopped. Alpine is the exception and its survival as a viable economic center can be tied to one thing – the establishment of Sul Ross Normal College on a hill east of the town center in 1920. Today Sul Ross University serves around 2,100 students as the center of post-high school education in a 19 county area of Texas between El Paso and San Angelo. The approach from the west shows the town spreading across low hills with the university dominating the horizon.
The small town center is anchored by the Holland Hotel, built in 1912.
A number of murals celebrating the heritage of the area decorate buildings in the town center.
The 1887 Brewster County Courthouse sits just north of the main commercial stretch through town.
Several historic homes are in the blocks west of the courthouse. The architecture is grand, the size, not so much…
The 1907 Holland House was the town home of rancher John Clay Holland and later served as Alpine’s first hospital.
One of Alpine’s first grand homes was built in 1894.
Around the same time the Wade family home was built. Note the eclectic variety in the choice of architecture by the elite of Alpine around the turn of the 20th century.
The E.E. Townsend home was built in 1908.
Our next destination is Fort Davis, 25 miles away in the heart of the Davis Mountains, which loom before us as the road heads northwest out of Alpine.
Next up: Fort Davis
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