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MARATHON,
TEXAS
Brewster County's
"Second City"
Buchel County Seat *, West Texas
Intersection of Hwys 90 and 385
31 miles E of Alpine
54 miles W of Sanderson
Population: about 800
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First
there was the mechanical bull, now here's a cow with an odometer.
Evidently this is a robotic cow used to practice roping without the
ropee tiring.
TE
photo |
Marathon is
usually thought of as the entry to Big
Bend National Park. It was named for its supposed resemblance
to Marathon, Greece. It's possible, since we haven't visited Marathon,
Greece for a comparison, but somehow we doubt it.
History in a Pecan Shell
The Halff Brothers of Alsace-Lorraine were Jewish merchants
that eventually owned one million acres of land from San
Antonio to Ft.
Stockton. There were three, but one was drowned during a hurricane
in the Gulf of Mexico. They operated the Circle Dot Ranch**
near Marathon until they found out rustlers could easily burn over
their brand. They rode on trail drives, but soon found they preferred
leather in the form of banker's chairs and opened banks in San Antonio.
One half of the Halff brothers, (Mayer) brought some of the first
Hereford Cattle into the state.
**As a variation to the chicken/egg conundrum - TE asks which branding
iron did they use first? Did they burn the dot in and try to put the
circle around it, or did they have a contest to see who could put
the dot in the circle? |
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The
foundation of the old railroad water tower
TE photo |
Camp Pena
Colorado
The Halff Brothers
leased out the land for Camp Pena Colorado to the U.S. Army for 15
years, until the Indian threat dissolved. The camp was located about
4 miles southwest of Marathon. The camp was first occupied in 1879.
It had water and was on the road connecting Ft. Clark and Ft. Davis,
but was quite primitive. The coming of the railroad in 1882, improved
things somewhat.
David St. Clair Combs, local rancher, donated the land for a public
park in 1935. It's used by locals today and is barely known
to visitors. |
The Gage
Hotel
Historic Register
Property - most visible landmark in Marathon.
According to Docia Schultz Williams, the Gage has at least
3 resident spooks. Ask for room 10 if you want to be a believer.
The Gage was designed by Architects Trost and Trost who also
built El
Paisano in Marfa and
El Capitan in Van Horn.
All three were built in 1926. The builder of the Gage died one year
after its completion. The Gage Hotel Chef is featured (as well as
three of his recipies) in the book Top Texas Chefs' Favorite Recipes
by Ginnie Siena Bivona and Sharry Buckner, Republic
of Texas Press, 1999. |
Marathon
Nearby Destinations
Black Gap
Wildlife Management Area: 55 miles south via 385 and RM 2627
*Buchel
County was one of the "Ghost Counties" of Texas. That is,
a county that was planned, but was never incorporated for one reason
or another (low population was most often a factor). Marathon had
been designated the county seat of Buchel County, but Buchel was
later made part of Brewster County in 1897. Our thanks to Tom Wancho
of the State Capitol Visitor's Center for his information on "Ghost
Counties."
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Marathon
Texas Forum
My grandmother
taught in marathon in the early 1900's. - R. Goemaat, December
10, 2003
Anyone wishing to share history, contemporary or historic photos
of Marathon, Texas, please contact
us.
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© John Troesser
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