| |
Contrast
on the Border: The Lajitas Golf Course
Photo courtesy Tom Hosier, 2006 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
The name is said to mean "little flat rocks"
in Spanish. Early inhabitants were driven out by Apaches and Comanches. Anglo
settlement began in the middle part of the 19th Century.
When mercury
was discovered nearby in Terlingua,
the region experienced a minor boom. The influx of miners increased businesses
between Mexico and the U.S.
and by 1900 the town had become an official port of entry, complete with a customhouse.
Farmers moved in to plant crops in the floodplain of the Rio Grande, creating
a need for a school. The ford of the Rio Grande was lined with rock, making it
the best crossing between El Paso and Del
Rio.
The most influential resident of Lajitas in its infancy was
a man named H. W. McGuirk. The overworked McGuirk tended bar, operated the store
and still found time to help manage the mining operations in Terlingua.
Through his efforts, the Lajitas post office was opened. McGuirk also paid the
costs for a school and church to be built before selling out to Thomas V. Skaggs.
In 1916 incursions by elements of Pancho Villa’s forces necessitated the
establishment of a cavalry post. The post office closed in 1939.
In 1949
the settlement was purchased by Rex Ivey, Jr., who brought electricity to the
town (via a generator). After the mines at Terlingua
closed, Lajitas was left with a population estimated at four.
In the
mid 1970s Lajitas was bought by a Houston Corporation and most of the surviving
buildings were restored.
In the 1980s Lajitas became a resort – with
50 permanent residents, most of them employed at one of the three motels, restaurant
or golf course. The old trading post was complemented by an RV park, and visitors
who didn’t want to take the long drive could fly into the resort’s airfield. |
Lajitas
Update
or "Things Are Tough All Over"
In a December 8th 2007 San Antonio Express News article entitled Bankrupt Resort
Ordered Sold, staff writer John MacCormack wrote of Lajitas,
calling it the “ill-fated” resort that “swallowed” $100,000,000.
The
article stated that the resort had been bought in the year 2000 for 4.2 million.
The Austin buyer/developer had dreams of turning it into “The Ultimate Hideaway.”
The developer may have
over-estimated the need for such places. These days most people seeking hideaways
simply move to countries without an extradition treaty with the United States.
The resort (and the 25,000 acres that come with it) had a foreclosure bid of 13.5
million from a single investor. It also reported that the resort is 18 to 20 million
dollars in debt.A final
decision on whether or not the sale proceeds is expected around the New Year.
Our thanks to Terry
Jeanson of San Antonio
for this update and to David from Buckholts
for the correction. - Editor. |
The
original trading post
Photo courtesy Tom Hosier, 2006 |
Main
Street
Photo courtesy Tom Hosier, 2006 |
Another
view of Main Sreet
Photo courtesy Tom Hosier, 2006 |
Restored
Chuck Wagon
Photo courtesy Tom Hosier, 2006 |
The
next restoration project
Photo courtesy Tom Hosier, 2006 |
More
of the golf course.
Photo courtesy Tom Hosier, 2006 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
or vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. | |
| Save on Hotels
- Expedia
Affiliate Network |
|
