West Texas Ramblings

I'm deep in the heart of Texas, in the Big Bend country about 250 miles SE of El Paso.  I toured Fort Davis today...in the town of the same name.  The fort was active from 1856-1862, and again 1967-1891.  It guarded a stretch of the road from San Antonio to El Paso, originally built to accommodate 49ers on the way to the California gold fields.  The prospectors encountered trouble from Apache, Comanche, and various bandits, so a string of forts was constructed along the way.  This is an original Gatling Gun, which was developed in the 1860s.  A new and horrific way of slaughtering people. 

Fort Davis was out on the frontier, but by the 1880s it was fairly good duty by the standards of the day.  This is the commanding officers' quarters, specifically the music room.  With a piano, guitar, clarinet, and flute, I reckon the folks could have a pretty good jam session.

A look across the parade ground to officers' row, with the Davis mountains in the background.

The Jeff Davis county courthouse in Fort Davis.

I am staying at the Hotel Paisano, a Mediterranean gem in the funky town of Marfa, 21 miles south of Fort Davis.  The hotel was constructed in 1930.  It was frequented by affluent cattlemen and businessmen who came into town on the railroad.  In the 1950s, the movie Giant was shot here, and three of the rooms were occupied by Rock Hudson, Liz Taylor, and James Dean.  You can stay in them today.  I'm in another room, with a fine veranda...even a couch!...overlooking the courtyard with a babbling fountain.  I'm on the veranda right now.  The lobby, pictured here, has the warm earth tones and fine wooden ceiling beams that remind me of the parador in Toledo, Spain.  I'm sipping Chianti Classico and things are OK.

The dusk freight, roaring through Marfa at about 50 mph.

The freight passing toward the west, past the grain elevator.  Dusty skies in west Texas today,  all the way from El Paso to here.  There was a massive dust storm in the Lubbock region yesterday, driven by southwest winds.  The winds shifted to northeast overnight and brought the dust down here.

The Presidio county courthouse, a block from the Paisano Hotel.  An 1888 masterpiece in French empire style. 

The entrance to the Paisano.