Brewster County, Texas
Encyclopedia
Brewster County is a county
located in western part of the US state of Texas, along the border with Mexico
. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos
region of West Texas
. As of the 2000 census, the population is 8,866. In 2009, the population was estimated to be 9,481. Its county seat
and only city is Alpine
.
U.S. Highway 90 crosses the county in the north; U.S. Highway 385 enters Brewster County from the northeast and proceeds south to the county's main attraction, Big Bend National Park
, part of the Big Bend. The Sunset Route of the Union Pacific Railroad
crosses northern parts of the county, and a recently revived portion of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway
traverses the county en route to Presidio
.
Brewster County is named for Colonel Henry Percy Brewster
, a Secretary of War for the Republic of Texas
. During the American Civil War
, Brewster served on the staffs of the two highest ranking Texans in the Confederate Army, General Albert S. Johnston and General John B. Hood.
The county is the largest in the state, over three times the size of the state of Delaware
, and more than 500 square miles (1,295 km²) bigger than Connecticut
.
Oilman, geologist, and historian Clayton Wheat Williams, Sr.
, operated a ranch near Alpine in Brewster County though his residence was in Fort Stockton
.
, the county has a total area of 6193 square miles (16,039.8 km²), the largest county in Texas, none of which is covered in water.
The county's area is larger than the area of Connecticut
, Delaware
, and Rhode Island
individually, and larger than the combined area of Delaware and Rhode Island.
, 1.22% Black
or African American
, 0.85% Native American
, 0.37% Asian
, 0.06% Pacific Islander
, 13.44% from other races
, and 2.98% from two or more races. 43.62% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 3,669 households out of which 26.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.70% were married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.60% were non-families. 32.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out with 22.20% under the age of 18, 14.80% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,386, and the median income for a family was $33,962. Males had a median income of $26,934 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,183. About 12.60% of families and 18.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.80% of those under age 18 and 13.00% of those age 65 or over.
emerged later and conducted raids that discouraged settlers. Between 1779 and 1787 Col. Juan de Ugalde
drove the Mescalaros back across the Rio Grande and into the Chisos Mountains
. The three leading Mescalero chiefs, Patula Grande, Quemado, and Zapato Tuerto, agreed in March 1789 to submit to Spanish rule. Comanche
raiding parties continued through much of the 19th century.
in 1535 and Antonio de Espejo
in 1583 crossed Brewster County on their way to La Junta de los Ríos, the juncture of the Rio Grande
and the Rio Conchos.
In 1684 Juan Domínguez de Mendoza camped at Kokernot Spring and wrote the earliest recorded description of it.
Pedro de Rábago y Terán
, Governor of Coahuila
in the 1740s led an expedition to La Junta de los Ríos.
Northern Mexican military governor Lt. Col. Hugo Oconór led a 1772 expedition to locate sites for forts on the Comanche Trail along the Rio Grande.
In October 1851 Danish born Col. Edvard Emil Langberg, Mexican commandant of Chihuahua, visited southern Brewster County.
Surveyor William H. Emory
in 1852 sent M. T. W. Chandler to survey what is now the heart of Big Bend National Park. Chandler explored Santa Elena Canyon, the Chisos Mountains Mariscal Canyon, and Boquillas Canyon.
A 1859 expedition of the U.S. Camel Corps under 2d Lt. Edward L. Hartz set explored the Comanche Trail through Persimmon Gap and down Tornillo Creek to the Rio Grande. A year later, a second camel expedition under 2d Lt. William Echols also explored along the Rio Grande.
and named for Henry Percy Brewster
. Murphyville, later renamed Alpine, was selected as county seat.
In response to threats of ongoing Indian attacks, Camp Peña Colorado was established in 1879 a few miles south of the future site of Marathon.
Word of mouth about the open rangeland in the area was spread by freighters John W Burgess and August Santleben, leading the way for settlers.
The Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway built through the area in 1882, opening up opportunity for entrepreneurs who came on railroad-related business and stayed.
Alfred S. Gage
moved to the area in 1882 to help his brother’s ranching operation, founding the A.S. Gage Ranches, one of the largest ranching operations in Texas. in 1883. In 1927 he build the Gage Hotel in Marathon
.
Legendary lawman and later Texas Rangers Hall of Fame
member James B. Gillett
served as Sheriff of Brewster County, operated a ranch in Alpine
in the late 19th century and early 20th century. He later retired to his Barrel Spring Ranch in Jeff Davis County
.
Joseph Daniel Jackson came to the area in 1882 as part of Company B of the Texas Rangers assigned to protect the railroad. By 1882, he had settled near Alpine and taken up ranching, branching out later to merchant and civic leader. Jackson is known locally as the father of Sul Ross University due to his efforts that helped lead to the establishment of the school. Sul Ross University, named for Texas Governor Lawrence Sullivan Ross
, was created by an act of the 35th Legislature in 1917 as a state normal college to train teachers.
From the turn of the 20th century through World War II, the Terlingua Mining District was a boom town due to the extraction of cinnabar, also known as mercury ore, in the Chisos Mountains
.
Silver and lead from mines on the Mexican side of the river in the Boquillas area were shipped north, as were candelilla wax produced at factories at Glenn Spring and Mariscal, and the guayule rubber from a factory in Marathon.
. In June 1915 Governor James E. Ferguson
asked President Woodrow Wilson
to station troops in the Big Bend. The request was denied by Commander Maj. Gen. Frederick Funston
, who believed such security was a state issue. Although a number of events took place to effect policy change, the tipping point would be the May 5, 1916 raid at Glenn Spring. Only nine soldiers had been stationed in the area for protection against the bandits. Estimates vary as to the number of Mexican raiders who attacked the soldiers, anywhere from 60 to several hundred. The raid caused a larger military presence in the area. President Wilson mobilized the National Guard to reinforce the Army, and by the end of 1916 an estimated 116,957 guardsmen were stationed along the border from California to Texas. As the mines and wax factories played out after World War I, raiders from across the border abated.
During the 1918 influenza epidemic, an African-American nurse (Viola Pettus
) living in the border area of Brewster County became legendary for her courageous and selfless treatment of anyone with the disease – including raiders and refugees from Mexico, and local members of the Ku Klux Klan
.
was established as a state park in 1933 by the state legislature, and expanded the same year by Governor Miriam A. Ferguson. In 1935, the United States Congress
passed legislation founding it as a national park. Big Bend opened to the public in 1944.
Big Bend Ranch State Park
opened to the public in 1991, its over 300000 acres (1,214.1 km²) making it the largest state park in Texas.
produced 40% of the nation’s quicksilver in 1920, but declining population has since qualified it as a ghost town. In 1962, Dallas Morning News columnist Francis X. Tolbert
published his ode to chili Bowl of Red and founded the Chili Appreciation Society. Fellow columnist Wick Fowler joined in the fun and became a charter member. The World Championship Chili Cookoff at Terlingua began as a tongue-in-cheek challenge between Wick Fowler and humorist H. Allen Smith
in 1967 and has become a November tradition, celebrated across the state and nation. The first Saturday in November, Terlingua now hosts two competing international chili championships: the Terlingua International Chili Championship, and the Original Terlingua International Chili Cookoff.
In addition, Sul Ross State University
is located in Alpine.
is located 20 miles (32.2 km) south of Fort Stockton, Texas
and is owned and operated by the Gerald Lyda
family. The ranch extends over much of Pecos County and portions of Brewster County, Reeves County, Archer County, and Baylor County.
Originally owned by California-based Elsinore Land & Cattle Company, the 100-year old ranch was acquired by building contractor Gerald Lyda of San Antonio, Texas and re-named La Escalera Ranch (Spanish for "The Ladder"). It is known for its herd of Black Angus cattle and its abundant wildlife. Gerald Lyda died in 2005. Today, the ranch is owned and operated by Lyda's sons Gerald D. and Gene Lyda, as well as Lyda's daughter Jo Lyda Granberg.
Located near the entrance to the ranch is Sierra Madera crater
. La Escalera Ranch has been ranked by Texas Monthly
, Worth and The Land Report magazines as one of the largest cattle ranches in Texas and the United States.
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
located in western part of the US state of Texas, along the border with Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos
Trans-Pecos
The term Trans-Pecos, as originally defined in 1887 by the Texas geologist Robert T. Hill, refers to the portion of Texas that lies west of the Pecos River. The term is considered synonymous with "Far West Texas", a subdivision of West Texas...
region of West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
. As of the 2000 census, the population is 8,866. In 2009, the population was estimated to be 9,481. Its county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
and only city is Alpine
Alpine, Texas
Alpine is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,786 people at the 2000 census, and had increased to 5,905 by 2010.-History:...
.
U.S. Highway 90 crosses the county in the north; U.S. Highway 385 enters Brewster County from the northeast and proceeds south to the county's main attraction, Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Texas. Big Bend has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, which includes more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56...
, part of the Big Bend. The Sunset Route of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
crosses northern parts of the county, and a recently revived portion of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway
Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway
The Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, started in 1900 by American railroad entrepreneur Arthur Edward Stilwell, was the predecessor to the Chihuahua al Pacífico railroad in Mexico. It was intended to reach the Pacific Ocean at Topolobampo, Sinaloa...
traverses the county en route to Presidio
Presidio, Texas
Presidio is a city in Presidio County, Texas, United States. It stands on the Rio Grande , on the opposite side of the U.S.-Mexico border from Ojinaga, Chihuahua. The population was 4,167 at the 2000 census....
.
Brewster County is named for Colonel Henry Percy Brewster
Henry Percy Brewster
Henry Percy Brewster was a lawyer, statesman, and soldier from Texas. He fought in the Texas Revolution, and as a colonel in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.-Biography:...
, a Secretary of War for the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
. During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Brewster served on the staffs of the two highest ranking Texans in the Confederate Army, General Albert S. Johnston and General John B. Hood.
The county is the largest in the state, over three times the size of the state of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, and more than 500 square miles (1,295 km²) bigger than Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
Oilman, geologist, and historian Clayton Wheat Williams, Sr.
Clayton W. Williams, Sr.
Clayton Wheat Williams, Sr. , was an engineer, a geologist, an oilman, a World War I military officer, a rancher, a county commissioner and civic leader, an historian, and a philanthropist from Fort Stockton, Texas....
, operated a ranch near Alpine in Brewster County though his residence was in Fort Stockton
Fort Stockton, Texas
Fort Stockton is a city in Pecos County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,846 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pecos County.-Geography:Fort Stockton is located at ....
.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the county has a total area of 6193 square miles (16,039.8 km²), the largest county in Texas, none of which is covered in water.
The county's area is larger than the area of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, and Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
individually, and larger than the combined area of Delaware and Rhode Island.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 67
U.S. Highway 90
U.S. Highway 385
State Highway 118State Highway 118 (Texas)State Highway 118, or SH 118, is a state highway in the U.S. state of Texas that runs from Big Bend National Park north to Kent and passes through the towns of Study Butte, Alpine, and Fort Davis. SH 118 is maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation . The road lies entirely within the...
Adjacent counties and municipios
- Pecos CountyPecos County, TexasPecos County is a county located in Texas which is named for the Pecos River. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. In 2000, its population was 16,809. The county seat is Fort Stockton....
(north) - Terrell CountyTerrell County, TexasTerrell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. In 2000, its population was 1,081. Its county seat is Sanderson. The county was named for Alexander W. Terrell, a Texas state senator...
(northeast) - Presidio CountyPresidio County, TexasPresidio County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 7,304. Its county seat is Marfa. Presidio County is in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas and is named for the ancient border settlement of Presidio del Norte.-Geography:Presidio County is triangular in...
(west) - Jeff Davis CountyJeff Davis County, TexasJeff Davis County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is named for Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. In 2000, its population was 2,207, and 2,258 by 2009...
(northwest) - Manuel Benavides, Chihuahua, MexicoManuel BenavidesManuel Benavides is a small town and seat of the municipality of Manuel Benavides, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. As of 2005, the town had a total population of 877....
(southwest) - Acuña, Coahuila, MexicoAcuña (municipality)Acuña is a one of the 38 municipalities of Coahuila, in north-eastern Mexico. The municipal seat lies at Ciudad Acuña, which contained over 98% of the municipality's population in 2010. The municipality covers an area of 11,487.7 km² and is located on the international border between Mexico...
(southeast) - Ocampo, Coahuila, Mexico (south)
National protected areas
- Big Bend National ParkBig Bend National ParkBig Bend National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Texas. Big Bend has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, which includes more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56...
- Rio Grande Wild and Scenic RiverRio Grande Wild and Scenic RiverThe Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River protects a 196 mile portion of the Rio Grande in Texas. Parts of Brewster, Terrell, and Val Verde counties are included in this section of the river....
(part)
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,866 people, 3,669 households, and 2,216 families residing in the county. The population density was 1 person per square mile (1/km²). There were 4,614 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.09% WhiteRace (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 1.22% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.85% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.37% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.06% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 13.44% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.98% from two or more races. 43.62% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 3,669 households out of which 26.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.70% were married couples living together, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.60% were non-families. 32.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out with 22.20% under the age of 18, 14.80% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $27,386, and the median income for a family was $33,962. Males had a median income of $26,934 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,183. About 12.60% of families and 18.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.80% of those under age 18 and 13.00% of those age 65 or over.
Native Americans
Paleo-Indians Hunter-gatherers existed at least 9000 years ago. Mescalaro ApachesMescalero
Mescalero is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation in southcentral New Mexico...
emerged later and conducted raids that discouraged settlers. Between 1779 and 1787 Col. Juan de Ugalde
Juan de Ugalde
Juan de Ugalde later also known as Juan de Uvalde was born in Cádiz, Spain. He joined the Spanish army in 1738. In 1787 he was promoted to commanding general of Texas, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Nuevo Santander. In 1790 he successfully led Spanish soldiers against Apache forces at Arroyo de la...
drove the Mescalaros back across the Rio Grande and into the Chisos Mountains
Chisos Mountains
The Chisos Mountains are a mountain range located in the Big Bend area of West Texas, USA. The mountain range is contained entirely within the boundaries of Big Bend National Park. This is the only mountain range in the United States to be fully contained within the boundary of a National Park...
. The three leading Mescalero chiefs, Patula Grande, Quemado, and Zapato Tuerto, agreed in March 1789 to submit to Spanish rule. Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
raiding parties continued through much of the 19th century.
Early Explorations
Spanish explorers Álvar Núñez Cabeza de VacaÁlvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer of the New World, one of four survivors of the Narváez expedition...
in 1535 and Antonio de Espejo
Antonio de Espejo
Antonio de Espejo was a Spanish explorer who led an expedition into New Mexico and Arizona in 1582-1583. The expedition created interest in establishing a Spanish colony among the Pueblo Indians of the Rio Grande valley.-Life:...
in 1583 crossed Brewster County on their way to La Junta de los Ríos, the juncture of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
and the Rio Conchos.
In 1684 Juan Domínguez de Mendoza camped at Kokernot Spring and wrote the earliest recorded description of it.
Pedro de Rábago y Terán
Pedro de Rábago y Terán
Pedro de Rábago y Terán was a Spanish administrator and military officer in New Spain, now Mexico. He was governor of Coahuila from August 1744 to June 1754...
, Governor of Coahuila
Governor of Coahuila
List of governors of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila de Zaragoza, since its establishment as the province of Nueva Extremadura in Northern New Spain, later province of Coahuila and Texas, and Coahuila as a Mexican state....
in the 1740s led an expedition to La Junta de los Ríos.
Northern Mexican military governor Lt. Col. Hugo Oconór led a 1772 expedition to locate sites for forts on the Comanche Trail along the Rio Grande.
In October 1851 Danish born Col. Edvard Emil Langberg, Mexican commandant of Chihuahua, visited southern Brewster County.
Surveyor William H. Emory
William H. Emory
William Hemsley Emory was an United States Army officer and surveyor of Texas.-Early life and career:...
in 1852 sent M. T. W. Chandler to survey what is now the heart of Big Bend National Park. Chandler explored Santa Elena Canyon, the Chisos Mountains Mariscal Canyon, and Boquillas Canyon.
A 1859 expedition of the U.S. Camel Corps under 2d Lt. Edward L. Hartz set explored the Comanche Trail through Persimmon Gap and down Tornillo Creek to the Rio Grande. A year later, a second camel expedition under 2d Lt. William Echols also explored along the Rio Grande.
County Established and Growth
Brewster County was marked off in 1887 from Presidio CountyPresidio County, Texas
Presidio County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 7,304. Its county seat is Marfa. Presidio County is in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas and is named for the ancient border settlement of Presidio del Norte.-Geography:Presidio County is triangular in...
and named for Henry Percy Brewster
Henry Percy Brewster
Henry Percy Brewster was a lawyer, statesman, and soldier from Texas. He fought in the Texas Revolution, and as a colonel in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.-Biography:...
. Murphyville, later renamed Alpine, was selected as county seat.
In response to threats of ongoing Indian attacks, Camp Peña Colorado was established in 1879 a few miles south of the future site of Marathon.
Word of mouth about the open rangeland in the area was spread by freighters John W Burgess and August Santleben, leading the way for settlers.
The Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway built through the area in 1882, opening up opportunity for entrepreneurs who came on railroad-related business and stayed.
Alfred S. Gage
Alfred S. Gage
Alfred Stevens Gage was an American rancher and businessman who founded the A. S. Gage Ranch in west Texas. At its greatest extent his ranch extended over 500,000 acres.-External links:* at Handbook of Texas...
moved to the area in 1882 to help his brother’s ranching operation, founding the A.S. Gage Ranches, one of the largest ranching operations in Texas. in 1883. In 1927 he build the Gage Hotel in Marathon
Marathon, Texas
Marathon is a census-designated place in Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 470 in 2007, after growing from 455 in 2000, but had decreased to 430 by 2010.-Geography:Marathon is located at ....
.
Legendary lawman and later Texas Rangers Hall of Fame
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco, Texas, is the state-designated official historical center of the famed Texas Rangers law enforcement agency. It consists of the Homer Garrison, Jr. museum gallery, the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame, the Texas Ranger Research Center and the Headquarters...
member James B. Gillett
James B. Gillett
James B. Gillett was a lawman of the Old West, mostly well known due to his service as a Texas Ranger, and is a member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.-Early life and career:...
served as Sheriff of Brewster County, operated a ranch in Alpine
Alpine, Texas
Alpine is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,786 people at the 2000 census, and had increased to 5,905 by 2010.-History:...
in the late 19th century and early 20th century. He later retired to his Barrel Spring Ranch in Jeff Davis County
Jeff Davis County, Texas
Jeff Davis County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is named for Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. In 2000, its population was 2,207, and 2,258 by 2009...
.
Joseph Daniel Jackson came to the area in 1882 as part of Company B of the Texas Rangers assigned to protect the railroad. By 1882, he had settled near Alpine and taken up ranching, branching out later to merchant and civic leader. Jackson is known locally as the father of Sul Ross University due to his efforts that helped lead to the establishment of the school. Sul Ross University, named for Texas Governor Lawrence Sullivan Ross
Lawrence Sullivan Ross
Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross was the 19th Governor of Texas , a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and a president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now called Texas A&M University.Ross was raised in the Republic of Texas, which was later annexed to...
, was created by an act of the 35th Legislature in 1917 as a state normal college to train teachers.
Population Boom
The population grew from 710 in 1890 to 5,220 in 1910 due for the most part to industries that relied on natural resources.From the turn of the 20th century through World War II, the Terlingua Mining District was a boom town due to the extraction of cinnabar, also known as mercury ore, in the Chisos Mountains
Chisos Mountains
The Chisos Mountains are a mountain range located in the Big Bend area of West Texas, USA. The mountain range is contained entirely within the boundaries of Big Bend National Park. This is the only mountain range in the United States to be fully contained within the boundary of a National Park...
.
Silver and lead from mines on the Mexican side of the river in the Boquillas area were shipped north, as were candelilla wax produced at factories at Glenn Spring and Mariscal, and the guayule rubber from a factory in Marathon.
Pancho Villa and Banditos
Brewster County became targeted by incursions of bandits from Mexico, due at least in part to Pancho VillaPancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
. In June 1915 Governor James E. Ferguson
James E. Ferguson
James Edward "Pa" Ferguson, Jr. , was a Democratic politician from the state of Texas.- Early life :Ferguson was born to the Reverend James Ferguson, Sr., and Fannie Ferguson near Salado in south Bell County, Texas. He entered Salado College at age twelve but was eventually expelled for...
asked President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
to station troops in the Big Bend. The request was denied by Commander Maj. Gen. Frederick Funston
Frederick Funston
Frederick N. Funston also known as Fred Funston, was a General in the United States Army, best known for his role in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War...
, who believed such security was a state issue. Although a number of events took place to effect policy change, the tipping point would be the May 5, 1916 raid at Glenn Spring. Only nine soldiers had been stationed in the area for protection against the bandits. Estimates vary as to the number of Mexican raiders who attacked the soldiers, anywhere from 60 to several hundred. The raid caused a larger military presence in the area. President Wilson mobilized the National Guard to reinforce the Army, and by the end of 1916 an estimated 116,957 guardsmen were stationed along the border from California to Texas. As the mines and wax factories played out after World War I, raiders from across the border abated.
During the 1918 influenza epidemic, an African-American nurse (Viola Pettus
Viola Pettus
Viola Pettus was an African-American woman, born about 1886, who lived in Marathon, Brewster County, Texas. Viola is remembered in Texas for her courageous work as a nurse during the 1918 flu pandemic...
) living in the border area of Brewster County became legendary for her courageous and selfless treatment of anyone with the disease – including raiders and refugees from Mexico, and local members of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
.
Big Bend
Big Bend National ParkBig Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Texas. Big Bend has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, which includes more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56...
was established as a state park in 1933 by the state legislature, and expanded the same year by Governor Miriam A. Ferguson. In 1935, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
passed legislation founding it as a national park. Big Bend opened to the public in 1944.
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Big Bend Ranch State Park (Texas)
Big Bend Ranch State Park is a state park located on the Rio Grande in Brewster County and Presidio County, Texas. It is the largest state park in Texas. The closest major town is Presidio, Texas, where the state park's head office is located.-Features:...
opened to the public in 1991, its over 300000 acres (1,214.1 km²) making it the largest state park in Texas.
Terlingua Chili Cook Offs
TerlinguaTerlingua, Texas
Terlingua is a mining district in southwestern Brewster County, Texas, United States. It is located near the Rio Grande and the Texas villages of Lajitas and Study Butte, Texas,as well as the Mexican village of Santa Elena. The discovery of cinnabar, from which the metal mercury is extracted, in...
produced 40% of the nation’s quicksilver in 1920, but declining population has since qualified it as a ghost town. In 1962, Dallas Morning News columnist Francis X. Tolbert
Frank X. Tolbert
Francis Tolbert , better known as Frank X. Tolbert, was a Texas journalist, historian, and chili enthusiast. For the Dallas Morning News, he wrote a local history column called Tolbert's Texas that ran from 1946 until his death in 1984.-Biography:Tolbert was born in Amarillo, and was raised in...
published his ode to chili Bowl of Red and founded the Chili Appreciation Society. Fellow columnist Wick Fowler joined in the fun and became a charter member. The World Championship Chili Cookoff at Terlingua began as a tongue-in-cheek challenge between Wick Fowler and humorist H. Allen Smith
H. Allen Smith
For the congressman see H. Allen SmithHarry Allen Wolfgang Smith was an American journalist and humorist whose books were popular in the 1940s and 1950s, selling millions of copies....
in 1967 and has become a November tradition, celebrated across the state and nation. The first Saturday in November, Terlingua now hosts two competing international chili championships: the Terlingua International Chili Championship, and the Original Terlingua International Chili Cookoff.
Census-designated places
- MarathonMarathon, TexasMarathon is a census-designated place in Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 470 in 2007, after growing from 455 in 2000, but had decreased to 430 by 2010.-Geography:Marathon is located at ....
- Study Butte-TerlinguaStudy Butte-Terlingua, TexasStudy Butte-Terlingua is a census-designated place in Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 267 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Study Butte-Terlingua is located at ....
Other places
- LajitasLajitas, TexasLajitas is an unincorporated community in Brewster County, Texas, United States, in proximity to the Big Bend National Park.-Government:For many years the mayor of Lajitas was Clay Henry III, a "beer-drinking" goat...
- TerlinguaTerlingua, TexasTerlingua is a mining district in southwestern Brewster County, Texas, United States. It is located near the Rio Grande and the Texas villages of Lajitas and Study Butte, Texas,as well as the Mexican village of Santa Elena. The discovery of cinnabar, from which the metal mercury is extracted, in...
- Arick Village, TexasArick Village, TexasArick Village, Texas is an unincorporated community located in Brewster County, Texas. The nearest settled area is another unincorporated community; Terlingua, Texas . The nearest CDP is Marathon, Texas . The nearest city is Alpine, Texas...
Education
The following independent school districts serve Brewster County:- Alpine Independent School DistrictAlpine Independent School DistrictThe Alpine Independent School District is a school district based in Alpine, Texas, United States.Alpine ISD has three schools: Alpine Elementary School, , and Alpine High School...
- Marathon Independent School DistrictMarathon Independent School DistrictMarathon Independent School District is a school district based in Marathon, a census designated place in Brewster County, Texas, United States.Marathon ISD serves Marathon and a few surrounding areas of northeastern Brewster County...
- San Vicente Independent School DistrictSan Vicente Independent School DistrictSan Vicente Independent School District is a public school district in Brewster County, Texas .The district has one school – San Vicente Elementary – that serves students in grades kindergarten through eight...
(K-8 only) (High schoolers attend Terlingua CSD) - Terlingua Common School DistrictTerlingua Common School DistrictTerlingua Common School District is a public school district based in the community of Study Butte-Terlingua in unincorporated Brewster County, Texas ....
In addition, Sul Ross State University
Sul Ross State University
Sul Ross State University , a public university in Alpine, Texas, is named for former Texas governor, Civil War general Lawrence Sullivan Ross. It was founded in 1917 as Sul Ross Normal College and was made a university in 1969....
is located in Alpine.
Ranching Industry
The sprawling 320,000 deeded acre (1,400 km²) La Escalera RanchLa Escalera Ranch
La Escalera Ranch consists of approximately 260,000 acre , located south of Fort Stockton, Texas. The ranch extends over portions of Pecos County, Brewster County, Archer County, and Baylor County, with the majority of the ranch lying in Pecos County.The 100-year old ranch was acquired by building...
is located 20 miles (32.2 km) south of Fort Stockton, Texas
Fort Stockton, Texas
Fort Stockton is a city in Pecos County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,846 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pecos County.-Geography:Fort Stockton is located at ....
and is owned and operated by the Gerald Lyda
Gerald Lyda
Gerald Lyda ) was an American cattle rancher, contractor and developer prominent in the state of Texas....
family. The ranch extends over much of Pecos County and portions of Brewster County, Reeves County, Archer County, and Baylor County.
Originally owned by California-based Elsinore Land & Cattle Company, the 100-year old ranch was acquired by building contractor Gerald Lyda of San Antonio, Texas and re-named La Escalera Ranch (Spanish for "The Ladder"). It is known for its herd of Black Angus cattle and its abundant wildlife. Gerald Lyda died in 2005. Today, the ranch is owned and operated by Lyda's sons Gerald D. and Gene Lyda, as well as Lyda's daughter Jo Lyda Granberg.
Located near the entrance to the ranch is Sierra Madera crater
Sierra Madera crater
Sierra Madera crater is a meteorite crater in southwestern Pecos County, Texas, United States. The central peak of the rebound structure of the impact crater rises 793 feet above the surrounding land. The peak is visible from U.S. Highway 385 between Fort Stockton, Texas and Marathon, Texas...
. La Escalera Ranch has been ranked by Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
, Worth and The Land Report magazines as one of the largest cattle ranches in Texas and the United States.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Brewster County, TexasNational Register of Historic Places listings in Brewster County, TexasList of Registered Historic Places in Brewster County, TexasThis is intended to be a complete list of properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Brewster County, Texas...
- USS Brewster County (LST-483)USS Brewster County (LST-483)USS Brewster County was an built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Brewster County, Texas, she was the only U.S...