The Ghost Towns of Big Bend
Shafter and Terlingua
18 miles north of Presidio, Texas on Highway 67 is the silver-mining ghost town of Shafter. I used Google Maps to know enough to drive behind the main road and find more ruins. Shafter was known as the Silver Capital of Texas. You just have to drive around to find all the ruins. Turn down every back road to see it all.
I love learning the history of the places we visit. Walking around a place like this makes me wonder who lived here and why they left.
Shafter was the first major mining town in Texas, and had the only successful silver mine. I read an article on Legends of America that said this town was quite the bustling place for a while with a population of close to 4,000 when the mine was working in the 1880's. It was named after Colonel William R. Shafter who had the first samples of silver evaluated and helped establish the mine.
Notice the fencing around this area to keep people out in order to preserve what is left of these ruins. I would love to explore but respect the efforts to preserve them.
The population of Terlingua in 2000 was only 11. No official population has been recorded since but an article in the Big Bend Sentinel stated as of August 2022 there are approximately 30 people currently living there. The mine is in the process of being sold to a new company and the residents of this area are struggling to find a proper water supply.
The abandoned mining town of Terlingua, Texas is located on the only highway linking Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. This is the most visited ghost town in the state of Texas and is right on Highway 170. Simply turn left on Ghost Town Road to see all the ruins.
I don’t know if I am sad or happy to see tourist shops, gift shops, restaurants, and bars popping up in places like this. I hope it stays to a minimum and doesn’t become a place where people will have to pay a fee to see the ruins.
I noticed that on both of the signs they spell Ghost Town as Ghostown. That seems strange to me and I couldn’t find anything telling me why it is spelled that way, so I am going to use my proper English training and spell it as two separate words.
Cinnabar was discovered in the 1880’s and changed this little area into a huge mining town. The metal mercury is extracted from cinnabar. It was the Mexican Border War from 1910–1919 that caused many of the families to leave the area and abandon their homes.
The abandoned Mariscal Mine located on the southwest side of Big Bend National Park was one of the largest mercury mines in the United States. We can’t get to the mine to see it. This is where most of the Terlingua residents worked. It requires a 4x4 and long hiking to get to it. But you can read more about it here.
One of the best areas to explore in Terlingua is the cemetery.
Some of the earliest residents of the town are buried here. Grave identifiers go back as far as 1900. Each grave tells the story of someone who died. This cemetery is still used today.
Gunfighters, mine workers, children, and residents of the old town are all buried here. Each grave tells a story. People still visit to pay their respects.
Walking through the graves and being careful not to step on anything important is an experience everyone should submit to. This place brings history to life through the experience of death. These people lived hard lives in a difficult time and it is only right to respect them.
As I wander through the cemetery I wish I knew each and every story. I could write for the rest of my life and never tell them all. If you are ever in this area, you simply must visit the ghost towns and cemeteries.
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