Marfa, Texas
HISTORY
Welcome to Marfa, Texas
Tough To Get To. Tougher To Explain.
Marfa, Texas is located in Presidio County at the junction of U.S. Highways 67 & 90. Established in 1883 as a water stop and freight headquarters for the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railway, Marfa is in the high desert of Trans-Pecos in Far West Texas on the Marfa Plateau. The city, surrounded by the Davis Mountains to the north, the Chinati Mountains to the southwest and the Chisos Mountains to the southeast, was once significant to the military. In 1971 Donald Judd, a renowned minimalist sculptor, made his first trip to Marfa, where he would later start buying buildings and land to showcase his art. Today Marfa is a significant tourist destination for the arts.
PHOTOS
Sights Around Marfa, Texas
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Marfa Lights Viewing Area
Accounts of seeing the Marfa Lights go back to 1883 when a young cowhand saw flickering lights as he drove through Paisano Pass. Others confirmed that they too saw the lights, but they could not find an explanation upon investigating the lights' origin. Your best chance at seeing the lights is from the Marfa Lights Viewing Center and looking to the south-southwest. If you're lucky, you'll see lights that might be red, blue, or white appear on the horizon.
Do you believe that The Marfa Lights are a paranormal phenomenon, or do you think there is a scientific explanation?
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1964 Chevrolet C-10 Fleetside
With the 1960 C/K Series Trucks introduction, Chevrolet debuted an independent front suspension and a drop-center ladder frame, which allowed the cab to sit lower.
The C/K Series replaced the Task Force trucks of the late 1950s, and the C/K model naming convention would stay in use until the year 2000.
For the six years of this body style, Chevrolet was always making improvements, but two changes stand out. First, in 1963 a coil-spring suspension replaced the torsion bar suspicion of the 1960-62 models while maintaining the same ride quality. Second, in 1964 a flat windshield replaced the wrap-around front windshield.
The 1960-66 C/K Chevrolet Trucks are some of my all-time favorites.
Are you a fan of classic cars? If so, what are your favorites?
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Seeing A Ghost, Sign
Marfa, Texas might not move at the same speed as a larger city, but things are changing.
The scaffolding went up during this building's last major renovation, and the Coca-Cola sign seemed to be doomed. However, the contractors have completed the renovation since taking this photograph, the artist studios moved in, and the ghost sign somehow remains.
Are you a fan of ghost signs?
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Presidio County Courthouse
In 1882, the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad built the southern transcontinental railroad through Marfa, Texas, instead of the county seat, Fort Davis, to avoid the mountains. Three years later, voters elected to move the county seat to Marfa, and a new courthouse would be required.
Nineteen architects, in 1886, competed in a design contest for the contract to build the new courthouse in Presidio County, Texas. Col. J. H. Britton and Alfred Giles of San Antonio were the top two bidders, and Britton received the contract. At the time, Britton and Giles were building the El Paso County, Texas courthouse together. Their work history ultimately resulted in a three-story French Second Empire design similar to Giles's design for the courthouse in El Paso County.
Presidio County celebrated the completion of its new courthouse on January 1, 1887, by hosting a grand ball.
Do you like historic courthouses?
