Texan Magazine
By Bill Dante
The town of Terlingua is not a movie set, not a staged tourist attraction, but a real ghost town where you can roam around exploring the remains of the houses, destroyed vehicles and even a cemetery. Charm and history, outdoor activities, good restaurants and a saloon with a murderous past add to the uniqueness of this southwest Texas town. Did I mention a few ghosts?
Texas has more ghost towns than any other state. 511 to be exact! I know what you’re thinking, Texas is a big state and you’re not going to find many ghost towns east of the Mississippi River. You’re right.
Population growth occurred with the railroad moving across the wild west in the 1880s. Sometimes the railroad would say they were going one way and a town was built expecting to benefit from the railroad. But either the railroad changed their mind or someone paid off the railroad to have the tracks diverted. Oops…got a ghost town! Now with 511 ghost towns in the state you would think that a few would compete for the number one spot. Well buckaroo they don’t!
The most famous and the most recognized name is Terlingua, located just outside Big Bend National Park in far southwest Texas.
I mean far, 433 miles just from San Antonio. About a seven hour drive if you take the interstate. But if you go by way of the scenic route you would take highway 90 through Langtry, Texas (Judge Roy Bean) and add another 90 minutes to your drive. It’s not a day trip and definitely wasn’t a day trip back in 1886 on horseback.
Terlingua is real close to the Rio Grande river and you will become enchanted by the magic of the desert.
Ghost Stories
Historically, the ghost stories started with Apache tribes, a very small Mexican trading post and the U.S. Cavalry patrolling the open border.
Terlingua became a boom town in 1885 when mercury was discovered. Not the planet but a mineraloid that was named after the planet. Mercury was rare and is a liquid metal at room temperature. So a full fledged mining town popped up with over 2,000 people for about 60 years. Terlingua became the 3rd largest mercury producing area in the United States.
BUT, here’s where the ghosts start again, liquid mercury on your skin can kill you. Mercury, depending on the type and amount can damage your nervous system, kidneys, liver and immune system. So vapors way down in the mining shafts eventually killed a lot of miners.
By the 1940s they closed up the mine and the town, leaving behind 400 bodies and thus 400 graves. That’s a lot of unhappy ghosts!
They say that most of the ghosts are heard and seen in the fall. Maybe because there are more visitors in the cooler months. Plus the ghosts that died from mercury tend to glow brighter in the dark.
You’ll have to go and see for yourself.
In 1944 the Big Bend area was named a national park. Rafting, canoeing, star gazing, fossil hunting and camping became popular in the area which was all close to the ghost town of Terlingua.
Then in 1967 the Terlingua Chili Cook Off began with two groups coming in from the Austin area.
That has continued every year with of course state wide chili competition, live music, drinks and hundreds of people.
If you’re thinking of going this year, the 57th annual Terlingua International Chili Cook Off will start on Wednesday October 30th until November 2nd. The Chili Appreciation Society International, or CASI, a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt non-profit organization donates all of the entry fees for scholarships, while other dollars are donated to ALS and other non- profit organizations.
Day Of The Dead Celebration or Día de Los Muertos
Every year at sunset on November 2nd, locals and visitors from all over celebrate All Souls Day. The tradition was brought to the America’s by the Spanish.
As the sun goes down it becomes a beautiful family-friendly celebration with hundreds of candles glowing in and around the now over 500 graves and monuments. The cemetery is still active and some relatives come to pay their respects. A bonfire burns through the evening and some folks bring chairs just to enjoy the ambiance and to celebrate with old and new friends.
Terlingua is an interesting contrast. On one side of the town everything has been repurposed. And then there’s the the other side, completely untouched and frozen in time. That’s the magic of a ghost town.
VIVA TERLINGUA!
