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MARATHON, TEXAS
Brewster
County's "Second City"
Buchel County Seat *, West Texas
t 30°12'27"N 103°14'36"W (30.207529, -103.243258)
Intersection of Hwys 90 and 385
31 miles E of Alpine
54 miles W of Sanderson
Population: 430 (2010) 455 (2000) 800 (1990)
Marathon, Texas Area Hotels › Alpine
Hotels |
| Marathon is usually
thought of as the entry to Big
Bend National Park. It was named for its supposed resemblance
to Marathon, Greece. It's possible, since we haven't visited Marathon,
Greece for a comparison, but somehow we doubt it. |
History in
a Pecan Shell
The Halff Brothers
of Alsace-Lorraine were Jewish merchants that eventually owned one
million acres of land from San
Antonio to Ft.
Stockton. There were three, but one was drowned during a hurricane
in the Gulf of Mexico. They operated the Circle Dot Ranch**
near Marathon until they found out rustlers could easily burn over
their brand. They rode on trail drives, but soon found they preferred
leather in the form of banker's chairs and opened banks in San
Antonio. One half of the Halff brothers, (Mayer) brought some
of the first Hereford Cattle into the state.
**As a variation to the chicken/egg conundrum - TE
asks which branding iron did they use first? Did they burn the dot
in and try to put the circle around it, or did they have a contest
to see who could put the dot in the circle? |
Camp Pena Colorado
The Halff Brothers
leased out the land for Camp Pena Colorado to the U.S. Army for 15
years, until the Indian threat dissolved. The camp was located about
4 miles southwest of Marathon. The camp was first occupied in 1879.
It had water and was on the road connecting Ft.
Clark and Ft.
Davis, but was quite primitive. The coming of the railroad in
1882, improved things somewhat.
David St. Clair Combs, local rancher, donated the land for a public
park in 1935. It's used by locals today and is barely known
to visitors. |
Camp Pena Colorado
WPA plaque
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, June 2007 |
Marathon, Texas
Landmarks
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First there was
the mechanical bull, now here's a cow with an odometer. Evidently
this is a robotic cow used to practice roping without the ropee tiring.
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, June 2007 |
First United
Methodist Church
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, June 2007 |
The foundation
of the old railroad water tower
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, June 2007 |
The Gage Hotel
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
On US 90 & Avenue C
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, June 2007
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The Gage Hotel
Historic Register
Property - most visible landmark in Marathon.
According to Docia Schultz Williams, the Gage has at least 3 resident
spooks. Ask for room 10 if you want to be a believer.
The Gage was designed by Architects Trost and Trost who also
built El
Paisano in Marfa and
El Capitan in Van Horn.
All three were built in 1926. The builder of the Gage died one year
after its completion. The Gage Hotel Chef is featured (as well as
three of his recipies) in the book Top Texas Chefs' Favorite Recipes
by Ginnie Siena Bivona and Sharry Buckner, Republic of Texas Press,
1999. |
Historical Marker
Text
Gage Hotel
This brick hotel building, designed by the El
Paso firm of Trost and Trost, was constructed in 1926-27 for Vermont
native Alfred S. Gage. A cattleman, Gage founded the largest ranching
operation in the Trans-Pecos, consisting of over 600 sections of land.
After moving to San
Antonio, where he became a successful besinessman and banker,
the hotel served as his Marathon residence and as the headquarters
for his local cattle and banking interests.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1981 |
Marathon, Texas
Nearby Destinations
Black Gap
Wildlife Management Area:
55 miles south via 385 and RM 2627
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Marathon, Texas
Forum
My grandmother
taught in marathon in the early 1900's. - R. Goemaat, December 10,
2003
*Buchel County was one of the "Ghost Counties" of Texas.
That is, a county that was planned, but was never incorporated for
one reason or another (low population was most often a factor).
Marathon had been designated the county seat of Buchel County, but
Buchel was later made part of Brewster County in 1897. Our thanks
to Tom Wancho of the State Capitol Visitor's Center for his information
on "Ghost Counties."
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| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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