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MARATHON,
TEXASBrewster
County's "Second City"
Buchel County Seat *, West
Texas
Intersection of Hwys 90 and 385
31 miles E of Alpine
54 miles W of Sanderson
Population: about 800 Book
Your Hotel Here & Save
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. |
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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.
Book Your Hotel Here
& Save
Alpine
Hotels |
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 |
The
foundation of the old railroad water tower
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, June 2007 |
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. |
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Marathon
Nearby Destinations Black
Gap Wildlife Management Area: 55 miles south via 385 and RM 2627
*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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Alpine
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© John Troesser
Marathon Texas Forum
My grandmother taught in marathon in the early
1900's. - R. Goemaat, December 10, 2003 |
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