| |
| | Shafter
mine in the 1890s
Photo courtesy texasoldphotos.com |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Shafter became a mining town in 1880, when John
W. Spencer discovered silver ore.
Spencer showed a sample to Col. William
R. Shafter, commander of Fort Davis, who had it assayed. Shafter shared the information
with two of his fellow officers. They then convinced the state to allow them to
buy huge tracts of school land around the site in 1880. The three made Spencer
a partner (at least verbally) but although they now owned the land, they lacked
the capital to mine the silver.
In 1882 they leased some of their holdings
to a California mining group. A new company - The Presidio Mining Company
was formed. In 1884, the company installed new machinery and the town of Shafter
was born. |
| | Spring
in Shafter
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, April 2005 |
| |
Old Store fronts
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, April
2005 |
| | More
stone buildings
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, April 2005 |
| | Another
former store
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, April 2005 |
| | Nature
reclaiming Shafter
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, April 2005 |
| | Another
view
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone, April 2005 |
| |
The
Shafter post office as it once appeared in Texas Highways Magazine.
(date
unknown.)
Photo courtesy TXDoT |
|
The post office was granted in 1885. One
partner sued when the company started mining on land deeded under his wife's name.
The case went to the Texas Supreme Court who ruled in favor of the mine over the
disgruntled partner in 1887. Operations increased and Shafter became a full-fledged
"company town" with the miners totally dependent on the company.
Shafter
only had 110 people around 1900. The mine closed and reopened several times throughout
the 20s and 30s. |
By 1943 Shafter's
population had grown to 1,500 with the economy buoyed by nearby Cavalry Fort
D. A. Russell and Marfa Army Air Field. When the posts were closed
at the end of WWII, the population shrank to only 20.
The town was used
for early scenes of the 1968 science fiction movie "The Andromeda Strain".
|
| 1940
Census Map
showing Shafter, Casa
Piedra, Plata and region
Courtesy Texas General Land Office |
Shafter Texas Forum
Shootout
at Shafter
As
a child I always heard the story of my grandfather killing a Texas Ranger in Shafter,
Texas. Although it was said to be in self defense, he was almost being lynched
for it... more
- William G. Howell, Estes Park, Colorado, , January 21, 2007
Shafter and
Unsolved Murder in Presidio
Dear TE, My Grandfather arrived in Shafter Texas in 1924 and opened The New York
Store selling dry goods to the townspeople. He purchased two lots in the town
with the intention of making Shafter his home. My Mother, born in 1927, spent
the first three years of her life there. In 1930 my Grandfather, Grandmother and
Mother moved to Presidio along with the store and changing the name to The Joseph
H. Kalmore Company. Grandad ran the store in Presidio until 1952.
In
1947 my Grandmother passed away in Ojinaga, Mexico from cancer. My Mother married
in 1948 and moved to El Paso to raise her family. After her passing in 2000 the
land in Shafter was passed on to me. I have been seeking more information regarding
my Grandfather. He was murdered during a robbery at his store in July of 1952.
No one was ever brought to justice for the crime. My Mother was his only child
and she was devastated by the crime and could not bring herself to return to Presidio,
although she did talk about returning a year before her death. I have visited
Shafter several times and find it's surroundings and history very interesting.
Shafter is a real gem in the rough. - Joseph H. Diamond, El Paso, Texas,, December
30, 2006
Shafter's
Silver Mine
Dear TE, It was very intresting to see some information concerning Shafter, Texas.
My mother, Eliza Duke was born there in 1914. She had two older brothers (David
Duke and Alfred Duke) that worked in the silver mines. My grandfather was Frank
Duke Jr. who married Fausta Hernandez. My great grandfather, Frank Duke Sr. married
Estanislada Hernandez. I will probably visit that area some time next year and
will try to get additional information to include.- Ernest M. Perez, San Angelo,
December 09, 2006
I
read with much interest an article about Shafter..I was born there in 1940, my
father was a minister there preaching to the Mexican worker families. Are there
any records of a congregation or church (Assembly of God)? Dad's name is Santos
Becerra. - Santos Becerra Jr. San Angelo, Tx., December
27, 2003 |
| *You
got the wrong movie being made in Shafter in 1968. It was "The Andromeda Strain."
I was there when it was made -- living in Presidio, but watched with interest
as Shafter transformed into a movie set. - Martha Rhea, June 11, 2002 |
|
There is a funny
story that occurred during the making of "The Andromeda Strain". An old woman
from Presidio, Ma Daniels, was driving down the Presidio highway and spotted the
activity in Shafter. She drove thru the set where "dead" people were tied to buzzards
who were feasting, scattering buzzards and people and really messing up the set.
Ma, included in a book or two, was one of the larger than life characters from
Presidio/Big Bend. ... - Martha Rhea, June 13, 2002
Shafter
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