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Van Horn is a small town in West Texas. We stopped for the night after visiting Guadalupe Mountains National Park to the north.
History
Van Horn was settled starting in the late 1850s thanks to the San Antonio-El Paso Overland Mail route. It’s named for Lieutenant James Judson Van Horn, who commanded a garrison at Van Horn Wells from 1859 to 1861, when he was taken prisoner by Confederate forces. The town is the westernmost incorporated community in Texas in the Central Time Zone.
Hotel El Capitan
Our first stop in town was the historic Hotel El Capitan. It was built in 1930 by Gateway Hotels and Charles Bassett. It’s one of five hotels built by Gateway in West Texas and New Mexico, and was designed by American architect Henry Trost (1860-1933).
The building functioned as a hotel until the late 1960s. In 1973, it was converted to a bank. Finally, in 2007, the building was purchased by Lanna and Joe Duncan with the purpose of converting it back into a hotel.
Hotel El Capitan has 49 rooms and features a central courtyard. The building is topped with an exact replica of the original neon sign that attracted travelers.
The restaurant is open daily from 5pm to 10pm. We had a delicious dinner there, enjoying a hearty ribeye steak. If I ever have to pass through the area again, I’d love to spend the night.
Clark Hotel Museum
The next morning before heading to Fort Davis National Historic Site we visited the Clark Hotel Museum. The museum building was the first permanent structure in Van Horn with the earliest portion completed in 1901. The rest of the building was built from 1905 to 1906. Today, it contains several different historical artifacts related to Van Horn and the surrounding area. It’s open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm and admission is free (as of December 2023).
The Clark Hotel Museum housed the first Culbertson County Courthouse from 1911 to 1912. Until 1918, it hosted theatrical programs and school graduations. It also contained shops, offices, and a saloon. The bar from the saloon is one of the main exhibits inside the museum.
The building was converted to a hotel by Fred Clark in 1918. It served as such for nearly 40 years and was known for its elegant accommodation.
Some of the more interesting items on display include an antique kitchen, artifacts from the Hazel Silver Mine, and early farming and ranching tools. There was also a model of some of the buildings in town.
Motel 6
We spent the night at the local Motel 6 on the west side of town. It was a lot better than most of the Motel 6s I’ve stayed at, especially in cleanliness. Obviously with a bigger budget we would have chosen Hotel El Capitan!
