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Terlingua is a ghost town in the Big Bend region of Texas. It makes a great base for visiting Big Bend National Park and the surrounding area.
Origins
Terlingua had its origins with the discovery of cinnabar, the ore from which mercury is extracted, in 1884. Several mines opened but things didn’t start to pick up until the mid-1890s. By 1900 four mining companies had set up shop in the area, and three more joined them by 1903. 2,000 people called the town home during its heyday in the early 1900s.
Chisos Mining Company
The most successful mining company to open in Terlingua was the Chisos Mining Company. In 1887, Howard Perry (1858-1944), a Chicago industrialist, acquired four sections of land in the area as security on an unpaid debt. When he was offered a substantial amount of money for the land, he hired attorney Eugene Cartledge to investigate and found out a mining operation was infringing on his land through a previous surveying error. Perry won a lawsuit and was granted sole possession of the property. He founded the Chisos Mining Company on May 8, 1903, with a US$50,000 loan from the Austin National Bank.
Perry and his company helped develop Terlingua. By 1913, he had built a hotel, company store, ice-making plant, telephone service, company doctor’s office, and post office. A school opened in 1930. By 1936, the Chisos Theatre and Oasis Confectionary Shop opened their doors.
After World War I, the Chisos Mining Company enjoyed only a few profitable years until production declined in the late 1930s. Perry declared for bankruptcy in 1942, and the company was purchased by the Texas Railway Equipment Company a year later. It permanently closed in 1946 after an influx of groundwater seeped into the mine and because of lower demand in the mercury market.
Modern Terlingua
Today, Terlingua is mostly a tourist destination for visitors of Big Bend National Park. It also hosts the annual World Chili Championship, established in 1967, on the first Saturday of every November. There are a number of guesthouses in town as well as art galleries, restaurants, and shops.
Chisos Mining Company Store
First, in the center of town is the former Chisos Mining Company Store. It now operates as the Terlingua Trading Company.
Chisos Theatre
Next door to the right is the former Chisos Theatre, which is now the Starlight Theatre Restaurant.
Terlingua Jail
A few steps from the theatre is the Terlingua Jail. This small one-room jailhouse has a dirt floor and iron bars on the door.
Mine Shaft
Across the street from the store is the Cultural Center (Casa de la Cultura), which functions as the family crisis center for the Big Bend area. Behind it is a capped mine shaft with a grate placed over the shaft opening. Grates were placed on top of many mine shaft openings in the area for safety purposes.
Perry Mansion
On a small hill to the west is the Perry Mansion. Howard Perry had it built in 1906 based on Moorish architecture. It had nine bedrooms, a wine cellar, and a 90-foot front porch with nine 10-foot arches. When I visited in November 2015, the mansion sat in ruins. Soon after, it was painstakingly restored over a three-year period and now functions as a boutique hotel.
Perry School
Back towards the center of town behind the store is the Perry School. It opened in 1930 and was the largest school of three in the region, with four teachers and a principal. 141 students were enrolled for the 1931-32 school year.
St. Agnes Catholic Church
Further up the road is the St. Agnes Catholic Church (Santa Ynez Catholic Church). Its construction date is unknown and it held services once a month. It’s still a functioning church where weddings, baptisms, funerals, and other religious ceremonies take place.
Terlingua Cemetery
Finally, on the road entering Terlingua is the Terlingua Cemetery. This beautiful desert cemetery is said to be one of the most photographed places in Texas.
The earliest grave in the cemetery dates back to 1903, and it’s still an active cemetery used by the town’s residents. An annual Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) celebration takes place there with an all-night candlelight vigil.
