During droughts, people will live on water saved in rooftop rain-catchment systems, showering and flushing the toilet once a week. Wisely, he decided to move the party up the highway to what was then the only other bar near Terlingua, La Kiva. Farming along the narrow floodplain of the river served to bring in more families, and by 1912 the town had a store, a saloon, a school with fifty pupils, and a customhouse. In 1986 he sold his Huntsville-based restaurant chain, Tinsleys Chicken and Rolls, and made millions, and he used part of that haul to put a house on the river just upstream from Lajitas. The resort features our world class 18 hole golf course, Lajitas Texas Golf. And when he describes how he discovered a hole in a Lajitas urinal once upon a timeId had a few beers and went to take a leak, and my foot kept getting warmer, and I remembered I had my Birkenstocks on, and . Lajitas Golf Resort 94 reviews Claimed $$$ Hotels, Golf, Day Spas Edit Open Open 24 hours See hours See all 236 photos Write a review Add photo Location & Hours 21701 Fm 170 Lajitas, TX 79852 Get directions Edit business info Amenities and More By Appointment Only Accepts Credit Cards Good For Kids Private Lot Parking 2 More Attributes View more hotels in Lajitas Now the owner has put a huge statue of Robert E Lee right on the golf course. And everyone carried guns back then, but they knew to check them with me at the door or Id lose my beer license. Ivey shakes his head as he realizes that this wasnt that long ago. in the spare beauty of borderlands. "Black Jacks Crossing", designed by PGA Hall of Fame golfer, Lanny Wadkins. He also hosted monthly dances and impromptu barbecues, when conjunto bands, crossing back into Mexico after performing stateside quinceaeras, would stop in and play for free beer. He housed and subsidized an infirmary that provided affordable, reliable health care. If you click through a link on Lone Star Travel Guide, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. So when you meet someone who lives in Terlingua or Study Butte or Lajitasthat area known in local shorthand as South Countyyou might not be able to tell if hes thirty or sixty. She paints mandalas on old hubcaps to make a little People who drive out here have prepared themselves for the remoteness, said one stately desert spiritualist who asked not to be named. It was mounted on a pediment in the middle of the golf courses putting green on Thursday, according to Scott Beasley, who manages the course for Dallas-based WSB Resorts and Clubs. models. http://www.dallasnews.com. He married Amy Hudson on June 3, 2010, in Dallas. Andbig bonus for ussome rooms are pet friendly. But it wasnt. There was no plan at all, no directions from above. [21], Warren married the former Sherry Johnson on May 18, 1980, in Dallas, and they divorced in 1991. [13], The TV miniseries, Streets of Laredo was also filmed in Lajitas. with a $4.2 million bid. When Lajitass marketing team suggested that all the resort needed to take off was a visitor with A-list celebrity credentials, one Tom Cruise or Tiger Woods, Terlingua just laughed. [23], In 2010, he bought the 3,500-acre BootJack Ranch near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, for $46.5 million. And he did sell plenty of beer, the most of any business in Brewster County, he estimates. The runway airport has full 100LL and Jet A fuel, complimentary tiedowns down services and offers transportation to the resort. NewsMcClatchy-Tribune Regional News. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Im standing here on the putting green looking at it right now, Beasley said Friday morning. . Rumors from the summer started to resurface. Its not the Grand Canyon, where you park your car, walk to the edge, take a picture, and then say, Okay, lets go to California now. Big Bend tourists want an active part in whats going on. By then, consultants and friends had convinced Smith that the dream could be real, and toward that end he had already spent $40 million, which he estimated would be half of his ultimate outlay. The community was said to be "about the only place where you can shoot 360 degrees", since Santa Fe and Sedona were already used up. The piece was made in 1935, well after the end of the Civil War, and depicts Lee on his horse alongside another Confederate soldier. While few doubted that Smith genuinely loved the area, they saw no signs that he knew how hard it was to live there. The resorts 250 workers made Lajitas the largest employer in South County, and it paid nearly 30 percent of the taxes for the schools in Terlingua. If you talk to the people who live in South County, youll quickly sense the difference between them and the kinds of people Smith meant to attract, and it is not one of money but philosophy. The highest recorded temperature at the resort is 120 degrees Fahrenheit. travelers to these 25,000 acres of Chihuahuan desert on the fringes of I hear once a week or more, from people I dont even know, who tell me how much the trading post meant to them and how sad they are that its gone, he said. The Big Bend is not the kind of place you want to drive through and look out your window at, Ivey continued. The auction itself was off-limits to the press, as lawyers for Lajitas worried that the presence of reporters would chill the bidding. Weve had the best year weve ever had, said Beasley. When Steve Smith bought the remote Big Bend town of Lajitas in 2000, he dreamed of building a lush, five-star retreat that would attract the likes of Tiger Woods and Tom Cruise. She and her husband have since purchased the place. It is located on a bluff overlooking the Rio Grande at San Carlos ford of the old Comanche Trail, in the northern part of the Chihuahuan Desert in southwestern Brewster County. .he sounds as if hes remembering the greatest day of his life. Lajitas Golf Resort | Big Bend National Park | Lajitas Texas According to my minder, it was a place where we could get away from the snobs at the Starlight. On Friday morning, after eating breakfast and making sure the Over one million acres of public land including Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park offer hiking, camping, river running, horse riding, mountain bicycling, birding, jeep touring, and abundant sightseeing opportunities on paved and improved roads. Lajitas, Texas: A Big Bend Country Ghost Town (Turned Resort) Lajitas Golf Resort accepts credit cards. When he decided to sell, Smith, a 54-year-old Austin-based telecommunications tycoon, showed up unannounced and unknown, stepping out of his helicopter just before the auction began to buy Lajitas on a whim for $4.25 million. Keep in mind that the second is a somewhat further drive due to the fact that youll need to take a roundabout route to get thereits not nearly as accessible as it looks on a map! Still, when the sun sets each night, when the dry desert air turns gold and the clouds go from white to purple to orange to gone and a desert rat can put himself to sleep by counting stars, that hard life is worth it. Big Bend is a diverse region with endless possibilities for adventure and discovery. It looked much the same when Ivey took over the trading post in 1980. Lajitas Texas activities designed to keep your family as busy as it wants to be. Some links in this post may be affiliate links. Warren drove friends down to the banks of the Rio Grande looking for A variety of guided outdoor activities are available. The Big Bend is named for the vast curve of the Rio Grande in remote southwest Texas. Beautiful views yes. But the true injustice came with my breakfast: $33 for coffee, a small bowl of granola, some strawberries, concentrated orange juice, and a cute little box of Special K, like the kind my mom used to provide before she trusted me to pour from the big-boy box. when Houston real estate developer Walter Mischer Sr. first conceived a Grass that was seeded on the golf course couldnt survive on the brackish well water. There were weeks of discussion leading up to the 13-1 Council vote on September 5, 2017, ending with it being taken down and stored. Dallas' Robert E. Lee statue has a new home. Best Resorts and Rentals in Lajitas EXCLUSIVERent By Owner The accommodations themselves truly run the gamut, making use of the original town of Lajitas wherever possible. The biggest attractions that draw visitors to Lajitas, of course, are Big Bend Ranch State Park to the west and Big Bend National Park to the east. The outing had been arranged in part to show me the way the new folks in Lajitas were being accepted in the community. Pandemic unemployment benefits to end next month. Lajitas is zoned to schools in the Terlingua Common School District. nine-hole golf course, in addition to the thousands of acres of multi-million-dollar wire transfer for the property was in order, Mr. After Hours Scheduling. Your County. Enjoy unlimited access to all of our incredible journalism, in print and digital. Lajitas is an unincorporated community in Brewster County, Texas, United States, near the Big Bend National Park. Lajitas Resort: Why you better go now | Columns | elpasoinc.com Though a biblical rainstorm and lightning display in the night knocked out the resorts electricity for twelve hoursa common desert occurrence that, among other things, might incapacitate an alarm clock and cause one to miss an early tee timehe was still able to get on the course because no one else was playing that day. Though it was appraised on the Brewster County tax rolls at $16 million, Smiths own investment in the place has reportedly been more than $100 million. natural gas transportation company Energy Transfer Partners. to the community and about music. Fast forward another few decades, though, and Lajitas, TX experienced a curious twist of fate: a corporation from Houston bought the entire town, restored most of the buildings, and turned it into a resort for golfers and visitors exploring Big Bend Country. the rich never came in large numbers. property, Mr. Warren plans a largely hands-off approach. And the heat beats anything foretold in Revelation. Dec. 22, 2007 - LAJITAS, Texas -- Not even $100 million, I had been down in South County reporting for that story on the new Lajitas (and in my defense, Id not participated in the pool). Some links throughout this site are affiliate links. There was, in fact, a large contingent of resort employees in La Kiva that night, all of them transplants from around the United States but for one young woman who had grown up in the area. Ivey can speak to that loss with singular authority. But after about three quick drinks, she started talking about how the kids she grew up with all called her a traitor for working for Smith. Lajitas International Airport is a privately owned airport for the use of the resort's guests and property owners located 4 miles East of Lajitas and 14 miles West of Terlingua adjacent to Big Bend National Park. When I go down there now, all I see are a few workers, but theyre not allowed to talk to anybody. The original Lajitas church and cemetery are still in town and are among the best places to visit in Lajitas. Holmes did not return a call about the donation. The lowest recorded temperature at the resort is 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Rooms were scattered all over the grounds, along the boardwalk, on the golf course, and across Ranch Road 170, driving up operating costs. As youre exploring Big Bend Country, theres a good chance youll find yourself passing through the blink-and-youll-miss-it town of Lajitas. Our resort in West Texas is set among . Yes guests are welcome to bring their pets to the resort. Pizzeria Attendant / Barista; F&B Management. The omicron variant has arrived in the U.S. as Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers is blocked by a federal judge. It is a wildly beautiful natural region, with a complex and fascinating history. Lajitas officially had a post office as early as 1901, but it did not become operational until McGuirk petitioned for its reestablishment in 1904. And when I tried to pull open my window, the knob should not have come off in my hand. The old church in the community was restored, and the community grew to have three motels, a hotel, a restaurant, a golf course, a swimming pool, an RV park, and an airstrip. Six beautiful tennis courts were built, then ripped up. The Texas Bucket List - Lajitas Golf Resort in Lajitas - YouTube But the desert has always had a way of withering material ambition. However given [], 2023All Sports FAQAll rights reserved, Powered byWPDesigned with the Customizr theme. Neither the plane nor its pilot was affiliated with the resort, and Lajitas was in no way responsible for the crash. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. Twelve miles east, on the Terlingua Ghost Town porchthe stretch of cement in front of the come-and-go storefronts where locals gather each evening to watch the Chisos Mountains change colors in the sunsetSmiths Ultimate Hideout, as his marketers called Lajitas, was already being derided as the Ultimate High Doubt. But unlike their city friends who made annual pilgrimages to Big Bend and worried that the new Lajitas would ruin the area, the beer drinkers on the porch watched Smith spend and felt a surprising amount of concern for him. Lajitas is on the western edge of Big Bend National Park in southwestern Brewster County. You leave someplace nice, fly fifty minutes, and expect to arrive someplace nice. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. And there was one other significant problem. You could get a six-pack of beer or a spark plug for a live chicken. The resort was originally owned by oilman and entrepreneur Clayton Williams Jr. Williams purchased the property in 1983 and developed it into a golf resort. question. McNairs group paid $132.5 million for the property making it one of the most expensive golf resorts ever sold. He was elected in 1986, and for a time, visiting him was one of the most popular things to do in Lajitas, TX. [6], Lajitas is located on the eastern end of the Big Bend Ranch State Park. A She stared at him. Dallas Businessman, Kelcy Warren, Acquires the Bankrupt Lajitas Resort It closed temporarily in 1910 and reopened six years later. H. W. McGuirk, the leading citizen of Lajitas from 1902 to 1917, operated the Lajitas Trading Post, farmed, and helped manage the Terlingua Mining Company. ), 5 Cool Towns Near Big Bend National Park (+ Where to Stay! That population boom influenced a boom in another town, just 13 miles away: Lajitas. Marlins David Tinsley has been a Lajitas weekender since falling in love with the region on his first river trip through Santa Elena Canyon, in 1974. McGuirk also funded the construction of a school. Earlier this year, Mr. Smith's dream officially ended in But instead of a big Spanish villa, he built a modest, 1,800-square-foot cottage with an outdoor fireplace. Unable to find her, Mr. Warren wandered about with a look of Dennis smiled and said something that hinted roughly at the wonders of clean canvases, bottomless toolboxes, and endless lumber supplies, and then excused himself to go to the restroom. The resort's unique destination is rich in Old West history. At first blush, its almost impossible to tell the age of a resident of south Brewster County, and there are two good reasons for that. Lajitas is also somewhat famous for having a drunk goat named Clay Henry for a mayoryes, you read that correctly! It's a place where many have long come to get away from material excess The Kolaches of West, Texas (Bakeries + Beyond), 13 Useful Tips for Visiting the Alamo in San Antonio, How to Visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris, TX (+ Photos & FAQ), 10 Great Texas Gulf Coast RV Parks (Beach Trip Ideas), 10+ Tips for Round Top, TX Shopping Trips (Antiques Fair Advice! My first thought was, Id spend a million to spruce it up a little bit, he told the San Antonio Express-News shortly thereafter.