Beautiful views yes. The vision for a resort at Lajitas began in the late 1970s, Theres a simple story of manners that gets retold on the porch when Lajitas is discussed. 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. [7] The construction of the park cost about $90 million. contact@lajitasgolfresort.com, 2014 Lajitas Golf Resort 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. "It didn't feel right. A major hotel chain. Saying Goodbye to Fairfield Lake State Park, Miniature Cattle Have Ambled Into Our Hearts and Onto Our Modest Acreages. Located just east of Big Bend Ranch State Park, a visit to Lajitas, Texas may leave you wondering: is this a town or a resort? But if you just paid $7,000 to fly your jet out there, $900 a night for a condo on the boardwalk, and $165 for greens fees, you expect a little more. They talked about reopening the border crossing, reaching out reprints, email [emailprotected], call 800-374-7985 or Lajitas is mentioned extensively in Red Dirt/Texas Country artist Wade Bowen's song "Day of the Dead" recorded in October 2017. #1 of 1 resort in Lajitas. 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. It's a quick trip to Terlingua for other dining options, although we had breakfast at Candelilla and it was fabulous. in 3 reviews, The morning of our second day we explored the golf course and were blown away by the immense beauty of the course. in 23 reviews, On the day of the wedding, after our adventure in Big Bend, we came back to resort and spent time lounging in the pool. in 12 reviews. Lajitas Golf Resort is open Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun. But the majority of voices around the horseshoe viewed it as a monument to white supremacy and oppression. Voted #4 Course You Can Play in Texas Golfweek Magazine. Ms. Ryan told Mr. Warren she remembers years ago when the bar For There was no plan at all, no directions from above. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. On Friday, Mr. Warren sealed a $13.5 million deal to buy the UT Dallas is paying students to get vaccinated. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. outdueled San Francisco hotelier Manou Mobedshahi in the town's saloon Still, in a larger sense the buyer and his intentions dont really matter. The region was sparsely inhabited for thousands of years by semi nomadic peoples related to the Patarabueyes and Jumanos tribes before the Spanish arrived. Smith and a group of hastily scraped-together investors. Bring on the Shiplap. Due to the closing of the Terlingua quicksilver mines, the number of residents in Lajitas had dwindled to four. That population boom influenced a boom in another town, just 13 miles away: Lajitas. Bill Ivey owns the Ghost Town at Terlingua now, but he ran the trading post through the eighties. Rooms cleans yes but lacking. I was doctor, vet, lawyer, marriage counselor, pharmacist, and an importer of wax. In any event, last summer Lajitas borrowed $12.5 million from a financial house in Connecticut. Dallas sold the statue for $1.4 million in June after the City Council decided to auction it off. Upward of thirty people would gatherMexican workers, snowbirds from the RV park, boatmen and floaters just back from a river trip, and college kids whod stopped in to feed cervezas to Mayor Clay Henry, the towns famous beer-drinking goat. [2] He is a former co-chairman of Le Gp, OEC Compression. It's a place where many have long come to get away from material excess Carmichael, California, United States. It has been called America's weirdest golf resort, a spiritual Sticking to their goal to truly have everything, they even have an airport (the wifi on the resort, however, is questionable at best). Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. Its a small section of the population that gets it out here, she said. The excellent bread pudding provided some redemption, but not enough to justify a $190 bill. Otherwise youre just buying dirt.. since 2003 and hopes to remove the exclusivity from the resort. Smith believed that if he made it softer and more like other places, he could broaden the appeal. If youve visited the popular Terlingua Ghost Town, youve no doubt heard about the mercury mining boom that led to the towns explosion in population in the early 20th century. Warren drove friends down to the banks of the Rio Grande looking for Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. Then, this summer the Lajitas resort declared bankruptcy, announcing some $15 million in debts and $500,000 a month in operating losses, and went on the auction block. 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. with a $4.2 million bid. When I met him for a quick lunch in Alpine in October, his memories of the old store grew the conversation to two hours. The private owner is Addison-based attorney Ronald Holmes of Holmes Firm PC, a friend of the course who was down in Terlingua for Thursdays dedication. just about 9,000 residents and a per capita income of about $15,000. The runway airport has full 100LL and Jet A fuel, complimentary tiedowns down services and offers transportation to the resort. At 1:48 p.m., the wire transfer went through for the property. In the early days of the expansion, a number of Smiths captains went into the Starlight Theatre in Terlingua for dinner. All rights reserved. was Mr. Warren's first to the community and about music. If you click through a link on Lone Star Travel Guide, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Its previous owner, Austin multimillionaire Steve Smith, Brings new meaning to the phrase Sunday Funday. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. The Lajitas Museum, which contained artifacts from the Big Bend area, was located just east of Lajitas. models. [21], Warren married the former Sherry Johnson on May 18, 1980, in Dallas, and they divorced in 1991. [11] The Robert E. Lee on Traveller statue is on display at the resort. It's a quick trip to Terlingua for other dining options, although we had breakfast at, The morning of our second day we explored the. The highest recorded temperature at the resort is 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The Lajitas property continued to change hands and in 1949 was bought by Rex Ivey, Jr., who hand-dug a well and installed a generator for the areas first electric lights. Be aware that cell phones may inadvertently change to Mountain Time and cause you to be an hour behind schedule. Id hold out a brown paper sack that theyd put their guns in, and Id put their groceries in that sack and hand it back to them when they were leaving. The trading post was also the only chance for gas in the area, and it wasnt unusual to see a pilot like Tinsley taxi his plane down the highway to the pumps to refuel. Any idea Dennis came up with was worth a try. About us. He married Amy Hudson on June 3, 2010, in Dallas. old-world bar, 92 luxury rooms and Mayor Clay Henry, a beer-drinking 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. I hope you have found some useful content on my site today. "I'd be surprised if there are more than 10 people here," Mr. Seven or eight hours in a car gives you a sense of how far this is from civilization. Tucked away in Texas' historic Big Bend between Big Bend National Park and Big Bend State Park lies Lajitas Resort, the perfect setting These days, Clay Henry can be found (stuffed) at Starlight Theatre in Terlingua, but Clay Henrys descendants continued to act as mayorat least until his grandson met a gnarly fate. "I'm telling you. For the 23 years prior to that, Lajitas had been the property of Houston business giant Walter Mischer, whod turned it into a modest resort with an Old West boardwalk, a nine-hole golf course, ninety cheap hotel rooms, and an RV park for winter Texans, all of it anchored by a 65-year-old ramshackle adobe trading post so vital to the regions commerce and society that some called it the Courthouse of South County. When I met him nearly two years later, he was thinking differently. ), 5 Cool Towns Near Big Bend National Park (+ Where to Stay! the Rio Grande. It then became a port of entry when several cattle ranches and mining enterprises appeared in Coahuila and Chihuahua in Mexico and increased commerce across the Rio Grande River. From 1996 to 2000, he sat on the board of directors of Crosstex Energy. The piece was made in 1935, well after the end of the Civil War, and depicts Lee on his horse alongside another Confederate soldier. According to Ivey, Mischer encouraged all this. Your News. 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. Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? The crossing, a smooth rock bottom all the way across the river, was the best between Del Rio and El Paso. But it also served as a gathering place for the areas whites, Mexicans, and Indians, none of whom batted an eye at the towns other prominent, permanent resident, an old man who refused to wear anything more than his underwear, in which he would daily pan for gold in the Rio Grande. "In fact, I'd be shocked if there But back on the road, he was still thinking about the woman. That effort ran out of steam and money in 2007, and a group of investors bought the property, cut the prices in half, and have created a luxurious and affordable environment for visitors to Texas Big Bend. Fly Direct to Lajitas from Dallas or Houston. Her answer: No dice. At the end of the meal, he tipped her $50. White Oak who also has a record label, has owned a home in Lajitas And the beauty of that, as it related to Steve Smith, was the free rein Dennis had been given to create whatever he wanted. Admittedly the place was in bankruptcy, but it was still open and promising no drop in service. making money. Every facet of life in that trading post was filled with spirit, Ivey said. According to my minder, it was a place where we could get away from the snobs at the Starlight. Checks were cashed and loans were made, and Ivey accepted payment in dollars, pesos, or by barter. Lajitas resort avoids foreclosure with bankruptcy court filing. One of the biggest selling points of Lajitas Golf Resort for many, though, is its location right next door to Big Bend Ranch State Park. empty and spiritual. Pamplin sold the resort in 2006 to a group of investors led by Texas businessman Bob McNair. McGuirk also funded the construction of a school. While few doubted that Smith genuinely loved the area, they saw no signs that he knew how hard it was to live there. But its not the reason anyones coming out here, and thats why Im proud of it. 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. ), 11 Great RV Parks Near Big Bend National Park, 9 Otherworldly Things to Do in West Texas. Other bidders dropped out early and headed for the elevators, including an eight-man team of blue-suited lawyers representing a hotelier, followed by a couple of South Texas hunting buddies with fat wallets in the back pockets of their Wranglers. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. nine-hole golf course, in addition to the thousands of acres of And frankly, I dont think Smith even knows. The resort couldn't turn a The original Lajitas church and cemetery are still in town and are among the best places to visit in Lajitas. It looked much the same when Ivey took over the trading post in 1980. Its minimum purchase price was $450,000. Lajitas Golf Resort has been welcoming Booking.com guests since Jan 27, 2014 Most popular amenities Outdoor swimming pool Free WiFi Free parking Non-smoking rooms Candelilla Facilities for disabled guests Fitness center Spa Family rooms Bar Property Highlights Top Location: Highly rated by recent guests (8.7) Free Parking Available On Site Yelp users havent asked any questions yet about Lajitas Golf Resort. About Lajitas Golf Resort. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Front Desk: (432) 424-5000 But the desert has always had a way of withering material bankrupt resort and give Lajitas another life. braided. The population of Lajitas plummeted to only four when Terlingua's quicksilver mines closed. The outing had been arranged in part to show me the way the new folks in Lajitas were being accepted in the community. And there was one other significant problem. Lajitas Golf Resort is perfectly situated between the Big Bend National Park and the Big Bend State Park: it is the ultimate resort destination. His whole model was based on the idea that he could somehow tame the desert, refashion it to suit his plan, and it was just a matter of time before his vision became known as Smiths Folly. Save. The ultimate fate of Lajitas wont be decided by any new owner. For more flight [11], In 2022, he ranked No. And on the other side of the highway and a tall adobe wall, the Cavalry Post and La Questa rooms opened up onto a swimming pool lined with ristra-strung arbors and a view of Lajitas Mesa. Kelcy Lee Warren (born November 9, 1955)[1] is an American billionaire and the chairman and chief executive officer of Energy Transfer Partners.[2][3][4][5][6]. 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. Black Jack's Crossing at Lajitas Golf Resort. 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. Pershing once pursued Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. McNairs group has invested millions of dollars into the resort making it one of the most luxurious and exclusive golf resorts in the world. across the river. But he insisted that his intention was little substantive change. On the one hand, hes wealthy and owns his own plane. By the late 90s, Lajitas and its sister town, Paso Lajitas, Chihuahua, Mexico had over 200 inhabitants. world. Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. Enjoy unlimited access to all of our incredible journalism, in print and digital. Plus: FC Dallas in the playoffs and Dak Prescott's long-awaited return. It had to be replaced. The round-trip drive to Alpine for big groceries is 190 miles. in the spare beauty of borderlands. Some other rich guy desiring a private playground. ", "There's a certain kind of people who need this place.". Now, we all know people who wouldnt blink at a $33 breakfast. 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. ocotillo plants. said Thursday aboard his private jet, flying over the desert and Davis Remote Lajitas Golf Resort -- which sits very near the Mexican border, some 470 miles west of San Antonio -- is the kind of place where the tee sheet never gets too stacked. 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. "I still think it could be something special," the 52-year-old [5] "Lajitas" translates to "little flat rocks" in Spanish. She and her husband have since purchased the place. I think he was just writing checks.. The community boomed when quicksilver was discovered 11 miles from the community at the end of the decade. Youre not prepared for what you get.. He started his career working for the Lone Star Gas Company. information click here West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country. 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. Big Bend is a diverse region with endless possibilities for adventure and discovery. At the same time a number of cattle ranches and mining enterprises appeared in northern Chihuahua and Coahuila. Reviewed October 12, 2021 Your County. When I visited the Starlight in October, that waitress was still there. We also offer our 5 Stand Sporting Clay Shoot, Cowboy Action shoot, Equestrian Center for family horseback rides, and many other Apart from teaching my students in class, we also go outside the four walls of the classroom to physically experience what was discussed in class. state parks, Lajitas has long been one of the stranger outposts of the Dallas Robert E. Lee Statue Has Landed at Black Jacks Crossing Near Terlingua. Only a few home sites ever sold. During droughts, people will live on water saved in rooftop rain-catchment systems, showering and flushing the toilet once a week. Ever since I retired, I decided to put up this blog alongside the best brains among my old student to uphold the sporting spirit in us. Voted #1 Course You Can Play in Texas The Dallas Morning News The store itself was stacked deep with every conceivable necessity, from bulk beans and flour to appliances, auto parts, clothes, and ranch supplies. Holmes did not return a call about the donation. In an area known for long drives to reach your destination, waking up just outside the park is a big benefit. As part of the contract, his son cleans up trash from the park once a month. 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). 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. [2][3][4] He also serves as member of the management council of ETP Enogex Partners LLC, co-CEO of ETC OLP, co-CEO and co-chairman of La Grange Energy and of US Propane LLC. said. When the mines in nearby Terlingua closed in the 1940s, though, Lajitas also became a ghost town, with an estimated population of 4. lighting up as if nobody had approached her like that in a long while. The border then seemed about forty miles wide and mixed like the sounds in a Doug Sahm song, half-Mexican, half-white, with nobody too worried about which half was which. Located on the border of the U.S. and Mexico, Lajitas sprung up to accommodate the increased border crossings thanks to the nearby mines, and was complete with a customs house, a school, a church, and a post office (which operated until 1939). The settlement is named after the Boquillas flagstone found in the area. The store and saloon were operated by H.W. Please be sure to check back frequently as this journey continues. Ms. Ryan has squatted on the Lajitas property for 20 years, A in denim with a pink bandana around her neck and gray hair loosely 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. NYSE:ETP, By Paul Meyer, The Dallas Morning the rich never came in large numbers. Review. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? The Last Resort. When. For groups of Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa 100 Main St, Terlingua, TX 8.2 Very Good 608 reviews How we verify reviews 10 - Excellent 273 8 - Good 206 6 - Okay 78 4 - Poor 39 2 - Terrible 12 8.7/10 Cleanliness 8.6/10 Staff & service 8.0/10 Amenities 8.0/10 Property conditions & facilities 8.2/10 Eco-friendliness 8/10 Good Christopher Jan 5, 2023 living in the rusted hull of a bus, near a dirt path leading down to The population remained at 50 in 1990 and grew to 75 from 2000 to 2010. Dallas, Texas 75201. Double check when in the area for the correct local time when visiting. Local Lajitas, TX STD Testing Centers and CBC, Lipid, Hepatitis, Liver, Hemoglobin A1C, Hormone, Same Day Service, No Doctors Visit/No Insurance Required, All Wellness/Health Testing. to come back with his 5-year-old son. The Lajitas area was then bought by Rex Ivey, Jr., who brought electricity to the community in 1949 and sold part of it to Walter M. Mischer, a Houston entrepreneur and owner of Mischer Corporation. Find Lajitas Resorts and Resort Rentals. he wants to put it more in touch with surrounding Brewster County, with I was writing a story that would run in the May 2002 issue of Texas Monthly on Smiths vision for Lajitas: the creation of a world-class, five-star golf resort and an exclusive development for multimillion-dollar vacation homes. [12] Warren received a COVID stimulus check in 2020 as he had reported large losses previously. Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa HC 70, Box 400, Lajitas, Big Bend National Park, TX 79852 +1 432-424-5000 Website Open now : 07:00 AM - 9:00 PM See all (62) Food Service Value Atmosphere Food and ambience Local cuisine, American, Southwestern Anglo-Americans first arrived around the time of the Mexican war. Skaggs also became successful in a candelilla wax business, the Lajitas Wax Company. Mr. Warren, a Levis-jeans-and-cowboy-boot-wearing Texan from The soul stays young, and that youth glows in the eyes, as lined as they may be. Sure enough, the hotel struggled to maintain even 50 percent occupancy, and a mere five private homes went up in his subdivisions. Lajitas Golf Resort 1,061 reviews #1 of 1 resort in Lajitas Review Save Share 21701 FM 170, Lajitas, Big Bend National Park, TX 79852-5015 1 (877) 525-4827 Visit hotel website E-mail hotel Check In / / Check Out / / Guests Contact accommodation for availability. 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. Then, this summer, after resort revenues failed to live up to the terms of the loan, the lender posted the property for foreclosure, and Lajitas filed for Chapter 11 protection. See 1,059 traveler reviews, 860 candid photos, and great deals for Lajitas Golf Resort, ranked #1 of 1 hotel in Lajitas and rated 4 of 5 at Tripadvisor. 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. But there was no place for a Mexican jukebox in the new Lajitas. Born in Gladewater, Texas, Warren grew up in White Oak, Texas, the youngest of four sons of Hugh Brinson Warren and Bertie Lee Kirby. William H. Emory also visited Lajitas in 1852. In Rexs time Lajitas consisted of the trading post and an old cavalry post that was used as a hunting lodge, and Rex met Mischer when he came out for deer and dove hunts. and were blown away by the immense beauty of the course. bankruptcy. [18], Warren donated $6 million to Governor Rick Perry's presidential campaign. The answer, as it turns out, is a little bit of both. Faces age faster in the desert, the skin browning and creasing and toughening up in ways that city and suburban dwellers dont have to worry about. Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa 100 Main St, Terlingua, TX 79852 Hotel Amenities Property Details Built in 2003 101 rooms in 26 buildings Designated smoking areas Hotel Services Concierge and tour/ticket information 24-hour business center 6000 square feet of conference space Convenience store and gift shop Luggage storage Laundry facilities Lajitas Golf Resort accepts credit cards. Candidates give an average difficulty score of 2.5 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) for their job interview at Lajitas Golf Resort. Owner is the CEO of Energy Transfer. goat. The resort is currently owned by a group of investors led by Bob McNair. The resort is currently owned by EPGolf LLC. Boardwalk Bakery and Pizzeria. John Poindexter, the owner of Big Bends Cibolo Creek Ranch resort, was among the last to arrive and the last to leave. Six beautiful tennis courts were built, then ripped up. For those traditionally drawn to the place, whether they were rich or poor, comfort wasnt the major consideration. 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. Commerce was interrupted by Pancho Villa and his bandits, bringing John J. Pershing and his troops to establish a cavalry post there in 1916. This indicates he was in the lowest 20% of billionaires rated. We also have an email out to Warren. The vision on the porch was of rooms priced at $150 a night and an RV park that is open to snowbirds, that will tolerate the occasional rattletrap trailer. The wild spirit of the Big Bend region is in full effect at this stunning course whose name pays tribute to U.S. Army Gen. John "Black Jack . If you take a plane, you just show up. EL PASO (AP) - A West Texas resort billed by its owner as an exclusive desert getaway for the rich and famous filed for federal . How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire, H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians. When I asked him what would happen if his dream didnt work, he said, Well, at least me and my friends will have a really nice golf course to play. (Smith declined to be interviewed for this article, and Texas Monthly happens to be one of his unsecured creditors, owed $35,000 for unpaid advertising.).