Marfa

Images of America: Texas

by Louise S. O'Connor, Cecilia Thompson Ph.D.

In the rugged High Chihuahua Desert of West Texas, Marfa lies in the northeast corner of Presidio County, 60 miles from the Mexico border. Originally established as a water stop for the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad in 1883, it soon became the county seat and heart of a thriving commercial center built around ranching. Marfa's Fort D. A. Russell, first known as Camp Albert and later Camp Marfa, has been home to numerous military units from the early 1900s through the end of World War II. This military presence, combined with the development of the famous Highland Hereford that propelled local cattle ranching to a nationally recognized level, provided the economic and social base for the community well into the 1950s. Marfa's proximity to Mexico contributes tremendously to a remarkable blend of cultures, and today the once remote frontier town has established itself as a sophisticated arts and cultural mecca.

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 2009

About the author

Louise S. O'Connor is a Texas and American historian, writer, and photographer. Her photographic portraits of African American cowboys of the Coastal Bend region have been exhibited at the Briscoe Center for American History and other museums. She is the author of Cryin’ for Daylight: A Ranching Culture in the Texas Coastal Bend. and other titles. O’Connor lives on her ranch in Victoria County, Texas.

Reviews

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In preparation for the West Texas Holiday.

[Mike Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.u...

[Starley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great pictures but not a complete view of Marfa.