After Hours Scheduling. His ambition grew ever more glorious by the day: eight hundred residential lots of two acres or less, some selling for as much as $1 million, undeveloped; two championship golf courses, not desert-style, with grass growing only on greens and tees, but with a lush wall-to-wall carpet that would need a million gallons of water a day to stay green in summer months; an RV park with $100,000 slips for $500,000 motor homes; a 36,000-square-foot spa; four fancy restaurants; an amphitheater seating three thousand; an equestrian center; a hunting club. Warren's gift was the largest, giving him naming rights. Make no mistake, desert life is hard, and the sacrifices required are made hourly. Young as he was, that was surprising, so when he returned, I asked him how somebody with such a hard time getting around wound up in a job as physically demanding as carpentry. Warren said Thursday looking about. He then sold the land to Thomas V. Skaggs, who became successful in the Lajitas Wax Company, which sold candelilla wax. In 1999 Williams sold the resort to a group of investors led by Dickie Pamplin. No stranger rode into town with his checkbook in his teeth to run up the bidding and take the place over. "Lajitas" translates to "little flat rocks" in Spanish. The store itself was stacked deep with every conceivable necessity, from bulk beans and flour to appliances, auto parts, clothes, and ranch supplies. If youre traveling on the cheap, that could make a funny story. All rights reserved. The first white settlers came to the area in the mid-1800s. What Im Watching: Dallas Mavericks Basketball. Mountains to a 7,500-foot landing strip surrounded by scrub brush and 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. But there was no place for a Mexican jukebox in the new Lajitas. Your News. 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. Unlike Mr. Smith, whose persona became intertwined with his http://www.dallasnews.com. The Last Resort. Compare luxury resorts and resort hotels in Lajitas with Rent By Owner Find Lajitas Resorts and Resort Rentals. Commerce was interrupted by Pancho Villa and his bandits, bringing John J. Pershing and his troops to establish a cavalry post there in 1916. 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. ), 17 Epic East Texas Towns + Cities to Visit. Warren also serves as chairman of the general partner of Energy Transfer Equity. The resort features our world class 18 hole golf course, Lajitas Texas Golf. Now, we all know people who wouldnt blink at a $33 breakfast. My first thought was, Id spend a million to spruce it up a little bit, he told the San Antonio Express-News shortly thereafter. 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. 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. The runway airport has full 100LL and Jet A fuel, complimentary tiedowns down services and offers transportation to the resort. [1] It was inhabited by aboriginal Mexicans for many years. state parks, Lajitas has long been one of the stranger outposts of the Soon, they sat in an outdoor living room by the outdoor Suite 2100 travelers to these 25,000 acres of Chihuahuan desert on the fringes of But he also waves his cowboy hat over his head and yells yeehaw like Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove whenever he flies it into the Trans-Pecos. [11] The Robert E. Lee on Traveller statue is on display at the resort. Lajitas Golf Resort is an unexpected and fascinating oasis in the middle of the vast desert that makes up much of Big Bend Countryand today, Lajitas Golf Resort is nearly simultaneous with the town of Lajitas, TX. Mr. Warren, a Levis-jeans-and-cowboy-boot-wearing Texan from And he did sell plenty of beer, the most of any business in Brewster County, he estimates. Lajitas Texas activities designed to keep your family as busy as it wants to be. models. Eventually she started sobbing, and I was whisked off by the minder into a crowd of happier revelers. 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). beer-guzzling goats and the legend of Pancho Villa could lure the old-world bar, 92 luxury rooms and Mayor Clay Henry, a beer-drinking For On Monday, the sculpture completed a 600-mile journey to Black Jacks Crossing near the border, about a dozen miles from Terlingua. 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. Smiths money was the safety net, the answer to every problem, be it the overall concept or everyday moves that didnt work out. [5] The name Lajitas is Spanish for little flat rocks and refers to the Boquillas limestone of the area. 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. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Communities offer services, amenities, and entertainment. Bill Ivey owns the Ghost Town at Terlingua now, but he ran the trading post through the eighties. Wild West-style complex in the area where Gen. John "Black Jack" In 1852 Lt. William H. Emory visited the site as part of the first official US survey party. On Friday morning, after eating breakfast and making sure the [9] RECO invested $7 million on a wind farm that was scheduled for completion in 2017.[10]. In the summer of 2003, Smith opened a remodeled trading post complete with air-conditioning, indoor baos, and a wine-and-coffee bar. In 1977 Ivey sold part of the Lajitas area to Houston entrepreneur Walter M. Mischer, of Mischer Corporation; Mischer had begun development and restoration of the community in 1977, under the name of the corporations subsidiary, Arrow Development Company. Accommodations run the range from convenient and comfortable to resort luxury. goat. Ms. Ryan said the area is like a space station, big and fried steak instead of $50 steaks. But he insisted that his intention was little substantive change. 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 About the Business Escape to Lajitas Golf Resort, no place like it in the world! To be fair, Smith did do some good. Business is apparently booming at its new home, a course that has been perennially named among the top five or so in the state. About us. [2] He is a former co-chairman of Le Gp, OEC Compression. lavished $100 million to turn the property into an exclusive refuge for Prior to the combination of the operations of ETP and Heritage Propane in 2004, Warren co-founded the entities that acquired and operated the midstream natural gas pipelines that were contributed in the merger. 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! people," Mr. Warren said from town, joined on the trip by business 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. [18], Warren donated $6 million to Governor Rick Perry's presidential campaign. Only a few home sites ever sold. Boardwalk Bakery and Pizzeria. The outing had been arranged in part to show me the way the new folks in Lajitas were being accepted in the community. Be aware that cell phones may inadvertently change to Mountain Time and cause you to be an hour behind schedule. the Rio Grande. [6], Lajitas is located on the eastern end of the Big Bend Ranch State Park. 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. He even had employees ambush chartered busloads of seniors headed to his hotel, stopping their caravans on the highway and stealing their valuables. Ms. Ryan told Mr. Warren she remembers years ago when the bar with a $4.2 million bid. 10 or more click here, Traveler rating: 7.0 Lajitas Golf Resort. The 11th Bomb Squadron operated from Marfa Field along the Rio Grande to El Paso.[14]. Too many decisions were made in the creation of the new Lajitas by people who didnt seem to think very hard about what they were doing. The woman, and, for that matter, all of Terlingua, was offended. When I bought the Ghost Town, I wanted to make it a place you needed to go to if you were in Big Bend. At 1:48 p.m., the wire transfer went through for the property. Unincorporated community in Texas, United States, "Old Cemetery In Lajitas, Texas, A Tiny Town That Abuts Big Bend National Park In Southwestern Brewster County, On A Bluff Overlooking The Rio Grande River In The Northern Part Of The Chihuahuan Desert", "Mayor Clay Henry III: A Word About the Mayor", "Clay Henry - Famous Beer-Drinking Dead Goat", "LAJITAS, TEXAS (414950), Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary", "Lajitas Resort: Why you better go now - El Paso Inc.: Publishers Column", "Death: Frank Q. Dobbs, producer, director and writer for television and movies", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lajitas,_Texas&oldid=1140605444, Unincorporated communities in Brewster County, Texas, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Source: Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 21:47. The resort is currently owned by a group of investors led by Bob McNair. bankrupt resort and give Lajitas another life. to come back with his 5-year-old son. Beasley doesnt seem concerned about any controversy. You cannot mess with that country. Dallas most important news stories of the week, delivered to your inbox each Sunday. The accommodations themselves truly run the gamut, making use of the original town of Lajitas wherever possible. newspaper, go to Sure enough, the hotel struggled to maintain even 50 percent occupancy, and a mere five private homes went up in his subdivisions. [14], Warren has hosted the Cherokee Music Festival since it began in 2007. Dallas Robert E. Lee statue has a new home. "I still think it could be something special," the 52-year-old Leave them blank to get signed up. The town hadnt changed a whit when he got out of college and took a job with new owner Mischer in 1977, except for the recent introduction of electricity and a regular telephone line. [2][6] He served as executive vice-president Cornerstone Natural Gas from 1989 to 1990, and as president and CEO from 1993 to 1996. As part of the contract, his son cleans up trash from the park once a month. He was also involved in a dispute with the IRS over $140 million in tax shelters. The answer, as it turns out, is a little bit of both. As an Amazon Associate, Lone Star Travel Guide earns from qualifying purchases. A stay at Lajitas Golf Resort is an opportunity to step 100 years back into the history of . View all View all photos (863) Otherwise youre just buying dirt.. 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]. No spam, ever. was Mr. Warren's first [2], Due to the remoteness of the resort, Lajitas is served by the Lajitas International Airport, a private airport with a 6,503ft (1,982m) concrete runway. That population boom influenced a boom in another town, just 13 miles away: Lajitas. The gas pumps were gone, as were the willow leaves and goat-pen wire. McGuirk petitioned for it to be re-established when it was built sometime before 1901. It was closed temporarily in 1910, reopened in 1916, and closed permanently in 1939. Anglo-Americans first arrived around the time of the Mexican war. "This thing is so beautiful, and there's nobody here.". McNairs group has continued to invest in the resort adding a new clubhouse and expanding the spa. Order your test online and receive your donor/registration pass by email. Its sad. Wisely, he decided to move the party up the highway to what was then the only other bar near Terlingua, La Kiva. A major hotel chain. The crossing, a smooth rock bottom all the way across the river, was the best between Del Rio and El Paso. 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. contracted with Edwin Leslie, president and CEO of Houston-based 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. It brings a satisfaction, not of beating the desert but of surviving it. [12] Warren received a COVID stimulus check in 2020 as he had reported large losses previously. "Now I've got to go back to a different world," he said. Here, youll find everything from the award-winning golf course to the unassuming general store, from several restaurants to heaps of excursions, that make up many of the best things to do in Lajitas, Texas. About 10 minutes later, Ms. Ryan appeared down the road, clad I did nothing more than let it happen, and a real community is there now. Yelp users havent asked any questions yet about. Warren drove friends down to the banks of the Rio Grande looking for information click here 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. In the late 1890s quicksilver was discovered near Terlingua, eleven miles from Lajitas, and a rapid influx of people followed. world. Dallas' Robert E. Lee statue has a new home. Its dangerous. 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. Megan's Dog Adventures. Big Bend is home to a few remarkable communities: Marathon, Study Butte, Terlingua Ghost Town, Lajitas, and Big Bend National Park. Checks were cashed and loans were made, and Ivey accepted payment in dollars, pesos, or by barter. Black Jack's Crossing at Lajitas Golf Resort. [2], In the 1970s the community had one telephone, and newspapers were delivered one day later than their normal dates. Lajitas General Store and Deli Thirsty Goat Saloon Pizza Menu Thirsty Goat Menu To make dinner reservations in The Candelilla restaurant, call 432-424-5032 Candelilla Cafe Offering an Interesting Twist on Traditional Tex Mex Cuisine Candelilla Caf Hours of Operation 7 am - 10 pm Daily Bring on the Shiplap. It is the kind of place where, after a few drinks, youre apt to forget that there are any rules at all. Seven or eight hours in a car gives you a sense of how far this is from civilization. For Sales Info, Contact: Scott Beasley 214-981-0758 Welcome To LAJITAS GOLF RESORT Lajitas Golf Resort in Lajitas, Texas Tucked away in Texas' historic Big Bend between Big Bend National Park and Big Bend State Park lies Lajitas Resort, the perfect setting for your away-from-it-all adventure. During droughts, people will live on water saved in rooftop rain-catchment systems, showering and flushing the toilet once a week. For groups 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. Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? What emerged was part roadside attraction, motel, RV park and Our resort in West Texas is set among . This indicates he was in the lowest 20% of billionaires rated. To see more of The Dallas Morning News, or to subscribe to the The auction itself was off-limits to the press, as lawyers for Lajitas worried that the presence of reporters would chill the bidding. Always found it to be poorly maintained, with poor food service. It was live-music night at La Kiva, the best of it played by a young female fiddle player from the Northeast whod put off grad school to take a job at Lajitas. She stared at him. Due to the closing of the Terlingua quicksilver mines, the number of residents in Lajitas had dwindled to four. It was closed temporarily in 1910, reopened in 1916, and closed permanently in 1939. McGuirk, who also helped manage the mining company in Terlingua and funded the construction of a church. When. It is a nonprofit event to raise money for children's charities and local public service organizations. In 2015, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas appointed Warren to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.