Every day at five oclock sharp, when the whistle blew at Lajitas, the porch at the trading post became the spot for Big Bend happy hour. I think he was just writing checks.. City documents identified Holmes, but he hadnt hinted at what hed do with his new hunk of Alexander Phimister Proctor-made metal. 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 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 . 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. And a federal judge approved the sale of Lajitas earlier this But back on the road, he was still thinking about the woman. And the people. state parks, Lajitas has long been one of the stranger outposts of the [3] After two replacements of the original Clay Henry, the trading post and stable where the actual mayor lived is now closed and they goat no longer resides there. For groups of slashed prices on the hotel rooms and began charging $29 a night at the Voted #4 Course You Can Play in Texas Golfweek Magazine. "In fact, I'd be shocked if there empty and spiritual. Mr. Leslie on Friday On Friday, Mr. Warren sealed a $13.5 million deal to buy the It closed temporarily in 1910 and reopened six years later. Find Lajitas Resorts and Resort Rentals. ), 5 Cool Towns Near Big Bend National Park (+ Where to Stay! You could get a six-pack of beer or a spark plug for a live chicken. Thats a huge mistake. By the late 90s, Lajitas and its sister town, Paso Lajitas, Chihuahua, Mexico had over 200 inhabitants. Asian money. In the summer of 2003, Smith opened a remodeled trading post complete with air-conditioning, indoor baos, and a wine-and-coffee bar. [7] Warren went to White Oak High School. Please be sure to check back frequently as this journey continues. In June 2003, Texas Golfer sent a writer to stay at Lajitas for what would be a cover story for the monthly magazine. If you take a plane, you just show up. [12] Before that, Lajitas had a school with 50 students in 1912. 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. She said the exclusivity of the resort was like During sudden storms, their power will go out, and theyll be trapped wherever they are, the roads made impassable by flashing creeks trying to find the Rio Grande. The answer, as it turns out, is a little bit of both. across the river. 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. [2][6], In 2007, he bought the bankrupt Lajitas Resorts in Lajitas, Texas, as a real estate investment. he wants to put it more in touch with surrounding Brewster County, with Since Clay Henry, goats have been mayors of the community ever since. The crossing was described as a smooth, rock bottom, and was best between Del Rio and El Paso. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. What emerged was part roadside attraction, motel, RV park and new chef has been hired to bring the restaurant things like chicken Smiths money was the safety net, the answer to every problem, be it the overall concept or everyday moves that didnt work out. "I'd be surprised if there are more than 10 people here," Mr. Lajitas, he hopes, may have another life yet. outdueled San Francisco hotelier Manou Mobedshahi in the town's saloon Ivey would even get customers prescriptions filled on his weekly runs to Alpine. A post office was established at Lajitas in 1904 and remained in operation until 1939. Our resort in West Texas is set among . Copyright 2023, D Magazine Partners, Inc. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you talk to the people who live in South County. McNairs group paid $132.5 million for the property making it one of the most expensive golf resorts ever sold. "I'm telling you. 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. Hitting golf balls can be frustrating and it often feels like youre never making any [], Do Golf Balls Float? This is a question that has been asked by many people and it is a very valid question. 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. "I still think it could be something special," the 52-year-old February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? Good, 21701 FM 170 Lajitas, Texas 79852 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. 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 In 2010, he bought the 3,500-acre BootJack Ranch near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, for $46.5 million. Bring on the Shiplap. 6 IMPORTANT TIPS FOR VISITING THE BIG BEND. In the early days of the expansion, a number of Smiths captains went into the Starlight Theatre in Terlingua for dinner. lighting up as if nobody had approached her like that in a long while. In 1852 Lt. William H. Emory visited the site as part of the first official US survey party. 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. Andbig bonus for ussome rooms are pet friendly. Its minimum purchase price was $450,000. goat. 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. Hundreds of trees, including pears and plums that had no business being in the desert, were ordered before there was a plan to plant them and then planted before there was a way to water them. Warren drove friends down to the banks of the Rio Grande looking for 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.). We offer world class golf on our award 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! 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. A motel stood on the same land in the 1980s. Front Desk: (432) 424-5000 No stranger rode into town with his checkbook in his teeth to run up the bidding and take the place over. Every facet of life in that trading post was filled with spirit, Ivey said. If youre traveling on the cheap, that could make a funny story. And at that point, reconciling the deserts harshness and beauty is your problem. [6], Lajitas is located on the eastern end of the Big Bend Ranch State Park. Yes the resort offers weddings and other special events. Tucked away in Southwest Texas between Big Bend National Park and Big Bend State Park lies the exquisite 27,000 acre Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa. The original Lajitas church and cemetery are still in town and are among the best places to visit in Lajitas. Accommodations run the range from convenient and comfortable to resort luxury. My first thought was, Id spend a million to spruce it up a little bit, he told the San Antonio Express-News shortly thereafter. 750 North St.Paul St. His dad, Rex, a Brewster County commissioner, owned Lajitas for nearly thirty years before selling it to Mischer in 1977. Employment Opportunities [21], Warren married the former Sherry Johnson on May 18, 1980, in Dallas, and they divorced in 1991. Lajitas officially had a post office as early as 1901, but it did not become operational until McGuirk petitioned for its reestablishment in 1904. During droughts, people will live on water saved in rooftop rain-catchment systems, showering and flushing the toilet once a week. 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. just about 9,000 residents and a per capita income of about $15,000. Instead, he paid dearly to learn an age-old lesson: The desert always wins. Pamplin and his partners invested $25 million to expand the resort adding a new hotel and increasing the number of golf holes from 9 to 18. And he did sell plenty of beer, the most of any business in Brewster County, he estimates. I even ran the rafting business out my back door, Ivey said. [12] Warren received a COVID stimulus check in 2020 as he had reported large losses previously. On the banks of the Rio Grande between Big Bend national and There was no plan at all, no directions from above. McNairs group has continued to invest in the resort adding a new clubhouse and expanding the spa. The region was sparsely inhabited for thousands of years by semi nomadic peoples related to the Patarabueyes and Jumanos tribes before the Spanish arrived. [26][27], "Kelcy" redirects here. They died. When the mines in nearby Terlingua closed in the 1940s, though, Lajitas also became a ghost town, with an estimated population of 4. 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. But the other reason for the difficulty in determining someones age out there cuts the other way. would have millionaires mixing with landscape workers and artists and Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. The community boomed when quicksilver was discovered 11 miles from the community at the end of the decade. wonder at the house, garden, stones and path running down to the river. 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. 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. UT Dallas is paying students to get vaccinated. contracted with Edwin Leslie, president and CEO of Houston-based Im a sports expert and lover. [2][3][6] From 1981 to 1992, he worked for Endevco. For Leave them blank to get signed up. 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. 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. Otherwise youre just buying dirt.. Soon, they sat in an outdoor living room by the outdoor Ms. Ryan told Mr. Warren she remembers years ago when the bar Enjoy unlimited access to all of our incredible journalism, in print and digital. Due to the closing of the Terlingua quicksilver mines, the number of residents in Lajitas had dwindled to four. [5] Projects were undertaken with designs drawn over lunch on place mats. [12], Frank Q. Dobbs directed his first film, Enter the Devil, in Lajitas in 1972. At first, we only knew the buyer by his online auction nameLawDude. Your News. 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. It is the kind of place where, after a few drinks, youre apt to forget that there are any rules at all. Share. [23], In 2010, he bought the 3,500-acre BootJack Ranch near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, for $46.5 million. Nobody really likes practicing their golf game. 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. Your County. information click here A it made people feel nervous," she said. And hell, thats the appeal!, Linda Walker, who has run the Lajitas Stables for more than twenty years, guiding horseback tours near the park and into Mexico, is not rich. But its a thin margin to begin with, and it just didnt play out for him., The idea that the desert could somehow be softened gets at a practical divide that would prove even wider. [2] It is also located 95mi (153km) south of Alpine and 50mi (80km) east of Presidio.[7]. The Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa is a 20,000-acre golf resort business in Lajitas owned by Texas businessman Kelcy Warren, who bought the resort from previous owner Steve Smith while the business was going through financial distress. Dallas Robert E. Lee statue has a new home. Though the Lajitas Resort dominates much of Lajitas today, you can still find many remnants of the original town of Lajitas aroundoften restored by the resort. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. William H. Emory also visited Lajitas in 1852. The deal was complete, except for a few papers that remained to be At some point in 2006 Smith decided to stop pouring his own fortune into Lajitas. In The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Pete and a coyote sit overlooking the Rio Grande near Lajitas. [11], In 2022, he ranked No. And when I tried to pull open my window, the knob should not have come off in my hand. 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. world. McGuirk sold his landholdings around Lajitas to Thomas V. Skaggs, who continued farming. Bill grew up in that Lajitas, in the late fifties and sixties, attending school in Alpine but spending his weekends, holidays, and summers down by the river. Rooms were scattered all over the grounds, along the boardwalk, on the golf course, and across Ranch Road 170, driving up operating costs. See pricing and listing details of Lajitas real estate for sale. Review. He even had employees ambush chartered busloads of seniors headed to his hotel, stopping their caravans on the highway and stealing their valuables. The outing had been arranged in part to show me the way the new folks in Lajitas were being accepted in the community. To see more of The Dallas Morning News, or to subscribe to the with a $4.2 million bid. Our automated scheduling system is available 24/7. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Dallas most important news stories of the week, delivered to your inbox each Sunday. Some links in this post may be affiliate links. The settlement is named after the Boquillas flagstone found in the area. 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. I have stayed here several times before I knew who the owner was. He collects music memorabilia, and has a collection that includes autographs of Jackson Browne and drumsticks signed by the Eagles. 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 Last Resort. 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. Now", "Castles in the ire: the minted moguls snapping up Ireland's stately homes", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kelcy_Warren&oldid=1135081936, This page was last edited on 22 January 2023, at 14:53. profit. 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. Please see our, 15 Beautiful Hikes in Big Bend National Park, 7 Best Things to Do in Marathon, TX (+ Tips! View more hotels in Lajitas Now the owner has put a huge statue of Robert E Lee right on the golf course. Fly Direct to Lajitas from Dallas or Houston. If youre on a mountain out there and a cold front comes in, you could freeze and die, he said. At the same time a number of cattle ranches and mining enterprises appeared in northern Chihuahua and Coahuila. His state-of-the-art gray water filtration system created a wetlands area on the golf course that, along with a 64-acre sanctuary on the river, brought birds to the region not commonly found in the desert. The trading post was that communitys heart, the hub for little villages on both sides of the river. At 1:48 p.m., the wire transfer went through for the property. Always found it to be poorly maintained, with poor food service. With the border now closed, the trading post will never return to its Ivey-era glory. , we came back to resort and spent time lounging in the pool. There was laughter from the table but not from the waitress. If you get bitten by a rattlesnake, youll die. 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. And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. 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. Dallas Robert E. Lee Statue Has Landed at Black Jacks Crossing Near Terlingua. Now $179 (Was $201) on Tripadvisor: Lajitas Golf Resort, Lajitas. But instead of a big Spanish villa, he built a modest, 1,800-square-foot cottage with an outdoor fireplace. It became Steve Smiths problem when he bought the town of Lajitas at a public auction in February 2000. 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. month to Mr. Warren, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Dallas-based He sat me down at a table with a guy in his late-thirties named Dennis, who was a carpenter on the crew redoing the lobby of the Badlands Hotel. Neither the plane nor its pilot was affiliated with the resort, and Lajitas was in no way responsible for the crash. [22] In 2012, press reports indicated he owned an estate on an island off the coast of Honduras. What she didnt remember, thankfully, was that I had been sitting at that table. The 11th Bomb Squadron operated from Marfa Field along the Rio Grande to El Paso.[14]. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The name Lajitas is Spanish for little flat rocks and refers to the Boquillas limestone of the area. 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions 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. I think that's the biggest thing that's 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? newspaper, go to For the American football player, see, "Executive Profile - Energy Transfer Partners - Kelcy L. Warren", "List of Public Companies Worldwide, Letter - Businessweek", "Inside Kelcy Warren's Dallas Mansion - WSJ", "College of Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington", "Kelcy Warren emerges as one of Dallas' bold new philanthropists", "These Billionaires Received Taxpayer-Funded Stimulus Checks During the Pandemic", "The New Forbes Philanthropy Score: How We Ranked Each Forbes 400 Billionaire Based On Their Giving", "John Fogerty, Lyle Lovett, Bruce Hornsby, Jimmy LaFave put on a killer show on Kelcy Warren's ranch in the Texas Hill Country", "Why Kelcy Warren Named a Park For His Son", "Million-Dollar Donors in the 2016 Presidential Race", "Dakota Access pipeline company and Donald Trump have close financial ties", "The Texas Electric Grid Failure Was a Warm-up", "Stealth billionaire lays claim to Woodall Rodgers park naming rights", "Lajitas Resort: Why you better go now - El Paso Inc.: Publishers Column", "REVEALED: One of world's wealthiest men buys Kilkenny mansion for 12.6m - Kilkenny Now - Your City. ", "It produced a feeling that no matter how nice the adornment, 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. Save. Dallas, Texas 75201. "First let me shake your hand for asking that," Ms. Ryan said, Black Jacks Crossing Golf Course Awards & Accolades, For Sales Info, Contact: Scott Beasley 214-981-0758. The piece was made in 1935, well after the end of the Civil War, and depicts Lee on his horse alongside another Confederate soldier. Lajitas is mentioned extensively in Red Dirt/Texas Country artist Wade Bowen's song "Day of the Dead" recorded in October 2017. They should be selling its history and its culture. No spam, ever. McGuirk also funded the construction of a school. 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. Ive heard he spent between $80 million and $100 million, but I dont know, said one of the creditors attorneys, who asked not to be identified while the bankruptcy was pending. That determination will be made by the desert. Ms. Ryan said the area is like a space station, big and But it wasnt. retreat, an offense to the desert and a leading hotel of the world. He has one son, Klyde Warren. Mischer never made much money off the place and held onto it mostly out of love. are more than six.". When I met him for a quick lunch in Alpine in October, his memories of the old store grew the conversation to two hours. That party is over. [5][24] He also owns an 8,000-acre ranch near Cherokee, Texas,[5] the 20,000-acre Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa in Lajitas, Texas,[25] and a private island near Roatn, Honduras. But the desert has always had a way of withering material The name comes from the bars design, a dug-out cave/mineshaft, and it has always had a more permissive atmosphere than the rest of the area. The runway airport has full 100LL and Jet A fuel, complimentary tiedowns down services and offers transportation to the resort. said Thursday aboard his private jet, flying over the desert and Davis natural gas transportation company Energy Transfer Partners. When I visited it in August and October, the trading post was dead. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. [11] The Robert E. Lee on Traveller statue is on display at the resort. 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 "Black Jacks Crossing", designed by PGA Hall of Fame golfer, Lanny Wadkins. 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. ), 11 Great RV Parks Near Big Bend National Park, 9 Otherworldly Things to Do in West Texas. As an Amazon Associate, Lone Star Travel Guide earns from qualifying purchases. The crowds would grow to three hundred people and still be going when Ivey showed up for work the next morning, when he would finally shoo folks away. White Oak who also has a record label, has owned a home in Lajitas The crossing, a smooth rock bottom all the way across the river, was the best between Del Rio and El Paso. 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. [15][16], In 2012, Warren donated $10 million to help build Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas. 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. Business is apparently booming at its new home, a course that has been perennially named among the top five or so in the state. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 75 in 2010. But with a little bit of practice and guidance anyone [], As of June 2018 Woods daughter Sam is 10 years old and has not expressed public interest in playing golf. It is at an altitude of 2,200 feet on a bluff overlooking the Rio Grande at the San Carlos ford of the old Comanche Trail, in the northern part of the Chihuahuan Desert and at the southern extreme of the Rocky Mountains. property, Mr. Warren plans a largely hands-off approach. Our 27,000 acre Texas resort is famous for its solitude, natural beauty and rugged desert environment. On the day of the wedding, after our adventure in. 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. Seven or eight hours in a car gives you a sense of how far this is from civilization. And frankly, I dont think Smith even knows. The elevation of the course is 3500 feet. Ms. Ryan has squatted on the Lajitas property for 20 years, Some links throughout this site are affiliate links. When I asked a local sitting at the bar what he remembered of that story, she happened to be on the other side of me and interrupted, That was me! Shes still angry about it, and she ticked off the details as though it had happened the night before.