Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center Folklore legend Judge Roy Bean arrived in Texas during the Civil War, showing up in San Antonio after troubles booted him out of Chihuahua, Mexico, then California (both San Diego and San Gabriel), and finally Mesilla, New Mexico. Bean spent a number of years on
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Paydown Mill The Paydown Grist Mill sitting near the Gasconade River on Mill Creek not far from Vienna, is one of mills that has an interesting past with the Civil War. According to records. many goods were supplied thru the general store at Paydown to the U.S. Government for troops
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Mariscal Mine Big Bend National Park The Mariscal Mine once bustled as the center of the Big Bend quicksilver mining economy. From 1900 to 1943, Mariscal Mine produced 1,400 seventy-six pound flasks of mercury – nearly one quarter of the total produced in the United States! Now deserted, the
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Stonehenge II Stonehenge II is an homage to the original Stonehenge monument and is located in the Texas Hill Country. Stonehenge II was conceived by Al Shepperd and built with the help of his friend and neighbor, Doug Hill. Originally located on FM 1340 west of Hunt, Texas, Stonehenge II
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Terlingua Ghost Town Due to its proximity to Big Bend National Park, today Terlingua is mostly a tourist destination for park visitors. Rafting and canoeing on the Rio Grande, mountain biking, camping, hiking, and motorcycling are some of the outdoor activities favored by tourists. Much of the Ghost Town has
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Fort Davis National Historic Site Established in October 1854 along the Limpia Creek at Painted Comanche Camp by Bvt. Maj. Gen. Persifor Frazer Smith, Fort Davis was named after Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. “Hoping to protect the garrison from winter northers, Smith tucked the fort into a canyon flanked
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Fort Leaton State Historic Site Fort Leaton is believed to have been built as an adobe residence in the 1830s by Juan Bustillos. In 1848, it was acquired by Benjamin Leaton, who lived in the structure and also used it as his trading post and fortress. Benjamin Leaton was a
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Wildseed Farms Wildseed Farms has been growing fields of wildflowers for the production of seed for over 35 years. They are the nation’s largest working wildflower farm with over 200 acres in Fredericksburg Texas alone. There is no charge for admission and they are open year around, 7 days a week,
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Bollinger Mill State Historic Site After receiving a Spanish land grant, George Frederick Bollinger led a group of families from North Carolina to this area and in 1800 began construction of a mill and dam on the Whitewater River. The mill quickly became successful and by the 1820s, a road
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For nearly 5,000 years, people have used the towering sandstone walls of Canyon de Chelly as a place for campsites, shelters, and permanent homes. Managed through a partnership between the National Park Service and the Navajo Nation and located on Navaho Trust Land, Canyon de Chelly (pronounced d’SHAY) National Monument
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