Church at Shafter

The lovely church in Shafter (on Hwy 67 between Marfa and Presidio) was the setting for the opening scene of the 1971 Michael Crichton story, the Andromeda Strain.  Watch the trailer here.

Top Ten 15-Minute Rest Breaks

Post Park, five miles south of Marathon

Sometimes, you just need a quiet break from the road.  Texas Mountain Trail encourages travelers to get off the highway or freeway from time to time, and discover those hidden little places.

Follow this link to our list of places that give you some quiet, or a terrific view, or an experience you might not expect.  It is our list of Top Ten 15-Minute Rest Breaks in Far West Texas!

Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, in Shafter

The beautiful church of Shafter, seen from Hwy 67 on the road from Marfa to Presidio.

The Cottonwoods of Shafter

All around Shafter yesterday, the color was YELLOW.  The community's runoff areas and little streams are home to cottonwood trees, and they're in glorious fall color.

The Shafter Mining District was active from 1883 to 1952, taking silver and related ores from the area, and once again, Shafter's seeing mining again.  Drive into town and visit the cemetery and cemetery museum to learn more about the history of this small and proud community, on Hwy 67 between Marfa and Presidio.

And unrelated to cottonwoods or mining, but still pretty interesting.....

The town was also featured in the opening scenes of the 1971 science fiction film, The Andromeda Strain, where it played a small town in New Mexico.  Shafter's lovely church, pictured in our last photo above, can be seen (if you watch for it--glimpses of it near  0:35, 0:55 and 1:05!) in the film's trailer, above.

Good Morning from Crow Town

The past couple of days, we've been down in the southern part of the Texas Mountain Trail region, driving through Marfa, then Shafter and Presidio to Big Bend Ranch State Park.  The land around scenic River Road, Hwy 170 is particularly beautiful in the morning.  Much of the land from Presidio to Lajitas is Big Bend Ranch State Park, which is wild and remote.  But from the road, the scenery is easily accessible, even if you venture off the paved road and onto trails just a few hundred feet. 

One of these special places is Crow Town, just west of the Balancing Rock-Hoodoo Trailhead.  There's a small sign on the north side of the Hwy 170, that marks the spot.  Head in, a few hundred feet and you come to remarkable hoodoos, and an old movie set used in the filming of Larry McMurtry's TV mini-series "The Streets of Laredo," starring James Garner, Sissy Spacek and Sam Shephard.

We were there Thursday morning, just as the sun was rising.  We think the rock formations looks like crow heads!  In the background, were the mountains in Mexico!

Andromeda Strain!

Science fiction fans!  Michael Crichton fans! Take note!

The opening scenes of The Andromeda Strain (1971), stars a completely recognizable Shafter, Texas.  Called Piedmont, NM in the film, Shafter is the the spot--so the story goes--where a U.S. military satellite has crashed, releasing "something from space," that has killed most of the town's residents.  Since the movie was filmed in Shafter, little has changed...see it for yourself as you head down Hwy 67 from Marfa to Presidio!

The story was penned by Michael Crichton (credits include ER, Jurassic Park and many others), and directed by Robert Wise (The Sound of Music, West Side Story, Star Trek: the Motion Picture and many others).

More information on The Andromeda Strain, including a clip is here.  We saw it ourselves recently on Netflix.com download!

Historic Shafter Cemetery

Yesterday, we showed a brief video of Shafter's beautiful church...today, we conclude Video Week with a short look at Shafter's historic cemetery.  It is located down an unpaved road and across a streambed from the church.  There's a small museum there, with plenty of interesting community and mining history.  Plan to visit this small, but fascinating place off Hwy 67 on your next visit to the Texas Mountain Trail region!

Video Week Continues: A brief look at Shafter's Church

Just off Hwy 67 between Marfa and Presidio, is the historic mining town of Shafter.  And here is a view of their very beautiful church, nestled in the mountains.

Shafter Cemetery

Shafter is an old mining town on the road from Marfa to Presidio, and while few people live there today, the signs of the old mining community are everywhere in town.  One of the interesting places to visit is the cemetery which has a small museum and tells the story of the area.

Thanks to Randy Mallory and the Texas Historical Commission for use of this photo!

West Texas Mining History

The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center in Fort Davis has a great exhibit on mining history in Far West Texas, with plenty of artifacts from area mines. (The photos above are from their exhibits.)  Some of the artifacts come from Shafter, Texas which has its own museum (with plenty of mining history) at the cemetery.  Another place to visit is Big Bend National Park's Mariscal Mine.  You can read about it here.

Looking back at 2009--Shafter Church

This shot was taken in March 2009 in the small town of Shafter.  The steeple is currently under restoration.

Fall Color in Shafter

The Church in Shafter

South of Marfa on Hwy 67, is the old mining town of Shafter. Turn off the road here to take a few minutes to explore from your car. Follow the road up to the cemetery and a wonderful small self-guided museum of the history of the area!

Shafter Ghost Town Cemetery

Head south from Marfa towards Presidio, and you'll see a sign for the Shafter Ghost Town. Pull off here and follow the dirt road through the small community and across a streambed. Soon you'll see a sign for the cemetery. Take a moment to take in the mountain view, stroll through the cemetery and visit the small (but very interesting) community museum to learn more about this mining town's history!

Shafter Ghost Town Church

Head down Hwy 67 from Marfa to Presidio and you'll see a small sign for "Shafter Ghost Town." Do yourself a favor, and turn off the highway here. The first building you'll see is this church. Behind the church is an actively maintained garden and grotto. Travel slowly on the dirt road past the small stream to the cemetery and the Shafter museum, which chronicles the history of this small mining community