After Hours Scheduling. Rooms cleans yes but lacking. On Friday, Mr. Warren sealed a $13.5 million deal to buy the [11], In 2022, he ranked No. The contraband would be returned at a reception when they arrived. 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. 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. "It didn't feel right. The general rides near the Texas-Mexico border. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The 11th Bomb Squadron operated from Marfa Field along the Rio Grande to El Paso.[14]. The old church in the community was restored, and the community grew to have three motels, a hotel, a restaurant, a golf course, a swimming pool, an RV park, and an airstrip. The Lajitas property continued to change hands and in 1949 was bought by Rex Ivey, Jr., who hand-dug a well and installed a generator for the areas first electric lights. He says 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. 289 on the Forbes 400 list of the richest people in America, with an estimated net worth of $3.8 billion. Rumors from the summer started to resurface. The Kolaches of West, Texas (Bakeries + Beyond), 13 Useful Tips for Visiting the Alamo in San Antonio, How to Visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris, TX (+ Photos & FAQ), 10 Great Texas Gulf Coast RV Parks (Beach Trip Ideas), 10+ Tips for Round Top, TX Shopping Trips (Antiques Fair Advice! ambition. A private buyer shipped it to a Lajitas golf course owned by oil and gas billionaire Kelcy Warren almost exactly two years since the Confederate General was pulled from its perch in what was then Lee Park. Enjoy unlimited access to all of our incredible journalism, in print and digital. Was he actually planning on repopulating Big Bend with the superrich dust-averse? 6 IMPORTANT TIPS FOR VISITING THE BIG BEND. I had been down in South County reporting for that story on the new Lajitas (and in my defense, Id not participated in the pool). Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. 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. Whether you want to go horseback riding, golfing, hiking, or rafting on the Rio Grande, Lajitas Resort can put something together for you. And he did sell plenty of beer, the most of any business in Brewster County, he estimates. lighting up as if nobody had approached her like that in a long while. outdueled San Francisco hotelier Manou Mobedshahi in the town's saloon McGuirk petitioned for it to be re-established when it was built sometime before 1901. Unlike Mr. Smith, whose persona became intertwined with his Saying Goodbye to Fairfield Lake State Park, Miniature Cattle Have Ambled Into Our Hearts and Onto Our Modest Acreages. But we also know that they expect more than Kelloggs and Minute Maid. Fire Ants Have Unleashed Chaos in Texas for Decades. I paid $320 for a mid-priced suite in the Officers Quarters. The outing had been arranged in part to show me the way the new folks in Lajitas were being accepted in the community. question. He received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1978.[8][3][6]. contracted with Edwin Leslie, president and CEO of Houston-based Lajitas resort avoids foreclosure with bankruptcy court filing. There was no plan at all, no directions from above. 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. Ms. Ryan said the area is like a space station, big and 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. Despite all this, Smith never did manage to get people to come in meaningful numbers, and when I stayed there in October, I understood why. Lajitas officially had a post office as early as 1901, but it did not become operational until McGuirk petitioned for its reestablishment in 1904. 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. In 2010, he bought the 3,500-acre BootJack Ranch near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, for $46.5 million. signed. In the late 1890s quicksilver was discovered near Terlingua, eleven miles from Lajitas, and a rapid influx of people followed. [2] He is a former co-chairman of Le Gp, OEC Compression. Lajitas Golf Resort accepts credit cards. 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. Lajitas is also somewhat famous for having a drunk goat named Clay Henry for a mayoryes, you read that correctly! Opponents saw it as an attempt to rewrite history. A post office was established at Lajitas in 1904 and remained in operation until 1939. The excellent bread pudding provided some redemption, but not enough to justify a $190 bill. Ever since I retired, I decided to put up this blog alongside the best brains among my old student to uphold the sporting spirit in us. Big Bend is home to a few remarkable communities: Marathon, Study Butte, Terlingua Ghost Town, Lajitas, and Big Bend National Park. It had to be replaced. Yes there are several natural hot springs located on the resort property. I hope you have found some useful content on my site today. old-world bar, 92 luxury rooms and Mayor Clay Henry, a beer-drinking McNairs group has invested millions of dollars into the resort making it one of the most luxurious and exclusive golf resorts in the world. He housed and subsidized an infirmary that provided affordable, reliable health care. The lowest recorded temperature at the resort is 10 degrees Fahrenheit. We also have an email out to Warren. Lajitas Golf Resort is a 103 room resort with the number one public 18-hole golf course in Texas, spa, restaurant, saloon, 3 swimming pools, and a guest activity menu that includes shooting sports, equestrian riding, Subaru rentals, stargazer dinners on site, and guided jeep and ATV trips with local vendors. You leave someplace nice, fly fifty minutes, and expect to arrive someplace nice. On his first day there he got an audience with Smith and a tour of the resort, the scale of which left him impressed. It is named for his son. kitchen and outdoor shower -- the woman who says she doesn't have The Lajitas Museum, which contained artifacts from the Big Bend area, was located just east of Lajitas. On the one hand, hes wealthy and owns his own plane. At 1:48 p.m., the wire transfer went through for the property. Bill Ivey owns the Ghost Town at Terlingua now, but he ran the trading post through the eighties. [5], In 2020 Warren acquired Castletown Cox house and estate in County Kilkenny, Ireland for 12.6m. City documents identified Holmes, but he hadnt hinted at what hed do with his new hunk of Alexander Phimister Proctor-made metal. http://www.dallasnews.com. [14], Warren has hosted the Cherokee Music Festival since it began in 2007. the handmade home of Collie Ryan. William H. Emory also visited Lajitas in 1852. Unable to find her, Mr. Warren wandered about with a look of UT Dallas is paying students to get vaccinated. Seven or eight hours in a car gives you a sense of how far this is from civilization. By the mid-1980s, Lajitas became a resort town with 15 businesses serving 50 people. [23], In 2010, he bought the 3,500-acre BootJack Ranch near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, for $46.5 million. And when he describes how he discovered a hole in a Lajitas urinal once upon a timeId had a few beers and went to take a leak, and my foot kept getting warmer, and I remembered I had my Birkenstocks on, and . The auction itself was off-limits to the press, as lawyers for Lajitas worried that the presence of reporters would chill the bidding. "Now I've got to go back to a different world," he said. surrounding land that include an old mercury mining town and hunting and were blown away by the immense beauty of the course. Commerce was interrupted by Pancho Villa and his bandits, bringing John J. Pershing and his troops to establish a cavalry post there in 1916. 10 or more click here, Traveler rating: 7.0 The store itself was stacked deep with every conceivable necessity, from bulk beans and flour to appliances, auto parts, clothes, and ranch supplies. state parks, Lajitas has long been one of the stranger outposts of the He bought a CD from her and promised For those traditionally drawn to the place, whether they were rich or poor, comfort wasnt the major consideration. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 75 in 2010. Some other rich guy desiring a private playground. 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. Ms. Ryan has squatted on the Lajitas property for 20 years, Smith believed that if he made it softer and more like other places, he could broaden the appeal. 1,059 reviews. Faces age faster in the desert, the skin browning and creasing and toughening up in ways that city and suburban dwellers dont have to worry about. Nothing unusual about that or about the fact that a couple of the men were somewhat flirty with the waitress, an attractive young woman whod been living in the area for about a year. 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 living in the rusted hull of a bus, near a dirt path leading down to Facilities Maintenance Technician; HVAC I Technician/Electrician [22] In 2012, press reports indicated he owned an estate on an island off the coast of Honduras. Warren is chief executive officer and chairman of Energy Transfer Partners. Still, Dennis struck me as an odd person to be championing the resorts willingness to act without a game plan. But its not the reason anyones coming out here, and thats why Im proud of it. We cater to a wide range of guests from celebrities to families and international . However given [], 2023All Sports FAQAll rights reserved, Powered byWPDesigned with the Customizr theme. Smiths money was the safety net, the answer to every problem, be it the overall concept or everyday moves that didnt work out. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? The original Lajitas church and cemetery are still in town and are among the best places to visit in Lajitas. The three-hundred-yard walk to dinner that night was unlit and took me through a construction pit, and the meal for me and my friend at the gourmet Ocotillo was decent but blandthe venison chop, snapper filet, and rattlesnake cake all tasted like their sauce. View all View all photos (863) [2][3] He serves on the advisory board of his alma mater, the University of Texas at Arlington. making money. Eventually she started sobbing, and I was whisked off by the minder into a crowd of happier revelers. said. But about halfway through the meal, one of the guys, no doubt feeling that freewheeling mixture of margaritas and desert remove, commented to the waitress, Weve got a pool going to see if your tits are real or fake.. 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. [8], He lives in Preston Hollow, Dallas[5] on an 8+ acre estate on Park Lane valued at more than $30 million. On Friday morning, after eating breakfast and making sure the And the heat beats anything foretold in Revelation. Bridlie Hospitality, to operate the resort. Front Desk: (432) 424-5000 Wisely, he decided to move the party up the highway to what was then the only other bar near Terlingua, La Kiva. The crossing, a smooth rock bottom all the way across the river, was the best between Del Rio and El Paso. Yelp users havent asked any questions yet about. The resort is currently owned by EPGolf LLC. Instead, he paid dearly to learn an age-old lesson: The desert always wins. A variety of guided outdoor activities are available. 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. "Head out to the tee whenever y'all want," was the refrain from the golf shop on this idyllic, sunny Tuesday morning in April. See 1,059 traveler reviews, 860 candid photos, and great deals for Lajitas Golf Resort, ranked #1 of 1 hotel in Lajitas and rated 4 of 5 at Tripadvisor. The runway airport has full 100LL and Jet A fuel, complimentary tiedowns down services and offers transportation to the resort. As an Amazon Associate, Lone Star Travel Guide earns from qualifying purchases. [1] It was inhabited by aboriginal Mexicans for many years. Sticking to their goal to truly have everything, they even have an airport (the wifi on the resort, however, is questionable at best). That determination will be made by the desert. Lajitas Texas activities designed to keep your family as busy as it wants to be. McNairs group has continued to invest in the resort adding a new clubhouse and expanding the spa. There was, in fact, a large contingent of resort employees in La Kiva that night, all of them transplants from around the United States but for one young woman who had grown up in the area. Its previous owner, Austin multimillionaire Steve Smith, lavished $100 million to turn the property into an exclusive refuge for the rich, with an 18-hole bentgrass golf course, upscale restaurants, old-world bar, 92 luxury rooms and Mayor Clay Henry, a beer-drinking goat. Black Jacks Crossing Golf Course Awards & Accolades, For Sales Info, Contact: Scott Beasley 214-981-0758. the rich never came in large numbers. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. profit. Youre not prepared for what you get.. She stared at him. [2][3][6] From 1981 to 1992, he worked for Endevco. [13], In 2007, he co-founded an independent record label, Music Road Records, with Jimmy LaFave and Fred Remmert. And Mischer wanted the place to be fun. "I still think it could be something special," the 52-year-old It brings a satisfaction, not of beating the desert but of surviving it. 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? He was elected in 1986, and for a time, visiting him was one of the most popular things to do in Lajitas, TX. 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. Over one million acres of public land including Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park offer hiking, camping, river running, horse riding, mountain bicycling, birding, jeep touring, and abundant sightseeing opportunities on paved and improved roads. As part of the contract, his son cleans up trash from the park once a month. 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. To support Lajitas Vision of being recognized by our customers as the "Friendliest Resort in Texas!" You should champion this culture in every touch point of our business from our associates, guests, owners, and communities. The Last Resort. Rooms were scattered all over the grounds, along the boardwalk, on the golf course, and across Ranch Road 170, driving up operating costs. .he sounds as if hes remembering the greatest day of his life. The gas pumps were gone, as were the willow leaves and goat-pen wire. In 1986 he sold his Huntsville-based restaurant chain, Tinsleys Chicken and Rolls, and made millions, and he used part of that haul to put a house on the river just upstream from Lajitas. The deal was complete, except for a few papers that remained to be Farming along the narrow floodplain of the river served to bring in more families, and by 1912 the town had a store, a saloon, a school with fifty pupils, and a customhouse. beer-guzzling goats and the legend of Pancho Villa could lure the About us. It looked much the same when Ivey took over the trading post in 1980. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? Mr. Leslie on Friday Lajitas is zoned to schools in the Terlingua Common School District. Suite 2100 It has been called America's weirdest golf resort, a spiritual Black Jack's Crossing The high bid at days end was $13.5 million, but the bidder, who wished to remain anonymous, hadnt offered enough money to pay all the creditors, and no deal was reached. Skaggs also became successful in a candelilla wax business, the Lajitas Wax Company. The resort features our world class 18 hole golf course, Lajitas Texas Golf. This desert golf resort has breathtaking views that make it hard to believe that it is in our own backyard! #1 of 1 resort in Lajitas. Leave them blank to get signed up. 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. [4][5] The election included incumbent human mayor Tommy Steele, as well as a trading post wooden Indian named Kevin Zinter, and a dog named Buster. Pamplin sold the resort in 2006 to a group of investors led by Texas businessman Bob McNair. She and her husband have since purchased the place. [10], The 90th Fighter Squadron of the United States Army Border Air Patrol had a sector that traveled to Lajitas from Eagle Pass. They talked about reopening the border crossing, reaching out In 2015, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas appointed Warren to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. [12], Frank Q. Dobbs directed his first film, Enter the Devil, in Lajitas in 1972. It was closed temporarily in 1910, reopened in 1916, and closed permanently in 1939. Due to the closing of the Terlingua quicksilver mines, the number of residents in Lajitas had dwindled to four. The trading post was that communitys heart, the hub for little villages on both sides of the river. But back on the road, he was still thinking about the woman. 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. He has one son, Klyde Warren. The resort was originally owned by oilman and entrepreneur Clayton Williams Jr. Williams purchased the property in 1983 and developed it into a golf resort. Lajitas is an unincorporated community in Brewster County, Texas, United States, near the Big Bend National Park. Sure enough, the hotel struggled to maintain even 50 percent occupancy, and a mere five private homes went up in his subdivisions. By the early 80s, Lajitas on the Rio Grande had a 9 hole golf course, two lodging units, several condos, and was a local center of economic activity in Brewster County. fried steak instead of $50 steaks. To see more of The Dallas Morning News, or to subscribe to the Additionally, there were no televisions, the latter a rarity among communities in the decade. At the same time a number of cattle ranches and mining enterprises appeared in northern Chihuahua and Coahuila. Voted #1 Most Beautiful Golf Course in Texas Golf Magazine From 1996 to 2000, he sat on the board of directors of Crosstex Energy. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. On Monday, the sculpture completed a 600-mile journey to Black Jacks Crossing near the border, about a dozen miles from Terlingua. But instead of a big Spanish villa, he built a modest, 1,800-square-foot cottage with an outdoor fireplace. "I want to walk into the bar and hear laughter and just see As he walked off I noticed that he was stooped and relying on a cane. Big Bend is a diverse region with endless possibilities for adventure and discovery. If youre on a mountain out there and a cold front comes in, you could freeze and die, he said. Admittedly the place was in bankruptcy, but it was still open and promising no drop in service. Employment Opportunities "I'd be surprised if there are more than 10 people here," Mr. So when you meet someone who lives in Terlingua or Study Butte or Lajitasthat area known in local shorthand as South Countyyou might not be able to tell if hes thirty or sixty. McGuirk sold his landholdings around Lajitas to Thomas V. Skaggs, who continued farming. 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. Your County. After dinner some of our group went back to the resort, but my tour guide on the trip, the Lajitas general manager whod been assigned to babysit me, wanted a nightcap. Pizzeria Attendant / Barista; F&B Management. What emerged was part roadside attraction, motel, RV park and Copyright (c) 2007, The Dallas Morning News. month to Mr. Warren, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Dallas-based And at that point, reconciling the deserts harshness and beauty is your problem. View 72 homes for sale in Lajitas, TX at a median listing home price of $89,000. 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! Dallas' Robert E. Lee statue has a new home. in denim with a pink bandana around her neck and gray hair loosely At the time of the 2010 census, the population of Lajitas was 75. And the recollection of that night is one of the reasons there will be no pour-out on the porch for the death of Smiths vision. The first white settlers came to the area in the mid-1800s. "Black Jacks Crossing", designed by PGA Hall of Fame golfer, Lanny Wadkins. 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 White Oak who also has a record label, has owned a home in Lajitas 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. Lajitas Golf Resort now offers regular charter jet flight services out of Dallas, Austin and Houston. property, Mr. Warren plans a largely hands-off approach. "She certainly has the coolest house," he said. 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 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). The wild spirit of the Big Bend region is in full effect at this stunning course whose name pays tribute to U.S. Army Gen. John "Black Jack . McGuirk sold his landholdings around Lajitas to Thomas V. Skaggs, who continued farming. A motel stood on the same land in the 1980s. Its minimum purchase price was $450,000. Warren also serves as chairman of the general partner of Energy Transfer Equity. across the river. McGuirk, who also helped manage the mining company in Terlingua and funded the construction of a church. Shes quieter than Tinsley but on the same page. 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. The second day was to be spent on the Ambush, the only course Smith ended up building. Any idea Dennis came up with was worth a try. Lajitas officially had a post office as early as 1901, but it did not become operational until McGuirk petitioned for its reestablishment in 1904.