Terlingua Ghost Town — The Mercury Conspiracy

Your investigation begins at the ruins of St. Agnes Catholic Church, a landmark in Terlingua Ghost Town that reflects the religious and community presence during the mining era. This church, with its typical Texan Wild West architectural heritage, was the spiritual heart of the cinnabar miners. It is here that the first rumors of a hidden hand behind the Chisos Mining Company's bankruptcy, occurring at the start of World War II, are said to have taken root. The stone walls, now silent, once echoed with the prayers and hopes of Terlingua's population.

The path then leads you to Boot Hill Cemetery, an authentic cemetery where historical and recent residents of Terlingua rest. Wooden crosses mark the graves with unique architecture, testifying to generations of miners and inhabitants who shaped local history. Each year, the Día de Muertos tradition sees the graves illuminated by candlelight at sunset, a vibrant tribute. Explore these grounds to find clues regarding the miners abandoned between 1939 and 1945, when Terlingua truly became a Ghost Town Texas.

Continue your investigation at the Terlingua Trading Company, the former Chisos Mine Company Store, still standing and now a souvenir shop and tourist information point. This historic building, located in downtown Terlingua, was the commercial and social hub of the mining community. It was here that wages were paid, provisions bought, and news exchanged. The store's records could hold the keys to the dubious transactions that led to the decline of cinnabar production and the ruin of the Chisos Mining Company after its peak during World War I.

The ruins of the Chisos Mining Company, including the mine shaft and smelter chimney, are the most striking testament to the mercury industry that made Terlingua famous. Cinnabar mining, discovered by Jack Dawson in 1888, peaked around 1900, with a population of 2,000 and four mining companies. The remnants of these Cinnabar Mining infrastructures immerse you in the arduous daily life of the workers, allowing you to collect evidence on mining practices and the events that led to the gradual abandonment of miners and Terlingua's status as a ghost town.

Your exploration of Terlingua, this town of 110 inhabitants revitalized since the 1960s and famous for the first World Chili Cook-Off in 1967, culminates with an understanding of the challenges of Mercury Mining History. You have traversed Brewster County, a primitive desert landscape of the Texas Badlands, where local wildlife and xerophytic flora coexist with the ruins. This Outdoor Heritage Trail has allowed you to piece together the puzzle, revealing the truth behind the Chisos Mining Company's downfall and Terlingua's transformation into a Western Ghost Town, a historic site that continues to intrigue visitors to the Big Bend Region.