FAR WEST TEXAS is a vast land, a harsh land, inhabited by folks who live in a historical and cultural time-warp. Nomadic hunters, gatherers and various Indian tribes lived here for thousands of years, leaving rock and cave art, potshards and history.
Much of this land was a part of Mexico until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848. Mexican traditions in music,food, and language remain a major presence in the Trans-Pecos region today.
Farmers, candelilla wax makers, hay balers, trappers, cow punchers, goat herders, miners and freighters survived in the desert mountain area most of whose ancestors were from Mexico, some fleeing oppression and blood shed, seeking a better world.
European pioneers began to settle the region in the late 1800s, bringing different world views, cultures and languages. With them came accelerated commerce and banking. Some Anglo and Afro Americans - who had lost everything in the Civil War - came in hopes of building new lives. All sought a better world.
Visible transformation in the region came soon after with the infusion of capital brought by the railroad out of San Antonio.
The meshing of cultures works in the Big Bend today on the strength of mutual respect for family, hard work and the spirit of survival. To those of us who live in Far West Texas today, it is a better world.
The Desert Candle seeks to preserve the cultures, legends and history of Far West Texas. In this issue, Lonn Taylor writes of the little known Jumano tribe, revealing evidence of their lives. Kelly Fenstermaker writes of her experience at a workshop on ancient secrets for survival in the desert. Bill Leftwich gives insight into people who may have gotten a new start north of the Rio Bravo with a short story set in Mexico at the time of Revolution.
We learn and see more of the region inJoe Nick Patoski’s newly published book, Big Bend National Park, presenting many of the wonders and the challenges of this land. Jim Glendinning tells of that timeless building material – adobe; Tom White recounts a surprising discovery in the river that joins and divides two countries; James Tierney gives an overview of the art and history of more recent art at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa; and Clay Reynolds guides the traveler around the Far West Texas Loop featuring photographs by Todd Jagger.
History now in the making includes Public Radio (KRTS-93.5 FM), serving the Big Bend and installed just this year. Star-studded movies filmed here this summer add interest and glamour to our chronicles. Andrew Stuart interviews filmmakers and crew members of There Will Be Blood by Paramount Pictures.
Kay Taylor Burnett
Desert Candle Editor and Publisher
3 Kay Taylor Burnett Introduction
4 Clay Reynolds Far West Texas Loop (Todd Jagger Photography)
6 Bill Leftwich La Montura
8 Kelly Fenstermaker Secrets of the Desert
11 Jim Glendinning Adobe Building in the Big Bend
12 Ruth Grisson The Poetry of Birding
13 Tom White Christos en el Rio
14 Dennie Miller FOLKS OF FAR WEST TEXAS
16 Bob Miles Bull branded MURDER
17 James Tierney Chinati Open House
19 Daileen Rather Sweet Cooking
20 Lonn Taylor Don Juan Sabeata - Jumano Diplomat
22 TRANS PECOS EVENTS, CALENDAR and QUIZ
25 Andrew Stuart FILM:“There Will Be Blood”
27 KRTS-93.5 FM – MARFA PUBLIC RADIO
28 Dennie Miller Celebrations in Far West Texas
33 Joe Nick Patoski Excerpts: Big Bend National Park (Laurence Parent Photographs)
43 QUIZ ANSWERS
Download the entire Desert Candle: Fall 2006 PDF (36MB)