The Ghost Towns of Big Bend
Shafter and Terlingua
18 miles north of Presidio, Texas on Highway 67 is the silver-mining ghost town of Shafter. I used Google Maps to know enough to drive behind the main road and find more ruins. Shafter was known as the Silver Capital of Texas. You just have to drive around to find all the ruins. Turn down every back road to see it all.
I love learning the history of the places we visit. Walking around a place like this makes me wonder who lived here and why they left.
Shafter was the first major mining town in Texas, and had the only successful silver mine. I read an article on Legends of America that said this town was quite the bustling place for a while with a population of close to 4,000 when the mine was working in the 1880's. It was named after Colonel William R. Shafter who had the first samples of silver evaluated and helped establish the mine.
Notice the fencing around this area to keep people out in order to preserve what is left of these ruins. I would love…
