2019 Easter Garcia Family Tour
Two day Tour April 20 and April 21, 2019
Garcia - Valenzuela - Molinar - Franco
Please Note!
To get to the ruins will require some walking. Make sure you have appropriate footwear. Don't forget to bring sunblock and you will need bottles of water to stay hydrated. And don't forget your cameras. We can share photos afterwards.
TWO-DAY TOUR SCHEDULE
Saturday April 20, 2019 Holy Saturday
7:00 AM breakfast at Big Bend Motor Inn
7:30 AM meet at Big Bend Motor Inn - get gas, water, leave cars parked, and join 4WD rides
7:45 start home sites tour
tour the Dolores García/Joe Moss home - Sandy Smith will host us;
drive to Alberto Molinar home and Molinar School ruins on Long Draw Road;
walk up to the Paz Molinar home ruins and the Molinar cemetery;
drive to the Antonio Franco home and Aleck Smith home ruins;
The Valenzuela home may not have road access
drive to the Felix Valenzuela home and Pomposa Domínguez ruins on Willow Creek Rd.
1:00 Lunch Posada Milagro Café - 100 Milagro Road, Terlingua; main 432-371-3044 Cell 310-991-1058
easy walking distance to the Valenzuela "in town" Chisos home.
2:00 walk through Valenzuela's Chisos home - slides below show Chele's drawing of floor plan, Felix and his mules in front of house, family visiting ruins, destruction of ruins
2:30 Presentations at Santa Inez [St. Agnes] Church; click here to see topics planned.
4:00 Interviews time with Tom Alex and Todd Bureau; arranged by Tom Alex and Todd
with the interviewees.
Sunday April 21, 2019 Easter Sunday
8:00 Breakfast at Chili Pepper Cafe, 100 South Hwy 118, Terlingua TX Tel: 432-371-2233
They serve breakfast 8-9 AM
no reservations; 7 tables indoors and 7 tables outdoors
9:00 Tour García Family Cemetery.
10:00 Tour La Coyota (Inside Big Bend National Park) [Optional - for those interested]
7:00 AM breakfast at Big Bend Motor Inn
7:30 AM meet at Big Bend Motor Inn - get gas, water, leave cars parked, and join 4WD rides
7:45 start home sites tour
tour the Dolores García/Joe Moss home - Sandy Smith will host us;
drive to Alberto Molinar home and Molinar School ruins on Long Draw Road;
walk up to the Paz Molinar home ruins and the Molinar cemetery;
drive to the Antonio Franco home and Aleck Smith home ruins;
The Valenzuela home may not have road access
drive to the Felix Valenzuela home and Pomposa Domínguez ruins on Willow Creek Rd.
1:00 Lunch Posada Milagro Café - 100 Milagro Road, Terlingua; main 432-371-3044 Cell 310-991-1058
easy walking distance to the Valenzuela "in town" Chisos home.
2:00 walk through Valenzuela's Chisos home - slides below show Chele's drawing of floor plan, Felix and his mules in front of house, family visiting ruins, destruction of ruins
2:30 Presentations at Santa Inez [St. Agnes] Church; click here to see topics planned.
4:00 Interviews time with Tom Alex and Todd Bureau; arranged by Tom Alex and Todd
with the interviewees.
Sunday April 21, 2019 Easter Sunday
8:00 Breakfast at Chili Pepper Cafe, 100 South Hwy 118, Terlingua TX Tel: 432-371-2233
They serve breakfast 8-9 AM
no reservations; 7 tables indoors and 7 tables outdoors
9:00 Tour García Family Cemetery.
10:00 Tour La Coyota (Inside Big Bend National Park) [Optional - for those interested]
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
TOUR PARTICIPANTS: as of April 11, 2019 16 confirmed attending;
Family Members attending: 9 confirmed
- Louisa Franco Madrid, granddaughter of Dolores García, from Carlsbad NM;
- Joe Madrid - great grandson of Dolores García, from Arizona;
- Ezequiel Santiago, last family member to live in Dolores house, García cousin from El Paso;
- Yolanda Rascón, granddaughter of Felix Valenzuela, from Dallas;
- Gilbert Rascón, Yolanda’s husband (his family roots are also in Terlingua);
- Teri Schock, great granddaughter of Felix Valenzuela, from Austin;
- Paul Schock, Teri's husband, has hiked on Valenzuela property;
- Dale Howard, Tony Franco’s husband, has hiked on Valenzuela property;
- Tony Franco, grandson of Felix Valenzuela and grandson of Antonio Franco, From Atlanta, GA.
Friends of the Family attending: 7 confirmed
- Tom Alex, archeologist, historian, author, and local resident.
- Betty Alex, botanist expert on local flora married to Tom.
- Todd Bureau, historian, interviewed Chele Valenzuela and Ken Barnes recently with Tom Alex, local resident.
- Cynta Narváez, archeologist, historian of Big Bend area, long-time tour organizer and speaker, local resident, proprietor of Villa Terlingua.
- Marcos Paredes, lives just south of the Garcia/Moss/Smith property, main supporter honoring Felix Valenzuela; proprietor of Rio Aviation.
- Dan Sholly, retired ranger and first child to live in Panther Junction, his dad was the first chief ranger there, knows our land intimately.
- Sandy Smith, current resident and hostess of tour of her home, the Garcia/Moss house.
- cannot attend - Sulema Sáenz, García cousin from Alpine;
- cannot attend - Elvira Gonzales, García cousin from San Angelo;
- cannot attend - Aurora Cárdena, García cousin from Del Rio;
Four Wheel Drive Rides
as of April 16, 2019 at 9:00 AM CDT
as of April 16, 2019 at 9:00 AM CDT
|
Vehicle driver
----------------------------- Tom Alex Todd Bureau Yolanda Rascòn Teri Schock |
Carries
------------------- 4 4 5 4 |
Passengers
----------------------------- Betty Alex, Joe Madrid, & Dale Howard Sandy Smith, (Marcos Paredes), & space for 1 more Gilbert Rascòn, Louisa Madrid, Tony Franco, & Ezequiel Santiago Paul Schock, Cynta Narváez, & Dan Sholly |
Fulcher Property
We start our tour of the family home going through the property of the Fulcher Family.
The following map which came from the Fulcher family a few years ago shows where the Fulcher land has been in relationship to the Valenzuela, Molinar, and Franco properties.
The following map which came from the Fulcher family a few years ago shows where the Fulcher land has been in relationship to the Valenzuela, Molinar, and Franco properties.
Section 302 (which is "L" shaped) is where Paz Molinar built his home overlooking Terlingua Creek. It is part of the Fulcher land in this map. Next to it on the southeast is Section 38. Alberto Molinar and his cousin and best friend Antonio Franco bought this section from
Tract 7 of Section 304 bordering Tract 8 on the north and Tract 6 along its southern boundary.
The land had originally been granted to the Gulf, Colorado amd Santa Fe Railway. "The GC&SF constructed 355 miles of track before the state law granting sixteen sections of land for each mile of track constructed was repealed. The company received certificates for 3,554,560 acres of vacant unappropriated state land and from the sale of these certificates netted $211,168.06." TSHA
"In 1873, competition between the cities of Houston and Galveston was strong, and the Galveston, Houston & Henderson Railroad (GH&H) was the only rail link between the two cities. The competition between Houston and Galveston was fed by the quarantines, which were often imposed on Galveston traffic by Houston. These quarantines occurred almost annually and were based on yellow fever outbreaks and epidemics. So, the citizens of Galveston decided to build their own railroad line that would reach across Texas, into the Panhandle, and across the state line to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The idea was to bypass Houston. The Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad (GC&SF) was chartered, and the state agreed to grant 16 sections of land per mile of track laid." from Wikipedia.
The land had originally been granted to the Gulf, Colorado amd Santa Fe Railway. "The GC&SF constructed 355 miles of track before the state law granting sixteen sections of land for each mile of track constructed was repealed. The company received certificates for 3,554,560 acres of vacant unappropriated state land and from the sale of these certificates netted $211,168.06." TSHA
"In 1873, competition between the cities of Houston and Galveston was strong, and the Galveston, Houston & Henderson Railroad (GH&H) was the only rail link between the two cities. The competition between Houston and Galveston was fed by the quarantines, which were often imposed on Galveston traffic by Houston. These quarantines occurred almost annually and were based on yellow fever outbreaks and epidemics. So, the citizens of Galveston decided to build their own railroad line that would reach across Texas, into the Panhandle, and across the state line to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The idea was to bypass Houston. The Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad (GC&SF) was chartered, and the state agreed to grant 16 sections of land per mile of track laid." from Wikipedia.
February 18, 2011 Bob Wirt organized a trip
to see the Valenzuela, Franco and Molinar ruins
to see the Valenzuela, Franco and Molinar ruins
An early breakfast before starting with
Bob Wirt, Ken Barnes, Cynta Narvaez, Celestina Amatulli, Stephen Franco, and Tony Franco
Bob Wirt, Ken Barnes, Cynta Narvaez, Celestina Amatulli, Stephen Franco, and Tony Franco
Buy plenty of water bottles for the day and sunscreen - yes! in February you need sun blocker -
and head down Highway 118 to the Big Bend National Park
and head down Highway 118 to the Big Bend National Park
In BBNP head southwest on the Old Maverick Dirt Road
Get on road to Valenzuela San Isidro Ranch through BBNP.
Exiting the BBNP on remnants of private road to Valenzuela Ranch ruins
going north along east side of Rattlesnake Mountain
then go west between Willow Creek ad Rattlesnake Mountain.
going north along east side of Rattlesnake Mountain
then go west between Willow Creek ad Rattlesnake Mountain.
Discussion with Tom Alex and Ken Barnes about the name of Rattlesnake Mt.
This video ends with arrival at Valenzuela home ruins at north end of Rattlesnake Mt.
This video ends with arrival at Valenzuela home ruins at north end of Rattlesnake Mt.
The Valenzuela Rock House Ruins
When Josefa Valenzuela's mom Pomposa Dominguez Baeza became widowed, Felix built this stone house for her to live with them. Later she went to live in El Pueblito with her son Alberto and the stone house was used for storage (especially the back room). According to Celestina Valenzuela, "Chele," Josefa would go knit there on hot summer days because the rock house was cooler. Pomposa planted some roses there and when she moved to Mexico her grand daughter Zenaida Valenzuela Franco kept them watered. Many years later in the 1940s she took them with her first to her home in Alpine and in the early 1960s to Fort Stockton.
Some Bios
Cynta Narvaez is the proprietor of Villa Terlingua
