Terlingua
Terlingua - Changing Places and Changing Names
"Bob Wirt told me the story of the "location" of the name Terlingua. I don't recall the details but the main point was that the first post office with the name "Terlingua" was at the place now referred to as Terlingua Abajo. The postmaster for Terlingua served there while commercial activity flourished, but after business declined he moved off to California. and was gone a couple of years but never resigned as Terlingua Postmaster. He came back to be postmaster at Mariposa Mine. Since he was still officially the Terlingua Post Office Postmaster, the post office at Mariposa Mine became the new Terlingua post office. Around 1909 Howard Perry got the postmaster to move to the Chisos mining operations location, and that post office then became Terlingua because of the postmaster. I have not been able to verify nor negate this story, and I may have forgotten details of exactly how Bob Wirt told the story, but the story makes sense. "
Antonio. S. Franco
"Bob Wirt told me the story of the "location" of the name Terlingua. I don't recall the details but the main point was that the first post office with the name "Terlingua" was at the place now referred to as Terlingua Abajo. The postmaster for Terlingua served there while commercial activity flourished, but after business declined he moved off to California. and was gone a couple of years but never resigned as Terlingua Postmaster. He came back to be postmaster at Mariposa Mine. Since he was still officially the Terlingua Post Office Postmaster, the post office at Mariposa Mine became the new Terlingua post office. Around 1909 Howard Perry got the postmaster to move to the Chisos mining operations location, and that post office then became Terlingua because of the postmaster. I have not been able to verify nor negate this story, and I may have forgotten details of exactly how Bob Wirt told the story, but the story makes sense. "
Antonio. S. Franco
In support of that account of the location of "Terlingua" I quote here from an email Bob wrote to me: “… a farming community along Terlingua Creek about 2 miles upstream from Santa Elena Canyon. When I ask people who lived there about where they lived, they frequently answer "Terlingua," because to them that was the original Terlingua. The miners stole the name and renamed the farming community Terlingua de Abajo (also occasionally referred to as Terlingua Vieja). To confuse the issue even more, the whole area (including Terlingua, Terlingua de Abajo, Castolón, Study Butte, Lajitas) was often referred to as Terlingua because that is where the post office was most of the time.”
Note that "Terlingua Abajo" means "Lower Terlingua" which makes sense since the name was appropriated by the miners further north. For some reason the name is sometimes written as "Terlingua Abaja" which makes no sense if you speak Spanish since that means "Terlingua Descends."
It may be that since Spanish nouns have gender and usually (but not always) end in the letter "a" if they are feminine and adjectives have to agree in gender with the nouns they modify it might seem that Abajo should be Abaja to agree in gender with Terlingua. But that is wrong! Words in Spanish generally derive from Latin. But when a Spanish word is derived from Greek then the use of "a" and "o" shifts. For example, the word for radio in Spanish is la radio. But Terlingua is not a Greek or Greek derived word, so Terlingua Abaja makes sense only if it means Terlingua descends.
Most of the time that's true, but Spanish reveals exceptions such as "el agua" or "la radio." It is confusing and even native speakers in the Big Bend area will frequently say "el radio."
Note that "Terlingua Abajo" means "Lower Terlingua" which makes sense since the name was appropriated by the miners further north. For some reason the name is sometimes written as "Terlingua Abaja" which makes no sense if you speak Spanish since that means "Terlingua Descends."
It may be that since Spanish nouns have gender and usually (but not always) end in the letter "a" if they are feminine and adjectives have to agree in gender with the nouns they modify it might seem that Abajo should be Abaja to agree in gender with Terlingua. But that is wrong! Words in Spanish generally derive from Latin. But when a Spanish word is derived from Greek then the use of "a" and "o" shifts. For example, the word for radio in Spanish is la radio. But Terlingua is not a Greek or Greek derived word, so Terlingua Abaja makes sense only if it means Terlingua descends.
Most of the time that's true, but Spanish reveals exceptions such as "el agua" or "la radio." It is confusing and even native speakers in the Big Bend area will frequently say "el radio."
Bob Wirt in Life Before the Ruins page The Anastacio Carrillo Family History www.lifebeforetheruins.com/anastacio-carrillo.html has a footnote for Anastacio's fourth son Calistro Carrillo that mentions the move of the Terlingua post office from Mariposa Mine to the Chisos Mine "around 1909; so Chisos became Terlingua.
The footnote reads:
"(a) Although the town surrounding the Chisos Mine officially became Terlingua when the post office moved the from the Mariposa Mine around 1909, church records continued to refer to the town as “Chisos” for many years afterward. This probably was because St. Agnes Church also was known as the “Chisos Mission.” Footnote (a) to Calistro Carrillo fourth son of Anastacio Carrillo at https://www.lifebeforetheruins.com/anastacio-carrillo.html The Anastacio Carrillo Family History"
A Documented Research Report by Bob Wirt
Version 3, Revised March 9, 2012
The footnote reads:
"(a) Although the town surrounding the Chisos Mine officially became Terlingua when the post office moved the from the Mariposa Mine around 1909, church records continued to refer to the town as “Chisos” for many years afterward. This probably was because St. Agnes Church also was known as the “Chisos Mission.” Footnote (a) to Calistro Carrillo fourth son of Anastacio Carrillo at https://www.lifebeforetheruins.com/anastacio-carrillo.html The Anastacio Carrillo Family History"
A Documented Research Report by Bob Wirt
Version 3, Revised March 9, 2012
POSTMASTERS OF TERLINGUA
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POSTMASTERS OF TERLINGUA
Bell, William E., 15 Aug 1899
Study, Wm. L., 2 May 1901
Dawson, John J., 20 Jan 1905
(Order of appointment rescinded 15 Apr 1905)
Lowrie, Jas., 21 July 1905
(Order rescinded 12 Aug 1905)
Humphreys, Wilber B., 14 Aug 1905
Hawley, Chas. A., 25 Jun 1907
Scott, Geo. E., 8 Mar 1909
Hawley, Chas. A., 1 Sep 1909
Cartledge, Wayne R., 13 Mar 1914
Ekdall, Arthur W., 20 Jan 1923
Babb, Geo. E., 26 Jan 1929
Bell, William E., 15 Aug 1899
Study, Wm. L., 2 May 1901
Dawson, John J., 20 Jan 1905
(Order of appointment rescinded 15 Apr 1905)
Lowrie, Jas., 21 July 1905
(Order rescinded 12 Aug 1905)
Humphreys, Wilber B., 14 Aug 1905
Hawley, Chas. A., 25 Jun 1907
Scott, Geo. E., 8 Mar 1909
Hawley, Chas. A., 1 Sep 1909
Cartledge, Wayne R., 13 Mar 1914
Ekdall, Arthur W., 20 Jan 1923
Babb, Geo. E., 26 Jan 1929
Roll 566 Target 6 Brewster
Brewster County records start with image 959
Alpine
image 975 1907 location
Study Butte, Bigbend, Study
image 980 Study Butte
Boquillas
images 981-988
image 981 Boquillas application June 19, 1896
image 982 Boquillas map
McLeary/Haymond
image 986
The post office for McLeary was applied for in Feb 1883. On Oct 23, 1884 the name was changed to Haymond, Texas. It was about 47 south of Ft Stockton.
Hot Springs
images 1011-1012 April 1, 1927 proposed PO and PM Joseph Oscar Langford
Lajitas
images 1013-1024
Image 1023: 1904 application for Lajitas post office and Josephine N. McQuirk for Postmaster
McKinney Springs
images 1025
Brewster County records start with image 959
Alpine
image 975 1907 location
Study Butte, Bigbend, Study
image 980 Study Butte
Boquillas
images 981-988
image 981 Boquillas application June 19, 1896
image 982 Boquillas map
McLeary/Haymond
image 986
The post office for McLeary was applied for in Feb 1883. On Oct 23, 1884 the name was changed to Haymond, Texas. It was about 47 south of Ft Stockton.
Hot Springs
images 1011-1012 April 1, 1927 proposed PO and PM Joseph Oscar Langford
Lajitas
images 1013-1024
Image 1023: 1904 application for Lajitas post office and Josephine N. McQuirk for Postmaster
McKinney Springs
images 1025
National Archives Catalog
Record Hierarchy: Record Group 28: Records of the Post Office Department, 1773 - 1971;
Series: Reports of Site Locations, 1837 - 1950
File Unit: Texas: Borden - Brewster https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68741390
Record Hierarchy: Record Group 28: Records of the Post Office Department, 1773 - 1971;
Series: Reports of Site Locations, 1837 - 1950
File Unit: Texas: Borden - Brewster https://catalog.archives.gov/id/68741390
POSTMASTERS & POST OFFICES OF
BREWSTER COUNTY, TEXAS
1888 - 1930
BREWSTER COUNTY, TEXAS
1888 - 1930
Postmasters of Study Butte
1904 Feb 7 G. A. Chavez applied
1907 request to move Bigbend 0.5 miles NE
1904 Feb 7 G. A. Chavez applied
1907 request to move Bigbend 0.5 miles NE
