[Big Bend landscape with tractors]

Photograph of farm fields in front of a mountain range, located in the Big Bend area. Several tractors and wagons are visible on dirt roads around the fields and desert scrub is visible in the foreground. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "The two to three hundred acres behind the mission have been given the title of 'the oldest piece of land continuously used for farming in North America'" (p. 4).
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Soaring in Marfa]

Photograph of a man in the cockpit of a glider on a tarmac. Five men are standing around the glider, looking down at it. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "A new source of revenue in the Big Bend is coming with the growing popularity of soaring" (p. 12).
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Car and set from movie Giant]

Photograph of a set from the movie, "Giant" including the front of a stone mansion with a car parked in front. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "The house used for the shooting still stands in the pasture where it was put together nearly fourteen years ago" (p. 12).
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Frame of a mansion on the set of Giant]

Photograph of a set from the movie, "Giant" showing a close up of one side and the wooden bracing across the back of the facade. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "In 1955, a Warner Brothers film crew [...] moved into Marfa [for] the on-location shooting of the movie, 'Giant,' based on the novel by Edna Ferber. The three hundred stars' and crewmen's presence was probably the most exciting event in Marfa's recent history" (pp. 11-12).
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Set of Giant]

Photograph of a set from the movie, "Giant" including the front of a stone mansion that has decorative ironwork along the roofline. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "During a severe drought which strained the economy, help came from a glamorous source. In 1955, a Warner Brothers film crew with movie stars, including Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Chill Wills, and others moved into Marfa. The event was the on-location shooting of the movie, 'Giant,' based on the novel by Edna Ferber" (p. 11).
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Sheared sheep roundup]

Photograph of four cowboys on horseback rounding up sheep in pens. A group of sheared sheep are in a pen in the foreground and a group of unsheared sheep are grouped on the other side of the fence, with the cowboys spread out behind them. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "Although modern inventions have made ranching easier, the truck can't compare to the cow pony when it is time for round-up" (p. 11).
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Cowboy with horse]

Photograph of a cowboy adjusting the saddle on a horse, in front of a wood and wire fence. On the other side of the fence, there are several parked trucks, a windmill, and a second cowboy who appears to be on horseback. A desert hill is visible in the background. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "Although modern inventions have made ranching easier, the truck can't compare to the cow pony when it is time for round-up" (p. 11).
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Fort D. A. Russell]

Photograph of a series of one-story white buildings making up part of Camp Marfa, viewed from across a large, open, grassy field. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "Camp Marfa, later Ft. D. A. Russell, housed cavalry troops during this time [from 1915 to 1920]" (p. 8).
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Wide angle view of Presidio ruins]

Photograph of ruins in Big Bend desert. Several bushes and cacti are visible in the foreground. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "Ben Leaton rebuilt the mission when he came to the Big Bend in 1848" (pp. 3-4).
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Vasquez family reunion in 1963]

Vasquez family reunion in 1963. From left to right: Lillian Best, Lucia Carter, Elizabeth Acre, Margarita Minjares, Victorina Vasquez, Otilia Dunaway, Lillian Acre, Enrique Vasquez, Roger Carter, Natividad Vasquez Jr., Migue Nieto, Conrado Vasquez Sr., Delfa Spencer, Don Dunaway, Oscar Spencer, Ginny Spencer. Three male children are standing in front of the adults. From left to right: Hugh Acre, Oscar Spencer Jr., and David Spencer.
Date: 1963
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Joe M. Evans speaking from a podium]

Joe M. Evans, humorist, in his later years. He is standing behind a saddle and a bale of hay, and is speaking from a podium.
Date: 1960~
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History
John Conners (open access)

John Conners

This is a research paper written by Albert Garcia for an American History Class at Marfa High School in 1969. It chronicles the life of John Conners.
Date: November 18, 1969
Creator: Garcia, Albert
Object Type: Book
System: The Portal to Texas History
Jose Ceniceros (open access)

Jose Ceniceros

Paper written by Freddie Ceniceros chronicling the life of Jose Ceniceros.
Date: December 4, 1969
Creator: Ceniceros, Freddie
Object Type: Paper
System: The Portal to Texas History
My Land, My Heritage, My Hope (open access)

My Land, My Heritage, My Hope

Paper submitted to the Junior Historical Society state writing contest held by the Texas State Historical Society, discussing historical landmarks, landscape, and people of Marfa. This written speech accompanied photographic slides (noted in the text with slide numbers).
Date: 1969
Creator: Edwards, Nancy
Object Type: Paper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Estella Matamoros (open access)

Estella Matamoros

A paper chronicling the life of Estella Matamoros Cortez.
Date: 1968
Creator: Luna, Oscar
Object Type: Paper
System: The Portal to Texas History
St. Mary's Catholic School (open access)

St. Mary's Catholic School

Paper by Gloria Gonzales describing the history of St. Mary's Catholic school.
Date: December 2, 1968
Creator: Gonzales, Gloria
Object Type: Paper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Charley Bishop: "A Western Pioneer" (open access)

Charley Bishop: "A Western Pioneer"

This report is a brief biography of Charley Bishop, starting with his parents and describing his entire life.
Date: 1964
Creator: Bentley, Mary Helen
Object Type: Paper
System: The Portal to Texas History

Camp Holland in 1966

Here is a colored view of the Camp of what it looked like in 1964. The green part in the center of the three long buildings was a water fountain. This photo was included in a research paper by William Kim Thornsburg in an American History class at Marfa High School in 1966.
Date: 1964
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Indian cave paintings in Marfa]

Photograph of a cave painting containing eight vertical stripes on the wall, which may depict human bodies. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: “The Great Comanche War Trail led through Brewster County and into Mexico. Apache and Comanche warriors raided and plundered each other. Their paintings tell the story of their life in a land which defied them" (p. 3).
Date: 1969
Creator: Edwards, Nancy
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[American and Texas flags]

Photograph of a flagpole, viewed from the ground looking up with an American flag at the top and a Texas state flag below. A cloudy sky is visible above the pole. The image accompanied the conclusion of a written speech, with the caption: "To those who would protest the American life of challenge and accomplishment, I would remind them, our land has never been easy. [...] The land is rich, not only in landscape, but also in the heritage of those who have tried to tame it. This is My Land, My Heritage, My Hope" (p. 14)
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Student writing math problem on chalkboard]

Photograph of a boy writing out a math problem on a chalkboard and another student sitting at a desk, watching him. According to accompanying information, this photo was taken during a session when Cesar Vasquesz, a Marfa High School student was tutoring younger students. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "Junior and senior high school students voluntarily tutor children in arithmetic, science, reading, and physical education without pay. This is a positive study in understanding and selflessness" (pp. 13-14).
Date: 1969
Creator: Edwards, Nancy
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Students Studying]

Photograph of a tutoring session. A young boy is seated on the left, behind the corner of a desk or table; he is looking at an open book on the lap of a much older student sitting next to him. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "The students of all nationalities int he school work together on many projects. Junior and senior high school students voluntarily tutor children in arithmetic, science, reading, and physical education without pay" (p. 13).
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Collection of bones and fossils in Big Bend]

Photograph of bones and fossils embedded in the soil, near Marfa, Texas. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "This beast watered at a lake which was once in the Big Bend" (p. 1)
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Person observing dinosaur bones and fossils in Big Bend]

Photograph of a man wearing a cowboy hat, crouched at the edge of a dig, looking at bones and fossils embedded in the soil. A small fenced-in dirt mound is to the left of the man. The image accompanied a written speech, with the caption: "The huge mammoth was once the king of the grassy fields" (p. 1).
Date: 1969
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History