lajitas golf resort owner
If you talk to the people who live in South County, youll quickly sense the difference between them and the kinds of people Smith meant to attract, and it is not one of money but philosophy. Ive heard he spent between $80 million and $100 million, but I dont know, said one of the creditors attorneys, who asked not to be identified while the bankruptcy was pending. Keep in mind that the second is a somewhat further drive due to the fact that youll need to take a roundabout route to get thereits not nearly as accessible as it looks on a map! Anglo-Americans first arrived around the time of the Mexican war. [13], The TV miniseries, Streets of Laredo was also filmed in Lajitas. In nearly every article on Lajitas that ran in the early Smith years, he gave some variant of a quote he gave to me. Then, this summer, after resort revenues failed to live up to the terms of the loan, the lender posted the property for foreclosure, and Lajitas filed for Chapter 11 protection. Still, in a larger sense the buyer and his intentions dont really matter. John Spong writes primarily about popular culture. Im standing here on the putting green looking at it right now, Beasley said Friday morning. question. One of the biggest selling points of Lajitas Golf Resort for many, though, is its location right next door to Big Bend Ranch State Park. [5][24] He also owns an 8,000-acre ranch near Cherokee, Texas,[5] the 20,000-acre Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa in Lajitas, Texas,[25] and a private island near Roatn, Honduras. month to Mr. Warren, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Dallas-based And a federal judge approved the sale of Lajitas earlier this That determination will be made by the desert. Dallas, Texas 75201. There were weeks of discussion leading up to the 13-1 Council vote on September 5, 2017, ending with it being taken down and stored. [2] He is a former co-chairman of Le Gp, OEC Compression. 6 IMPORTANT TIPS FOR VISITING THE BIG BEND. was Mr. Warren's first A private buyer shipped it to a Lajitas golf course owned by oil and gas billionaire Kelcy Warren almost exactly two years since the Confederate General was pulled from its perch in what was then Lee Park. The party was large, maybe ten men and women, all drinking. Lajitas officially had a post office as early as 1901, but it did not become operational until McGuirk petitioned for its reestablishment in 1904. Bill Ivey owns the Ghost Town at Terlingua now, but he ran the trading post through the eighties. "I still think it could be something special," the 52-year-old ambition. across the river. When I asked a local sitting at the bar what he remembered of that story, she happened to be on the other side of me and interrupted, That was me! Shes still angry about it, and she ticked off the details as though it had happened the night before. The wild spirit of the Big Bend region is in full effect at this stunning course whose name pays tribute to U.S. Army Gen. John "Black Jack . In 1977 Ivey sold part of the Lajitas area to Houston entrepreneur Walter M. Mischer, of Mischer Corporation; Mischer had begun development and restoration of the community in 1977, under the name of the corporations subsidiary, Arrow Development Company. He was elected in 1986, and for a time, visiting him was one of the most popular things to do in Lajitas, TX. .he sounds as if hes remembering the greatest day of his life. The Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa is a 20,000-acre golf resort business in Lajitas owned by Texas businessman Kelcy Warren, who bought the resort from previous owner Steve Smith while the business was going through financial distress. Scott Beasley, whose company WSB Resorts and Clubs manages Lajitas among other businesses and properties, said he is committed to having the resort show a profit in 2017 - if not sooner. They talked about reopening the border crossing, reaching out On his first day there he got an audience with Smith and a tour of the resort, the scale of which left him impressed. (Id have liked to watch the baseball playoffs, but I blame TBS for that.) Now", "Castles in the ire: the minted moguls snapping up Ireland's stately homes", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kelcy_Warren&oldid=1135081936, This page was last edited on 22 January 2023, at 14:53. About us. And the recollection of that night is one of the reasons there will be no pour-out on the porch for the death of Smiths vision. [2] It is also located 95mi (153km) south of Alpine and 50mi (80km) east of Presidio.[7]. Compare luxury resorts and resort hotels in Lajitas with Rent By Owner EL PASO (AP) - A West Texas resort billed by its owner as an exclusive desert getaway for the rich and famous filed for federal . Aug 2018 - Present4 years 8 months. Visit hotel website. And the beauty of that, as it related to Steve Smith, was the free rein Dennis had been given to create whatever he wanted. Some other rich guy desiring a private playground. Of all the wrongheaded moves made at the new Lajitas, it was the sanitization of the trading post that broke the most hearts. Now $179 (Was $201) on Tripadvisor: Lajitas Golf Resort, Lajitas. It was part of the borderland experience, and everyone got along fine. And when he describes how he discovered a hole in a Lajitas urinal once upon a timeId had a few beers and went to take a leak, and my foot kept getting warmer, and I remembered I had my Birkenstocks on, and . And when I tried to pull open my window, the knob should not have come off in my hand. 1,059 reviews. Lajitas officially had a post office as early as 1901, but it did not become operational until McGuirk petitioned for its reestablishment in 1904. since 2003 and hopes to remove the exclusivity from the resort. They were then removed from the area by the Apache and Comanche tribes in the 18th and 19th centuries. McGuirk, who also helped manage the mining company in Terlingua and funded the construction of a church. The community boomed when quicksilver was discovered 11 miles from the community at the end of the decade. Lajitas, he hopes, may have another life yet. I think he was just writing checks.. It is speculated that Cabeza de Vaca crossed the Rio Grande at Lajitas around 1530, and it is almost certain that Antonio de Espejos party did in 1588. According to Ivey, Mischer encouraged all this. The Lajitas property continued to change hands and in 1949 was bought by Rex Ivey, Jr., who hand-dug a well and installed a generator for the areas first electric lights. And the people. He married Amy Hudson on June 3, 2010, in Dallas. It was neat and comfortable, but somewhere in the two rooms there should have been a desk, and the television should have provided a clear picture and more than nineteen channels. [1] It was inhabited by aboriginal Mexicans for many years. Before they were priced out of the RV park, snowbirds were staying for three- and four-month stretches to play $10-a-day golf, and they got to know all the resorts workers. Only a few home sites ever sold. McGuirk sold his landholdings around Lajitas to Thomas V. Skaggs, who continued farming. The vision for a resort at Lajitas began in the late 1970s, Your County. money and support her songwriting. "Head out to the tee whenever y'all want," was the refrain from the golf shop on this idyllic, sunny Tuesday morning in April. 10 or more click here, Traveler rating: 7.0 When the mines in nearby Terlingua closed in the 1940s, though, Lajitas also became a ghost town, with an estimated population of 4. There was laughter from the table but not from the waitress. Had he really sprayed a compound on the ground in front of the Lajitas boardwalk that would keep dust from kicking up? [13], In 2007, he co-founded an independent record label, Music Road Records, with Jimmy LaFave and Fred Remmert. And he did sell plenty of beer, the most of any business in Brewster County, he estimates. He also hosted monthly dances and impromptu barbecues, when conjunto bands, crossing back into Mexico after performing stateside quinceaeras, would stop in and play for free beer. The resort features an 18-hole golf course a luxury hotel and a variety of amenities and activities for guests to enjoy. Facilities Maintenance Technician; HVAC I Technician/Electrician Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? The original Lajitas church and cemetery are still in town and are among the best places to visit in Lajitas. There are similar hotels available. The resort's unique destination is rich in Old West history. And hell, thats the appeal!, Linda Walker, who has run the Lajitas Stables for more than twenty years, guiding horseback tours near the park and into Mexico, is not rich. to come back with his 5-year-old son. But back on the road, he was still thinking about the woman. View all View all photos (863) To be fair, Smith did do some good. Lajitas Golf Resort. On Monday, the sculpture completed a 600-mile journey to Black Jacks Crossing near the border, about a dozen miles from Terlingua. Yes the resort offers weddings and other special events. Eventually she started sobbing, and I was whisked off by the minder into a crowd of happier revelers. Now, we all know people who wouldnt blink at a $33 breakfast. Lajitas Golf Resort is a 103 room resort with the number one public 18-hole golf course in Texas, spa, restaurant, saloon, 3 swimming pools, and a guest activity menu that includes shooting sports, equestrian riding, Subaru rentals, stargazer dinners on site, and guided jeep and ATV trips with local vendors. he wants to put it more in touch with surrounding Brewster County, with She said, You guys are execs at Lajitas, arent you? When they acknowledged they were, she said, I cant wait to tell everybody what redneck assholes you are. The table went silent, and when she walked off, one of the guys followed her to the bar and asked her not to say anything. We offer world class golf on our award Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. The old church in the community was restored, and the community grew to have three motels, a hotel, a restaurant, a golf course, a swimming pool, an RV park, and an airstrip. Her answer: No dice. At the end of the meal, he tipped her $50. Youre not prepared for what you get.. He gave generously to local fire and EMS departments. Bridlie Hospitality, to operate the resort. ocotillo plants. Smiths money was the safety net, the answer to every problem, be it the overall concept or everyday moves that didnt work out. [2][6] He served as executive vice-president Cornerstone Natural Gas from 1989 to 1990, and as president and CEO from 1993 to 1996. associates and friends who include former Dallas Cowboys Charlie Waters The Big Bend area is in Central Standard Time. My first thought was, Id spend a million to spruce it up a little bit, he told the San Antonio Express-News shortly thereafter. I hear once a week or more, from people I dont even know, who tell me how much the trading post meant to them and how sad they are that its gone, he said. "First let me shake your hand for asking that," Ms. Ryan said, And there was one other significant problem. Sitemap. It is at an altitude of 2,200 feet on a bluff overlooking the Rio Grande at the San Carlos ford of the old Comanche Trail, in the northern part of the Chihuahuan Desert and at the southern extreme of the Rocky Mountains. outdueled San Francisco hotelier Manou Mobedshahi in the town's saloon Lajitas is also somewhat famous for having a drunk goat named Clay Henry for a mayoryes, you read that correctly! Sure enough, the hotel struggled to maintain even 50 percent occupancy, and a mere five private homes went up in his subdivisions. people," Mr. Warren said from town, joined on the trip by business Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa HC 70, Box 400, Lajitas, Big Bend National Park, TX 79852 +1 432-424-5000 Website Open now : 07:00 AM - 9:00 PM See all (62) Food Service Value Atmosphere Food and ambience Local cuisine, American, Southwestern If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. When Steve Smith bought the remote Big Bend town of Lajitas in 2000, he dreamed of building a lush, five-star retreat that would attract the likes of Tiger Woods and Tom Cruise. living in the rusted hull of a bus, near a dirt path leading down to The result is a resort that is simultaneously swanky with somewhat exclusive vibeshelped along by the fact that there is literally nothing else aroundthat is also far more affordable than you might think. In 2010, he bought the 3,500-acre BootJack Ranch near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, for $46.5 million. As part of the contract, his son cleans up trash from the park once a month. When I visited it in August and October, the trading post was dead. The store and saloon were operated by H.W. Other bidders dropped out early and headed for the elevators, including an eight-man team of blue-suited lawyers representing a hotelier, followed by a couple of South Texas hunting buddies with fat wallets in the back pockets of their Wranglers. The 11th Bomb Squadron operated from Marfa Field along the Rio Grande to El Paso.[14]. If youve visited the popular Terlingua Ghost Town, youve no doubt heard about the mercury mining boom that led to the towns explosion in population in the early 20th century. But after about three quick drinks, she started talking about how the kids she grew up with all called her a traitor for working for Smith. Its a small section of the population that gets it out here, she said. Checks were cashed and loans were made, and Ivey accepted payment in dollars, pesos, or by barter. We cater to a wide range of guests from celebrities to families and international . "I want to walk into the bar and hear laughter and just see said Thursday aboard his private jet, flying over the desert and Davis Seven or eight hours in a car gives you a sense of how far this is from civilization. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. The name comes from the bars design, a dug-out cave/mineshaft, and it has always had a more permissive atmosphere than the rest of the area. What she didnt remember, thankfully, was that I had been sitting at that table. She and her husband have since purchased the place. "It's the exclusivity. ), 5 Cool Towns Near Big Bend National Park (+ Where to Stay! His dad, Rex, a Brewster County commissioner, owned Lajitas for nearly thirty years before selling it to Mischer in 1977. According to Beasley, the monument is a gift.