Okay, Everyone, today I start a new little adventure. It has to do with Martha and our expedition to...Marfa. Or, if you prefer, Martha to Marfa.
Marfa? You ask.
Marfa, I reply.
What the heck is Marfa? you ask, somewhat peeved at being brought into my story as a character even though I never once asked you nicely (or not) if I could do so. I mean, it’s the least I could have done. I should be ashamed of myself. Strangely, I’m not.
Anyway, Marfa is a town (okay, technically it is a city) in what’s called the “Trans-Pecos,” a.k.a., Far West Texas. Open up Google maps or whatever map app you use, and look for Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. They’re way west and way south in the state, down by Mexico and under the border of New Mexico. Once you’ve got the parks located, track a bit north and west until you come to where Route 67 and Route 90 intersect, just under the Davis Mountains.
Okay, then, if you squint, and take out a magnifying glass or use the magnifying app on your phone, you’ll see “Marfa.”
About the photos: First, a shot from the road on the way to Marfa. You can see why I say it looks a bit like Southern New Mexico. Specifically, this picture was taken in the general area of Girwin, Texas, which is a ghost town and unincorporated community of about 30 people. You can see the town’s Wikipedia entry here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girvin,_Texas
Second, a shot of Martha in Austin back in 2022 when we were in town having a ramble.
When I say it is a “small” town, I mean it is tiny. I’m looking at the town’s Wikipedia page and it notes that as of 2020, Marfa’s population was 1,788. It covers an area of about 1.6 square miles (that’s 4.1 square kilometers, for you metric types).(1)
It was founded, again according to Wikipedia, “in the early 1880s as a railroad water stop.” Trains were moving east to west and then back again, and West Texas doesn’t exactly have an abundance of springs and lakes. We’re not talking San Marcos here. Ain’t no mermaids in this picture.
So the railroad company put up a water tower along the route and then, after a bit, a town grew up around it, mostly serving the railroads and the ranchers that were raising cattle in the area.
And the name? Marfa? It is, obviously, a Russian version of “Martha.” But why pick that name for this town? Supposedly, or so I’m told, just about the time the town was founded, Jules Verne (yes, the French guy with the stories about submarines and space ships that get shot from guns) published a book called _Michael Strogoff_, a tale of daring do and romance among Russians and Tartars in Siberia and Russian Asia. One of the characters is “Marfa Strogoff.”
It so happened, or so goes the story, that the wife of one of the railroad executives had just read the book and really loved the name Marfa. So, when the rail company was looking for a name that was going to go along with their water tower/town, the lady appeared with a marvelous moniker already in hand. Hence...Marfa.
Is the story true? Well, I honestly don’t know. But it will do for the time being. Any Marfa in a storm is what I always say. Or, if I don’t actually say it, I think it real loud.
Okay...so, that’s what Marfa is. The next question is, why did we go there? I’ve already established that there isn’t much to the town itself. Also, there’s not much in the general vicinity of the place. Marfa is set among plains and ranches and a few largish hills. There aren’t any big towns or cities near-by. El Paso is 200 miles away. Midland is 200 miles away in the other direction. The Big Bend parks are fascinating if you’re into camping and hiking, but Big Bend National Park is 136 miles away, and Big Bend Ranch State Park is 120 miles away.
Other than that...honestly, there’s just not much to Marfa. Or its setting. We’re talking Big Empty Spaces here. Plus tumbleweeds. Lots of those.
So what...what?...on earth was taking us to Marfa? Why were we about to get into our car and drive for six hours and 39 minutes to get there? What was worth going 423 miles (about 680 kilometers) to see?
The answer? Our kids. David and Emily, both of whom got their undergraduate degrees at art school (that will be important). And our grandkids. Hazel and Miles.
Plus...
A man named Donald Judd (1928 – 1994).
And a whole lot of concrete.
More to come.
Footnote:
Marfa’s wikipedia page is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marfa,_Texas
Copyright©2024 Michael Jay Tucker
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