Shafter, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shafter, Texas
|
|
|---|---|
"Shafter Ghost Town", with Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church
|
|
| Nickname(s):
Shafter Ghost Town
|
|
 Shafter, Texas
Location in Texas
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Presidio |
| Elevation | 3,901 ft (1,189 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes |
79843
|
| Area code | 432 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1380523 |
|
Shafter Historic Mining District
|
|
| Location | 20 mi. N of Presidio on US 67, Shafter, Texas |
|---|---|
| Area | 300 acres (120 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 76002058 |
| Added to NRHP | May 17, 1976 |
Shafter is a fascinating ghost town located in Presidio County, Texas, United States. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, often leaving behind empty buildings. Shafter was named after General William R. Shafter, a military leader who once commanded a nearby fort called Fort Davis.
This historic area is officially recognized as the Shafter Historic Mining District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2000, only 11 people were living there. However, in 2012, one of its old silver mines, La Mina Grande, was reopened, showing that Shafter might have a future after all!
Contents
The Story of Shafter
Shafter is nestled in the Chinati Mountains by Cibolo Creek, about 18 miles north of Presidio. It was once a very busy mining town. In 1940, it had as many as 4,000 people living there!
Silver Discovery and Early Days
The story of Shafter began around 1880 or 1881. A man named John Spencer discovered valuable silver deposits in the area. General William R. Shafter, who was stationed at Fort Davis, teamed up with Spencer to start a mining operation.
They created two companies, the Cibolo Creek Mill & Mining Company and the Presidio Mining Company. These later joined together under the name Presidio Mining Company. By 1883, the "Mina Grande" (which means "Big Mine" in Spanish) was actively producing silver. The silver ore was processed in a special mill. From 1898 to 1913, the mine produced about 20,000 tons of ore each year. Later, a new type of mill was added, and production increased to 84,000 tons annually from 1913 to 1926.
General Shafter brought in two of his military friends, Lt. John L. Bullis and Lt. Louis Wilhelmi, to help with the project. They bought land around Spencer's discovery, totaling 2,560 acres. Since they didn't have enough money to develop the mines themselves, they leased part of their land to a mining group from California in 1882. This group formed the Presidio Mining Company in 1883.
As the mining operations grew, a small town began to form around them. In 1885, a post office opened and was named "Shafter" after the general. The mining company built houses for its workers, and there were company stores for supplies and even a company doctor for medical care.
The Mining Boom and Changes
In 1926, a company called American Metal Co. of Texas took over the mine. However, mining stopped from July 1930 to 1934 because silver prices were very low. When operations resumed, the mine continued to produce a lot of silver. Between 1883 and 1940, the Presidio Mine produced over 30 million ounces of silver! It also produced gold and lead.
What is Geology?
Geology is the study of Earth's physical structure and substances, its history, and the processes that act on it. At the Presidio Mine, geologists found different types of rock layers. The silver deposits were mainly in an older rock layer called the Cibolo limestone. There were also minerals in younger rock layers above it. The Presidio Mine was the largest and most active mine in the area.
Why Shafter Became a Ghost Town
In the 1940s, the American Metal Company decided to close its mining operations. This happened because the cost of mining went up, there weren't enough miners, and workers wanted to form a union.
Even after the mine closed, Shafter still had about 1,500 people. This was because the town also served two nearby military bases: Marfa Army Air Field and Fort D.A. Russell. But when these bases closed in 1945 and 1946, Shafter quickly became much smaller.
Today, only a few families live in Shafter. Its population has been between 11 and 30 people for many years. However, with the rising value of precious metals and new mining methods, there's a chance that Shafter could become active again!
Education in Shafter
Children living in Shafter attend schools in the Marfa Independent School District.
Shafter in Movies
Shafter has even been featured in a movie! A lot of the 1971 film, The Andromeda Strain, was filmed right in Shafter. In the movie, Shafter played the part of a fictional village in New Mexico called Piedmont.
