The Alpine hub of the Big Bend region

December 14, 2006
By Bill Sontag
Feature Writer

If highways are spokes connecting the rim of destinations in the Big Bend Region of West Texas, then Alpine is the hub of the wheel.

From Del Rio, two hundred miles of great highway take travelers to Alpine. And from there travelers can easily travel south to Big Bend National Park (80 miles), north to Fort Davis (26 miles), west to Marfa (26 miles), or east to Marathon (31 miles). But its geography may not be the chief asset of Alpine.

Waiting for a pre-dawn breakfast in Penny’s Diner, Nov. 27, Sgt. Javier Aguilar, Odessa, Sgt. Aurelio Jimenez, El Paso, and Sgt. Charles Johnson, Cleburne, chatted about the day’s work ahead. The trio – all members of the Texas Army National Guard – are posted to the border in support of Department of Homeland Security initiatives here.

Specifically, Aguilar, Jimenez and Johnson perform facility and vehicle fleet maintenance for the Border Patrol. The upcoming holiday season does not include homecomings for these men. “Our orders are cut for us to be here until September, 2007,” said Johnson. But Aguilar dispelled the notion that the Guardsmen are lonely and miserable: “I really like it here in Alpine. This is a nice town, and the people have been very friendly to us.”

Friendliness is the profession of Jadyn Austin, director of the Alpine Chamber of Commerce, 106 N. 3rd St. Austin is a bright, young woman with degrees in animal science, bent on securing a PhD in the subject based on research and training at Kansas State University. But now she thrives on greeting newcomers and educating visitors about the cornucopia of business and leisure time opportunities in the region.

With the common combination of the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad, marching toward completion of the Transcontinental Railroad’s southern route in 1882, and a local abundance of good water, the community that would later be called Alpine bubbled into existence with the usual trackside services for trainmen, freighters and passengers.

Now, with a population hovering at 6,500, Alpine is growing, but no one seems interested in too much growth and a loss of small town, friendly identity. Still, according to the Handbook of Texas, “Alpine is listed as one of the fifty safest and most economical places for retirement in the United States.”

Climate plays a big role in Alpine’s popularity, aptly named for the cooler temperatures there at 4,481 feet above mean sea level. (Del Rio International Airport is 1,002 feet above MSL.) “We have more than 400 motel and hotel rooms,” Austin enthused, adding that the lodging accommodations range from modern to historic.

 

The Holland Hotel, 209 W. Holland Avenue, was built in 1912, facing the Southern Pacific tracks, and still operates with restored rooms and a spacious dining room that serves until 10 p.m., specializing in German food and steaks.

On the east end of town, the recently restored (Feb. 2006) Maverick Inn, 1200 E. Holland, offers southwestern décor in a traditional roadside motel setting. Having gutted the entire facility and built modern accommodations in a rustic ambience, the Maverick is getting a lot of attention from travelers.

Alpine is perhaps best known for its abundance of gift shops, art galleries and restaurants. The Reata, 203 N. 5th St., has become a statewide legend for quality southwestern cuisine. Examples of dinner entrees include pan-seared, pepper-crusted tenderloin with port wine sauce, grilled salmon with fruit salsa, and carne asada topped with the Reata’s cheese enchiladas.

The Reata, owned by local rancher Al Micallef managing nearly 100,000 acres in production, was chosen Texas Highways magazine’s “number one upscale restaurant in Texas,” according to Austin.

Front Street Books is a small, but unusually good source of literature, specializing in new, used, and out-of-print books.

At 209 W. Holland, visitors find a double treat. Ivey’s Emporium, the main store in the building, features an almost dizzying array of gift items. Aly Hargus, cashier, began her inventory description, “Well, we used to say we sell everything from Q-Tips to Studebakers.”

Now, Ivey’s has gourmet food items, a cross room, a bookroom that specializes in cookbooks, art by local artists, unusual furniture, and the Lone Star Room for beer, snacks and sodas. Merchants in Alpine strive to agree on hours of operation, but few can match Bill Ivey’s standard. “We are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the year,” Hargus said. “We’ll be here Christmas Day, one of our biggest shopping days, and New Year’s Day, and we even do free gift wrapping.”

Deeper into Ivey’s Emporium is Susana Busey’s Mi Tesoro Gallery. Busey’s small shop is richly ornamented with the inventory in which she specializes: Art, handmade jewelry of her own designs, and antiques. In business here three years, Busey is well-satisfied with Alpine’s soaring reputation for fine art. “It’s been very busy, ever since our beginning this business,” Busey said. Mi Tesoro is open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and soon Busey will offer extended hours on Thursdays.

Though Alpine boasts the decidedly quiet appeal of Big Bend region towns during the hectic holiday season in larger cities, it’s not without at least one major entertainment event. On Dec. 19, Dallas area cowboy singer/songwriter Michael Martin Murphy is slated for the Alpine Cowboy Christmas Ball, a benefit concert and dance at the Pete P. Gallego Events Center at Sul Ross University, Alpine campus. Tickets are $25, and benefit the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Alpine High School Junior Class, and the Sul Ross rugby team. Ticket information is available on the Alpine Chamber of Commerce Web site, www.alpinetexas.com .