Teardrop Trail Log: March 28, 2016

Our next stop was the town of Fort Davis. On the way, we passed several giant greenhouses. I had purchased cherry tomatoes a few weeks ago in Austin and the package said these tasty gems were from Village Farms in Marfa. Tomato farming in Marfa? Yes, hydroponic greenhouses on a huge scale. Who would have known? You just never know what you are likely to see on the teardrop trail.

Jeff Davis County Courthouse

Fort Davis was originally a frontier military post on the Old Overland Trail. This small community has 23 historic sites on the 1 1/2 mile walking tour that starts and ends in the town square which seems to have changed little since the early Twentieth Century. Jim enjoyed photographing the Jeff Davis County Courthouse that was completed in 1911. Unlike the courthouse in Marfa, this one was surrounded by a fence with turnstiles to keep out the donkeys that had been set free after wagons became more prevalent.

Hotel Limpia

Hotel Limpia, built in 1913, from locally quarried pink granite is named for a nearby creek. This 31 room, historic hotel has forty rocking chairs on the expansive porches that invite guests to relax after a day of hiking or visiting the McDonald Observatory. Next time we will make a reservation.

Fort Davis Drug Store

The Fort Davis Drug Store was built in 1913 inside the Hotel Limpia and became a gathering spot for locals to get newspapers, visit the doctor and fill a prescription. It was relocated across the street in 1950. It offered a step back in time with a traditional 22-foot soda fountain, much like the one in the West Texas town I grew up in – a true old fashioned Texas experience.

After looking at the guide to Fort Davis, we know a repeat visit is in our future, especially when the brochure promises that it’s cooler in the summer in the Davis Mountains than anywhere else in Texas. Our next stop was the town’s namesake, Fort Davis Historical Site.

Classic Soda Fountain