Tag: Marfa
Marfa is a town in the high desert of far West Texas and the county seat of Presidio County. Located between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park, the population was 1,981 as of the 2010 United States Census.
Marfa was founded in the early 1880s as a railroad water stop, and grew quickly through the 1920s. The town derives its name from the wife of a railroad executive, who reportedly suggested the name “Marfa” after reading the name in the Fyodor Dostoevsky novel The Brothers Karamazov. Marfa Army Airfield served as a training facility for several thousand pilots during World War II, including the American actor Robert Sterling, before closing in 1945. The base was also used as the training ground for many of the U.S. Army’s Chemical mortar battalions. The Marfa AAF and Fort D.A. Russell were not related; Fort D.A. Russell was located on the southwestern part of town, at the current site of Chinati.
Today Marfa is a tourist destination. Attractions include the historical…
