Art & Architecture in West Texas - Marfa, Prada & Cibilo Creek Ranch - Part Two
With plentiful water from springs nearby, Faber built a ranching and agricultural empire with over 20,000 longhorn cattle, goats and sheep. The website provides a fascinating and detailed history of Cibilo, which, to my knowledge, is the only "fort" in the United States that has been transformed into a boutique destination resort. With every conceivable comfort, this is no stripped down glam camp. From the stunning architecture to the down filled beds to the vine covered porches and Mexican tiled walkways, Cibilo is chock full of character and comfort. Take all of that, throw in the cleanest, coolest, driest desert air found anywhere, and you just don't ever want to leave this desert oasis.
I have talked in other posts about the unplanned and unexpected pleasures of traveling. The story of the restoration and conversion of the Cibilo Fort and the reestablishment of the ecology of the area by visionary owner, John Poindexter, is well detailed on the web site. As an architect, I have always had a keen interest in the stories behind the creation of unique places. Who better to give a first hand account of the herculean task of transforming this amazing place than the man himself. As we prepared for dinner, which is served by gracious hosts around a large dining table in the main "house", we were told the owner would be dining with us. This is where one of those moments you never forget enters the story. Not only did we learn of the vision, challenges and work involved in creating this unique resort, what started out as a rather formal dining experience, with a very eclectic group of strangers, turned into a three hour dining experience full of stories and tall tales. After dinner, we relocated to a massive outdoor stone fireplace, under a full moon, for more wine and conversation. The perfect setting to end a wonderful day of life in this desert enclave of stone, rust and old wood with great people we had only just met.
Head 'Em Up-Move 'Em Out
DLS