By Gregory R.C. Hasman
The year is 1914 and Europe is entering a conflict that would “Be the end of all wars.” However, all that is neither here nor there as you are riding down a dusty road in dry, desolate West Texas all by your lonesome in your brand new Model-T. As you head towards the next watering hole looking to cool your horsepower, a shooting takes places between a rancher and the local judge resulting in the death of the sheriff just outside one of the town hangouts, the Clark Hotel. While the sheriff’s journey has now ended, yours is just beginning. Welcome to Van Horn, Texas.
Van Horn, currently known as the “The Crossroads of the Texas Mountain Trail,” lies in the heart of Culberson County 105 miles south of the Carlsbad Caverns and approximately 200 miles north from the Big Bend National Park. It is surrounded by the Guadalupe Mountains, the University of Texas-McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis National Historic Site, several ranches, the Union Pacific Railroad and nothing but open highway.
After reaching the intersection of Texas Highway 54, Interstate 10 and the western terminus of U.S. 90 (part of the Old Spanish Trail), you will continue on the OST by making a left onto U.S. Highway 80 (Broadway Street), which dips into Southwest Texas after riding shotgun with Interstate 20.At which point, you will locate the Motel on the right hand side of the road upon which you will be greeted by a friendly gentleman by the name of Robert Stuckey who will provide you with a tour of the Hotel. For those who have never seen an authentic Old West town, visiting the Clark Hotel in Van Horn provides you with a wonderful and awe-inspiring look into the rough-and-tumble world of the late 19th and early 20th Century.
On the outside, the Hotel is comprised of cement block upholstered by plaster with a plaque to the right of the entrance commemorating the Hotel as a member of the National Register of Historic Places. Once you step inside, notice that the interior walls on the ground level of the structure is made out of adobe. Walk a little further and on the left you can see what a real-life saloon looks like, which may transport you to a time where a John Wayne or Wyatt Earp would stop by to moisten a dry throat before taking on an adversary or simply riding on to the next destination.
After the lore of being at a saloon wears off, straight ahead you will be able to locate a post office from the late 19th century. Additionally, in the room behind it, according to Mr. Stuckey, allegedly is one of the many Stetson hats that B-Western actor Tom Mix wore during his film career. In front of the hat appear a buggy wagon and a tire shrinker, which is the Old West version of a tire jack. One room over is the home of one of the first automobiles in Van Horn, a 1913 Ford named “Eleanor”, which belonged to bankers during the 1910’s before being sold to a blacksmith.
Now let us back track and head towards the second floor. Upon climbing the steep stairwell, visitors will be able to see in the back towards the railroad tracks the original atrium where guests would wait before going upstairs to retire for the evening.
After finishing the journey up the steps, one will notice that the upper level is made up of 2 X4's and other pieces of wood. This level is divided into several rooms. At one point or another it functioned as a courthouse, opera house and motel. According to Mr. Stuckey, some of the famous occupants included Rosalee Wylie (whom was the only one to write about the history of the town, albeit she excluded anyone who committed vices such as murder), Evans Geaslin (a well driller) and Jim Beam (not the bottle but the Postmaster). As for the rooms themselves, they consist of simple twin size beds, dressers and closets. However, some rooms contain special artifacts and pictures. For instance, Jim Beam’s room has pictures of both Presidents Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt, while Ms. Wylie had pictures drawn by local artist Mabel Clark. Overall, the rooms provide you with a sense of serenity, which is assuming you do not mind railroad cars chugging down the track several times a day.
The history of Van Horn goes back to the mid-19th Century. In 1849, Major Jefferson Van Horne who would become commander at Fort Bliss in El Paso discovered the Van Horn wells 12 miles south of the town’s current location. It served as a routine stop for coaches of the San Antonio-San Diego Mail Route from the 1850’s until the early years of the Civil War, when Lieutenant James Judson Van Horn (no relation) took over the command post. Despite being seized by Confederate forces, future townspeople honored the Lieutenant by naming a community a few miles north after him.
Nevertheless, it was in 1881, when a depot for the Texas and Pacific Railroad was built when the town of Van Horn began to develop. According to Clark Hotel curator, Robert Stuckey, Van Horn, which originally presided in El Paso County before joining Culberson County, was a small town with a population of 125. Most of the populace consisted of ranchers, railroad employees, teachers and their families. Over time, the town became a thriving railroad community with a healthy population. In fact, rancher Bill Goynes supposedly recommended “This Town Is So Healthy We Had to Shoot a Man to Start a Cemetery.” Ironically enough, Mr. Goynes was shot dead by his brother-in-law in a feud over a watering hole, thereby becoming the first citizen in town to be laid to rest.
In 1883, the Texas and Pacific put down wells, which supplied the town for the next twenty-six years. The first store in Van Horn was built in 1886 by W. D. Johnson and a Mr. Hyler; a post office was established in the same year with P. H. Manuss as postmaster. The first school in Van Horn was established in 1887, when Mrs. C. M. Cox taught seven pupils in her home, while the first schoolhouse was built in 1893. By 1890 an estimated 450 people were living in the area, and the town had twelve businesses, including a general store, a hotel, a real estate office, a blacksmith, and a lawyer. Two years later, however, the population of the town itself was estimated at only thirty; that year saw the arrival of the family of W. A. King, the section foreman for the railroad. The section house was the largest building in Van Horn, and before the town's first hotel was built the Kings served meals and took boarders. The population had climbed to an estimated seventy by 1896, but the sort of violence that produced the grimly humorous fate of A. S. Goynes persisted. In 1896 R. L. Hall, the owner of the nearby D Ranch, moved to Van Horn, opened the Van Horn Trading Company, and became postmaster. Four years later he was murdered by Red Sealy.
In 1901 John E. Cox, the son of Gus Cox who was one of the early settlers of Van Horn opened the Cox Building. Originally, the edifice was used as an office building. However, in 1905, Mr. Cox decided to add a dance hall, opera house, pool hall, saloon and community center. From 1911 to 1914, after Culberson County formed and before the town courthouse was built, the upstairs portion of the Cox Building was used as the home of justice.
In 1914, the strength of the justice system was put to test. A feud developed between the local judge and a rancher. The rancher was looking to find the judge with a handy shotgun. The judge came down to meet him with his lever action sidekick and a shootout ensued. The sheriff came to help disperse the gunfight, but unfortunately was shot and killed. Meanwhile, both the rancher and judge were scathed but not seriously harmed. According to Mr. Stuckey’s recollection, the sheriff’s murder was deemed an accident and a local jury would concur with the assessment. Despite the shooting, the Cox Building continued to run smoothly.
In 1918, after the town turned dry and the courthouse was completed across the street, the Cox Building became the Clark Hotel. In 1929, a café was added and a year later, the entrance to the motel shifted to its present location off U.S. Highway 80.
If you are cruising down the highway, take a detour into Van Horn, where you will not only get Texas hospitality and majestic scenery, but a real glimpse into life during the days of the Old West.
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