So, I've put together this website on the Old Ore Terminal and Aerial Tramway at Big Bend National Park.
Why?
Because I've been fascinated with the ore terminal since my wife and I first hiked the trail around 1998. The land is so rugged, hot, and desolate. When we came to the big canyon (Boquillas Canyon, I think it's called) and the last standing tower, I was really, really impressed with the guts that it took to say, "Yeah, we can build this thing." The whole experience was enchanting. Hook 1 in me.
On that hike in 1998, we never made it to the terminal. Hook 2 in me.
These were special people who built this thing and worked at it. I wanted to find out more about them. With a few readings (or mis-readings) of some books, I got more hooked, wondering how Daniel Guggenheim was involved with this. It's a looong way from New York. (Turns out he wasn't, but I found the history of KSARCO and then ASARCO in Boquillas interesting. Guggenheim was the Chairman of the Board for ASARCO.)
There is little published on the history of terminal and tramway. The amount I knew compared to the amount I read was really small. Why? Hook 3 in me.
I put together this website as a way to enlist other's help in pulling together the story and as a guide post to hiking the trail.
Then, I decided to find the children and grand children of the people who built and worked at the terminal, in order to see if I could find family stories about the terminal. I decided to write a blog to document the pursuit of these stories.
That's the story so far.
Posted by Joelg at March 15, 2004 10:53 PM