John Poindexter Plans Shafter Revival for Town of 24, Owning About 20% of Its Center
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 19
John Poindexter Plans Shafter Revival for Town of 24, Owning About 20% of Its Center
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 19
Summary
Labor Day weekend brought about 200 visitors to Shafter, where Texas billionaire John Poindexter is trying to spark a revival of the ghost town 20 miles north of the Rio Grande.
Poindexter, 81, owns about a fifth of Shafter’s center and used the gathering to draw local officials, two state legislators and a delegation from Ojinaga, underscoring his push to rebuild a cross-border community.
Shafter’s decline traces to the 1942 closure of the Presidio Mine, after ore quality fell, reserves dwindled, water flooded lower levels and wartime labor shortages hit operations.
Today only about two dozen residents remain in a town once sustained by a mine that produced more than 90% of Texas silver, highlighting how private landowners can shape what survives in West Texas.
Can a single billionaire successfully transform a forgotten Texas ghost town into a bustling cross-border hub without destroying its peaceful isolation?
What hidden motives might drive a luxury resort owner to buy up a deserted 1880s silver-mining town near the Mexican border?