Dan Murphy and the birth of Murphyville to Osborne
Dan Murphy, owner of Original Townsite, sought a town as a monument to his name. The Southern Pacific rail line won Burgess Spring on a 99 year lease, renaming Alpine from Os borne to Murphyville around 1882 83. The name Osborne later emerged from uncertain origins as the town developed near Fort Davis.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dan Murphy
New
Southern Pacific Railroad
Murphy
Burgess Spring
Alpine
Osborne
Murphyville
Pecos
Jim P. Wilson
Jim Cotter
Fort Davis
Dan
Warren D. Bloys
Bloys
San Solomon Springs
Toyahvale
Alpine Site Visit and Rail Line Arrival Milestone
Jack Dawson visited the Alpine site before the S P railroad reached town as county records filed in November 1883 by Dan Murphy’s son Thomas. The town grows with Brewster County organized in February 1887 and officers elected. a year later the county was described as established.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Murphy
John Ireland
Dan
Thomas
Dan Murphy
van Sickle
Tom
Brewster County
Jack Dawson
Alpine
S. P
Alpine in 1889 A Place Portrait From the Past
A historical photo of Alpine shows the Brewster county courthouse and jail, the first S P depot, Garnett Sons, Larkin store, and S P stock pens. The article lists many structures and residents then, with fore and back ground figures identified, noting later changes and current owners.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alpine
Brewster County
S.P
G. W. Garnett & Sons
C. H. Larkin
J. C. Penney Co
S. P
Alpine Today and the Early Alpine Story in 1881
A narrative recalls Alpine's beginnings with Brewster County’s growth as a tourist draw. Jack Dawson recounts 1881 migration routes from Uvalde to Musquiz canyon, Seven Rivers, and Alpine, noting Apaches raids and early stake markers marking railroad plans. The piece laments lost living history of the Big Bend region.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jack Dawson
Alpine
Jack
W. T. Henderson
Musquiz Canyon
Uvalde
Fort Lancaster
Fort Stockton
Seven Rivers
New Mexico
Musquiz
Sam Roberts
Mr. Dawson
Frank Roberts
Fort Davis
Big Bend
Location of First Family Homes in Alpine Mapped by Early Resident
Mrs. W. W. Turney drew a penciled map on the O2 ranch on October 22 showing early Alpine homes around 1887 the year Brewster county was organized. The map places Tom Carr Cal Nation Tom Newton Jap Brister Guthrie Holmes Gillett Brown and others along Fifth Street and nearby blocks with adobe houses many later replaced by notable sites.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alpine
W. W. Turney
Brewster County
Fifth Street
Tom Carr
Cal Nation
Tom Newton
Jap Brister
R. Guthrie
Magnolia Station
John Holland
Capt. J. B. Gillett
G. W. Brown
Brewster County Lands Planting Cotton Along Rio Grande
About 000 acres in Brewster county are under cultivation with cotton along the Rio Grande as the principal crop.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brewster County
Rio Grande
Retail sales figure for Breuster County in 1939 cited
Estimated Breuster County retail sales for 1939 reach 1.5 million dollars as the year’s economic indicator.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brewster County
Brewster County Reports 139 Tax Returns Filed in 1939
Brewster county residents filed 139 income tax returns for the year 1939. The figure reflects local filing activity and indicates the level of individual tax compliance in the county during that period.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brewster County
Also Mentioned on This Page
Daniel O. Murphy
Kokernot Spring
State Land Office
Brewster
Watson Anderson Grocery Co
Pink Phelps
Hal Thompson
Durrell
W. H. Funk
Granada
Seth Gage
W. van Sickle
Western Auto Store
Frank McMurray
College Avenue
Leonard Henderson
Dan Carr
M. M. Burke
D. B. Hornbeck
Lula Murphy
Mac Harmon
F. D. McKinney
Tom Burn
Cockrell
A. Vick Winter
Front Row
Micario Cobos
Garnett & Sons
Mr. Bennett
John Rooney
D. J. Brister
Hayd Walden
Hick Oneal
James Darling
Will Warmon
A. T. Winder
A. Pender
Walter Garnett
C. E. Way
Radio Tower
Twin Sisters Mountain
College Ave
Nue
America
Chisos
Elephant
Cathedral
Santiago
Rosillos
Santa Helena Canyon
Big Bend National Park
B. E. E. Townsend
Southern Pacific
Joe Irving
Henry Harrison Powe
T. M. Wilson
Masonic Hall
Joe Jackson
L. W. Durrell
John Weyerts
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!