Ft. Stockton - Sanderson

WELCOME TO SANDERSON

by Cliff McSparran, President
Sanderson Community Development Association

If this is your first visit to Sanderson, welcome! If you are returning to watch or participate in this year's version of our exciting Big Bend Open Road Race, welcome back! We know you will enjoy the scenery, people, and food.

Here's a little about our past and surroundings: Sanderson, the county seat of Terrell County, located 15 miles from the Rio Grande and Old Mexico, sits on the very edge of the vast Chihuahuan Desert. As you descend off the Stockton Plateau, you enter an area with a storied and fascinating history. Early man lived in the area, as evidenced by burned-rock mounds, called middens, and hillside caves blackened by hundreds of years of smoke in which arrowheads, remnants of matting, baskets, sandals, and skeletal remains are still found. Terrell County contains many examples of Native American cave art, called pictographs. Spanish explorers crossed what is now Terrell County in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Between 1871 and 1905 the area was part of Pecos County, and the region was opened for settlement in the early 1880s when the train tracks came through. Early Sanderson was a wild place, with more than its share of bank robbers, horse thieves and gunfighters. It was truly the "wild west" town you see in the movies until about 1905 when Terrell County was formed and lawmen arrived. Judge Roy Bean found the place too wild and wooly and moved to Langtry, thus lassoing us with the moniker, "The Town Too Mean For Judge Roy Bean." Early pioneer ranchers began settling the canyons and hills, bringing with them sheep, goats cattle and horses, which did well on the tall grass present then. By the 1920's, Sanderson had become a bustling, prosperous town with fine stores, a movie theater, many churches and clubs, and a busy railroad terminal with a depot, roundhouse and fueling station. Ranching was a profitable business from the 1880's through the 1960's. The natural gas industry became important to Terrell County's economy after the Brown-Bassett gas field was discovered in 1957. Sanderson suffered tragedy in 1965 when much of Sanderson was inundated with floodwater. Twenty-eight people died. Two of them were never found.

1995 was a seminal year for us, as two events slammed Sanderson's fragile economy: Union Pacific Railroad eliminated more than 50 jobs here and wool and mohair subsidies were phased out, affecting ranchers' ability to compete with foreign wool production. Seven years alter, the effects of these changes are obvious on Main Street - many storefronts remain closed and population has dropped to about 1,000.

Now, our future: In the face of these obstacles, Terrell County and Sanderson have responded by launching an aggressive effort to develop our natural resources, improve the look of town and stop more of the 360,000 tourists who travel Highway 90 each year. We're planning and have funds for improvements to our medical clinic.

We hope you will spend a moment looking at our town and what it has to offer: well-funded exemplary schools, clean air, pure, delicious water, lightning-fast Internet access, no crime to speak of, very affordable land and homes, professional emergency medical service, wide-open spaces, and, best of all, friendly people.

ACCOMODATION

MOTELS

Budget Inn Hwy. 90 E. (432) 345-2541 Call for rates	Desert Air Motel Hwy. 90 W. (432) 345-2572 Call for rates
Outback Oasis Motel Hwy. 90 W. (432) 345-2850 1-888-466-8822 From $30 single, $50 double & $60 for a family room	Sunset Siesta Motel 605 Hwy. 90 E. 1-432-345-2200 1-877-674-3782 Chris and Dana Davis

RV'S

Canyons RV Park Hwy. 90 (432) 345-2916 Call for rates

Rose's Overnight RV Park Hwy. 90 (432) 345-2172 Call for rates

GUEST HOUSING

Granny's Guest House Bed & Breakfast Call for rates 705 4th Street (432) 345-2949 Nicely furnished, porch & patio.

The Savage Guest House 202 Richard St, (512) 658-8839 or (432) 345-2977 4 BR/1 Bath. Children & pets welcome.

RESTAURANTS

American Legion Post 160 Saturday Breakfasts	Under New Management the Historic Catina El Gavilan & Sanderson Pizza Company 209 E. Oak Hwy 90 432-345-2215 “It’s like a Fiesta on Your Tongue”
Dairy King East Hwy 90.  345-2254 Open Sunday to Friday, 11 - 8:30 American and Mexican food	Eagles Nest Café 109 E. Oak 432-345-3065
Mitierra Mexicana East Hwy 90 345-2266

GAS STATIONS

Town & Country W Hwy 90. 345-2747 Open 24 hours Gas, Food, Groceries and ATM

Uncle's Convenience Store East Hwy 90.  345-6718 6:30 - 9:00 Mon to Sat, Sun 7:30 - 8:00 Gas, sodas, snacks and beer

MECHANICAL

AMA of Sanderson 128 W Oak. 345-2374 Mon - Fri 9 - 6, Sat 9 - 12 Automotive repair & service, welding and fabrication.	Phelps Auto W Hwy 90  345-2991 Mon - Fri 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. General automotive repair Parts, AC, brakes, welding, computer diagnosis
Sanderson Tire Center 214 W Oak, 345-2303 Mon - Fri 8 - 6, Sat 8 - 12 Oil changes, flats, tires, road service, batteries, state inspections	Slims Automotive W. Hwy 90
Speedy's Towing Service & Body Shop Hwy 90 345-2574 Mon - Fri 9:00 - 5:00 Body shop, auto glass, 24-hour wrecker, towing services.

PUBLIC INTERNET ACCESS

Adult Education Center Historic Bank Building 102 Persimmon Street (432) 345-3058 9a.m. - 7 p.m. Mon - Fri, Sat 9 - 12	Terrell County Public Library Courthouse Square (432) 345-2294
Terrell County Visitor Center Corner US 90 and Third Streets (432) 345-2324

OTHER SERVICES AND ATTRACTIONS

Aurora's
Hwy 90 (432) 345-2844
Sun 9 - 9 p.m., M - F 1 - 9 p.m.
Fruits, vegetables, groceries, assorted gifts.

Country Clips
Main Street (behind Canyon's RV park) 345-2908
Hair dressing and nails

Kenn's Antique Shop
345-2640

Little Bitty Store
103 3rd Street
345-3040
Groceries and gifts

Outwest Taxidermy Services
325.650.5756

Paddy's Pub
432-345-308

Pecos County State Bank
203 W Oak
432-345-3331
Drive up ATM

Penelope's Flowers
345.2123

Sanderson Business Center
345-2447

Sanderson State Bank
216 W Oak, 345-2511
Monday to Friday 9 - 2
Cash advances on Mastercard and Visa, ATM

Sanderson Wool Commission
Plumbing supplies, hardware, animal feed
345-2544

Somewhere In Time
General Merchandise
409 E Oak

Terrell County History Walk
Next door to the Visitor Center.

Terrell County News Leader
412 East Oak
345-2676

‘Tis the Reason Gift Shop
202 E Pine
432-345-2222
All occasion gifts and fresh flowers.

Visitor Center
Cnr of Oak and Third, 345 -2324
Information on Sanderson and surrounding areas
Gifts, maps etc

Wings of an Eagle Therapy Spa
210 W. Oak Street, 345-2240, cell 1-432-425-5816
By appointment only
Angela Stegall, Massage Therapist, RMT #MT041280