Gagehotel

The Gage Hotel

Oasis In The Desert

by Larry Gore

Traveling can be fun! New horizons to explore, places to visit, things to do, and memories to create. For me, personally, great food and outstanding accommodations make traveling special.

Too often we travel and stay in places that offer no memories or are just “ho-hum”. Maybe they are clean, reasonably priced and comfortable but they just don’t burn themselves into your memory banks and they don’t instill a desire to come back.

One place that is definitely not on the “ho-hum” list is the Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas. The term “The Gage Experience” struck me as just another clever slogan coined by a marketing firm with an overactive imagination and a penchant for turning a catchy phrase.

After two visits (and, hopefully, many more to come) to the Gage Hotel I can bear witness that there really is a “Gage Experience” and it is a positive one.

The lobby is furnished just as it might have been in the 20’s when the hotel was first opened. Each of the 44 rooms is decorated in an array of artifacts and authentic furnishings representing the Mexican, native Indian, and American Cowboy cultures of the Big Bend region of West Texas.

The rustic looks do not mean that guests have to sacrifice anything in the way of creature comforts or luxury. The beds are as comfortable as sleeping on a cloud, the rooms are spacious and the large showers in the bathrooms are a welcome and refreshing amenity after a long day of riding.

Alfred Gage left his native Vermont in 1878 and set out to make his fortune in the wide-open spaces of far West Texas. He first found work as a cowhand and later he and his brothers founded the Alpine Cattle Company south of Marathon. By 1920 Gage was a prosperous rancher and banker. Gage needed a headquarters for his extensive interests and he employed an architectural firm (Trost & Trost) to design a hotel.

The Gage Hotel, across the street from the railroad, opened in 1927 and was a popular gathering place for many of the local ranchers and miners. Gage, however, was unable to enjoy the success of his hotel. He passed away the year it opened.

Houstonians J.P. and Mary Jon Bryan purchased the neglected property and began restoring the property. The new owners revived the Gage so successfully that they quickly realized that the capacity of the original Hotel was going to be inadequate. In 1992 they added the Los Portales section and the Café Cenizo opened in 1996.

On the last visit our rooms were in Los Portales. The style is that of a ranch house designed around a central courtyard. Out here where the scenery is mostly dried out brown tones, The courtyard of Los Portales is a garden of lush green grass, trees, flowers, stone walls and everywhere rocking chairs that you invite you to “set a spell”.

The popularity of the Hotel continues to increase year after year. The owners have purchased additional properties in the area in order to expand. Houses and cottages have been acquired and remodeled to reflect the charm of the rest of the hotel.

Across the railroad tracks the Gage acquired another historic building to create a state of the art fitness gym for its guests.

On our most recent visit daylight broke early with a clear sky and there was an incredible peaceful quietness in the Los Portales courtyard. Rocking, drinking coffee and chatting with friends made it very tempting to spend the entire day relaxing this way. Or if we got real ambitious there were always the inviting waters of the pool, the opportunity to sit next to a fountain and listen to its soothing sounds.

Tempting, that is, until the aroma of the bacon and sausage at Johnny B’s floated in on a gentle breeze.

Johnny B’s is a soda shoppe next door to the Gage and it is an authentic sit-at-the-counter-and-watch-them-make-a-real-milkshake kind of a place. But, in the morning they are known for delicious breakfast sandwiches guaranteed to hold you for 100 miles of riding. Johnny B’s is not actually part of the Gage Hotel but it is definitely a part of the “Gage Experience.”

For camera bugs the Gage Hotel is an opportunity to photograph flowers, unique architectural angles, the interplay of light and shadow on the stone walls or the tranquility of an uninhabited patio setting with rustic ranch style furniture.

Marathon – gateway to the Big Bend National Park – is a typical small West Texas town. Out there where the altitude is 3800 feet and the air is clear you can understand the words to the song “the stars at night are big and bright (bom-bom-bom-bom) deep in the heart of Texas.”

Its location makes the Gage an ideal home base for guided tours of the Big Bend, river rafting and canoeing trips, mountain biking, hiking, camping, horseback riding, bird watching, viewing the mysterious lights of Marfa, and even star gazing parties at the nearby McDonald Observatory (not the place with the Golden Arches).

The Big Bend National Park, Terlingua, Lajitas, Marfa, Alpine, Ft. Davis, McDonald Observatory, The Davis Mountain Loop and Balmorhea are all within easy driving distances for day trips.

Enjoy the flowers. Cool off in the pool. Relax in the lush landscaping of the courtyard

The Café Cenizo will totally delight you with its ambiance, a very courteous and efficient serving staff and quality rarely found even in the largest cities. Roasted game, prime steaks, freshly baked breads, awesome deserts and an extensive wine list all contribute the Café Cenizo’s reputation as an outstanding dining experience.

The White Buffalo bar serves up the best margaritas to be found anywhere. The focal point, and the namesake, of the bar is the immense stuffed head of a white buffalo. The sheer size of the animal is awesome and its snow-white color is almost unbelievable. White buffalos were extremely rare and seeing one, even a mounted one, is a unique experience.

The Gage Hotel is not just another “stopover” on a road trip. It is a destination worth the miles and the time it takes to get there. Take a trip, stay at the Gage, find out what the “Gage Experience” really is and, while you are in the area, enjoy Big Bend and the other interesting and enjoyable places to visit in this part of West Texas.

Not a place that you would expect to find a truly outstanding hotel, fine dining and the best margaritas you have ever tasted. But you will. The “Gage Experience” may become your measuring stick by which you “gauge” all other hotels.

This is West Texas. The best time to visit by motorcycle is Mid March – through Mid-May and Mid-September through late October.

The Gage Hotel Marathon, TX Reservations/information 915-386-4205 www.GageHotel.com

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