Louise S. O'Connor

In the rugged High Chihuahua Desert of West Texas, Marfa lies in the northeast corner of PresidioCounty, 60 miles from the Mexico border. Originally established as a water stop for the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad in 1883, it soon became the county seat and heart of a thriving commercial center built around ranching. Marfa's Fort D. A. Russell, first known as CampAlbert and later CampMarfa, has been home to numerous military units from the early 1900s through the end of World War II. This military presence, combined with the development of the famous Highland Hereford that propelled local cattle ranching to a nationally recognized level, provided the economic and social base for the community well into the 1950s. Marfa's proximity to Mexico contributes tremendously to a remarkable blend of cultures, and today the once remote frontier town has established itself as a sophisticated arts and cultural mecca. Historians Cecilia Thompson and Louise S. O’Connor's Marfa traces the town's colorful history from its founding through its current, unique status as a world-renowned art community.  O'Connor was born in Victoria, Texas, a fifth-generation member of the O'Connor family, which has been ranching the Texas Coastal Bend since 1834. She began photographing on her family's ranches in the early 1970's while studying photography and attending colleges and universities in the state. A graduate of NazarethAcademy in Victoria, the author attended LorettoHeightsCollege in Denver, Victoria College, and University of Texas at Austin. Louise S. O'Connor lives on her family ranches and continues to deepen her historic research using oral interviews and photographs. 

At the Festival: Marfa (Images of America: Texas)

You might also be interested in: Bryan Woolley Joanne B. Mulcahy Michael L. Gillette Charles Kruvand