The rock cottages were built by local relief work-
ers and the Civil Works Administration in 1935.
Dr. Morelock wrote they would be “a blessing to
the community for all time to come.” In spite of
public outcry, they were demolished in 2005 to
make way for the Lobo Village on the Sul Ross
campus.
opment, forever changing the nature of the view-
shed.
Understanding something of the past, the
local history, is a critical part of developing a
sense of place. But without the tangible
reminders of its setting – historic buildings, land-
marks, viewsheds – the story has no physical con-
text. And as places lose their character, they tend
to devolve, becoming little more than a mockery
of living space: the interchangeable American
town. But, in spite of sentiments to the contrary,
it is not inevitable, and it doesn’t have to happen
everywhere. It certainly doesn’t have to happen
here.
Although Alpine’s sense of itself seemed to
have faded for a period of time after World War
II (repeating a pattern seen across most of the
country), in the last 20 years there has been a
trend towards recovery. The seed may have been
planted as early as Alpine’s Centennial Celebra -
tion in 1982 and the commissioning of Alpine’s
history by historian Clifford B. Casey. But it took
another decade before a number of historic
downtown buildings were restored and reopened
and the first Alpine Gallery Night was held, sig-
naling the beginning of what might be termed
the “Alpine Renaissance.”
As Alpine’s focus began to return back upon
itself, it also started to gain more outside recog -
nition. The Texas Histori cal Commission funded
a study of the town’s historic adobes, after Alpine
was determined to have the largest such collec-
tion outside of El Paso. Murphy Street was hailed
as being perhaps the most intact Old West-styled
front street in the state. And the growing array of
annual events brings ever more visitors who come
to taste what small-town Western life is like in a
fortuitously forgotten corner of Texas.
Even though what is special about Alpine
remains, it cannot survive the onslaught of unreg-
ulated growth and bad development. It will not
survive the continued destruction of historic
buildings, open space and natural viewsheds. But
to reverse those trends involves a substantial com-
mitment from the community and elected offi-
cials. It also requires an understanding of the
things we value in our community and a vision of
where we want to go.
When most people think about managing
growth or encouraging historic preservation, they
usually think about codes, restrictions, penalties –
rules that force compliance. And those things cer-
tainly have their place. But they are not always
necessary, and in places like Alpine that have such
a strong undercurrent of individual freedom,
they’re not often well received.
Fortunately there is another model that is less
controversial and, at least in the beginning, can
go a long way towards initiating a shift in think-
ing, which is perhaps even more important than
a shift in policy. This model is focused primarily
on offering incentives, rather than disincentives –
the carrot instead of the stick. One of the most
obvious incentives is tax relief – reductions (even
modest ones) in property taxes for owners of old
buildings that retain their historic character.
Another is recognition for acts that embellish or
enhance the town – for restoring rather than
demolishing a historic building, for maintaining
or enhancing a viewshed, for painting a mural in
a public space.
But perhaps even more important than a set of
incentives is a vision and a set of guiding princi-
ples towards achieving that vision (such principles
could even be officially adopted by the city and
chamber of commerce) that can find expression
in proclamations, local literature, Web sites,
primers for new residents and events (think
“Alpine Day”). Such principles would present a
clear, basic idea of the things worth keeping and
of ways to keep those things intact. A town with
a strong identity, and a clear path of where it
wants to go, will be a town that prospers and
attracts the right types of economic ventures and
discourages the wrong ones.
It’s easy to lose sight of how fortunate we are
to live in a community organized on a human
scale, with a sense of secure remoteness, away
from the nightmares of the big city and the mind-
numbing pall of the suburbs. We live in a rarefied
place that hasn’t been made over as most of the
rest of the country has been. Against all likeli-
hood and the insidious forces of change, Alpine
remains true to its past. It is this authenticity –
every bit as much as the college on the hill and
the panorama surrounding it – that sets Alpine
apart today and makes it a place worth living.
As poet Wendell Berry pointed out, “if you
don’t know where you are, you don’t know who
you are.” If we nourish what is good about a
place, we nourish its inhabitants. But if we con-
tinue to allow what is important about Alpine to
be diminished, we stand to lose more than the
character of a place, or even a sense of commu-
nity. We risk losing something of ourselves.
R E -R EADS B OOKSTORE
A project supporting the daily operation
of the Alpine Public Library
Gently used books
at gentle prices.
Ave. E at 7th St., Alpine, Texas
Open 6 days a week
Monday-Saturday 10-5
Maiya’s
W HITE C RANE
A CUPUNCTURE
C LINIC
Acupuncture
•
Herbs
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Bodywork
Italian Cuisine
Seasonal Menu
Diverse Beer & Wine Lists
Signature Cocktails
Open Wed - Sat at 5pm
103 N. Highland Ave
Marfa
432.729.4410
Shanna Cowell, L.Ac.
505 E Sul Ross • Alpine
432.837.3225
Mon. - Fri. by appointment
READ US ONLINE!
cenizojournal.com
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Cenizo
Second Quarter 2011
15