{"nrhp_refnum":"74000279","name":"Mariscal Mine","other_names":["Lindsey Mine,Ellis Mine"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"River Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Big Bend National Park","county":"Brewster County","state":"TX","lat":29.11587547250005,"lon":-103.09911711076995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-09-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A ruined cinnabar (quicksilver) mining complex in the southeastern part of Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas, at the northern end of Mariscal Mountain along the River Road. The main plant dates largely to 1919-1920, built by the Mariscal Mining Company.","why_significant":"Cinnabar mining was one of the major industries behind the development of the Big Bend area. Although the Mariscal Mine was a financial failure, the nomination considers it typical of early mining enterprises there and able to tell the story of the industry's contribution to the region's history.","narrative":"Mariscal Mine is a former quicksilver mining and processing site at the northern end of Mariscal Mountain in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Cinnabar was first found there in 1900. D. E. Lindsey mined it first, and W. K. Ellis added storage bins and a retort. The Mariscal Mining Company bought the property in 1919 and built a larger plant with a 45-ton brick Scott Furnace, concrete condenser chambers, a chimney, a commissary and housing. Workers built twenty or more stone homes themselves. Falling quicksilver prices ended operations in 1923, and a 1942 revival by the Vivianna Mining Company failed in 1944. Today the site is a ruin. Concrete and stone walls remain, while frame and adobe buildings have collapsed and open shafts dot the area. The mine was listed as a representative example of the early cinnabar industry that helped shape the Big Bend region, despite its poor financial results.","period_of_significance":"1900-1944","architect_builder":"Mariscal Mining Company; Vivianna Mining Company (1942-43 additions)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"In ruins; no structure remains intact. Concrete and stone walls stand best, the furnace is disintegrating, and many mine shafts are unprotected.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.192361-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/92/9713/40971392/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/74000279.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000279/df35a2ae6b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000279/df35a2ae6b-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Harms, Bruce A., creator","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GENERAL_SITE_VIEW_FROM_MINE_WORKINGS_ACCESS_ROAD_LOOKING_WEST._-_Mariscal_Quicksilver_Mine_and_Reduction_Works,_Terlingua,_Brewster_County,_TX_HAER_TX,22-MARMOU,1-2.tif\" rel=\"noopener\">Harms, Bruce A., creator</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GENERAL_SITE_VIEW_FROM_MINE_WORKINGS_ACCESS_ROAD_LOOKING_WEST._-_Mariscal_Quicksilver_Mine_and_Reduction_Works,_Terlingua,_Brewster_County,_TX_HAER_TX,22-MARMOU,1-2.tif"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971392","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariscal_Mine","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6765598"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/brewster-county/mariscal-mine-74000279/"}