Abandoned Record
About Pilares
Pilares was a village located in northwest Presidio County, Texas, United States, on the southern boundary of the Sierra Vieja near the Rio Grande. The river village was 1.25 miles (2.01 km) south of the confluence of Quinn Creek and the Rio Grande while bearing 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Porvenir, Texas.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Pilares, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.
Map
Where Pilares is
Historic maps
5 historic USGS maps cover Pilares
Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.
- 1896 San Carlos sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1959 Marfa sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1965 Marfa sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1979 Quinn Creek sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1985 Marfa sheet, 1:100,000 · GeoTIFF download
Directions
Getting there
Before you go
- Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
- Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
- Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.
Nearby
Other sites near Pilares
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Texas index.
- Fort Holland13.8 mi NE · Presidio
- Lobo26.8 mi N · Culberson
Sources
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Pilares, Texas": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q105616649.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).