Orient Hotel

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Orient Hotel. Now, somebody once made a claim about this place, and it was not a modest one. 'Finest from Fort Worth to El Paso.' That was the reputation of the Orient Hotel, sitting out there in Reeves County, and if you know anything about the distance between Fort Worth and El Paso, you know that is a considerable stretch of territory to be laying claim over. Let's talk about how this place came to be.

It started with a saloon, built in 1896, cut from Pecos Valley red sandstone. That deep, rusty rock they pulled out of this country. The kind of building material that tells you a man meant to stay.

Then, in 1907, a fellow by the name of R. S. Johnson opened the hotel proper, and Johnson wasn't just the man who turned the key on opening day.

He was the owner. And what came rolling through those doors was the whole churning business of a region finding itself. Land promoters with their maps and their pitches.

Salesmen with their samples and their stories. Families of settlers, tired from the trail, trying to get their bearings in the early years of Pecos Valley development. The Orient Hotel was where that world gathered, caught its breath, and made its deals.

Now, the years will do what the years do. But the story didn't end there. The hotel was restored and brought into the House West of the Pecos Museum, which means you can still stand in those red sandstone walls today. 'Finest from Fort Worth to El Paso.' Somebody said it, and this old building has been making the case ever since.

What the marker says

"Finest from Ft. Worth to El Paso." Saloon built 1896 of Pecos Valley red sandstone. Hotel opened 1907 by R. S. Johnson, owner. Headquarters for land promoters, salesmen, families of settlers in early years of Pecos Valley development. Restored to House West of the Pecos Museum. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1964.