Border wall construction threatens access to site of 1918 massacre in West Texas

In 2019, the Texas Historical Commission placed a permanent marker there, finally acknowledging the tragic event. This gave descendants a tangible place to mourn and connect with their family history. Now, those descendants and historians, like those recently interviewed by Texas Monthly senior editor Peter Holley, fear the ongoing border wall project will effectively seal off the site from any future public visitation. The proposed construction route runs directly through previously accessible land, cutting off the memorial.

This means a significant state-recognized memorial to a violent incident in our own West Texas history could soon sit behind an impassable barrier, hidden from view. For families whose ancestors died there, this move re-buries a hard-won recognition of their past. Future remembrance and education become nearly impossible.

A memorial dedicated just five years ago could soon disappear behind new federal construction.