In 1902, the mining camp of Terlingua, Texas was described by a member of the U.S. Geological Survey party: "Terlingua was a sprawling camp of temporary sheds and shelters composed of various kinds of material, such as tin, canvas, old sacks, sticks, and adobe bricks. The only permanent buildings were the commissary and smelter. There were from 200-300 laborers of Mexicans. They seemed to be temporary, for very few of them had families. Photo by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.