Marathon, Texas

NOVELTY VISIT.

Of the three small towns we recommend in ‘Big Bend Country’, Marathon is by far the smallest. But if you happen to visit Marfa or Fort Davis, you might as well pass through Marathon. The upscale Gage Hotel is located in Marathon. The town was also a filming location for the movie Paris, Texas. Marathon bills itself as the ‘Gateway to Big Bend National Park’, since it is the town closest to the northern entrance to the park. Capt. Albion E. Shepard, a former sea captain who had worked as a surveyor for the railroad, bought land in the area on March 10, 1882, and established the Iron Mountain Ranch, north of the site of future Marathon. Shepard named the site Marathon because its terrain reminded him of the plains of Marathon, Greece.