The Rio Grande valley in south Presidio County where the Rio Conchos flows is one of the oldest cultivated areas in the United States. The first Spanish explorers called it La Junta de los Rios, the junction of the rivers. The cities of Presidio, Texas, and Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico, have developed at the confluence of the rivers.

The most prominent culture of Native Americans in the TransPecos area inhabiting La Junta were the Patarabueye. This culture represented the change from a sedentary, agricultural pueblo culture of mixed Anatazi and Mogollon origins reaching the Rio Grande area around 900 to 1100. The Jumano tribe also wintered in the area but their main habitat was in West Central Texas. Some historians believe that the La Junta survivors of the Jumano eventually became the main tribe. An adverse climate, the presence of the Spaniards, and hostile association with the Mescalero Apaches, explain the eventual disappearance of the indigenous Native American presence and their assimilation with the Europeans.

The Spanish arrived in this area about early to mid 1500's. Fray Nicolas Lopez built two missions at La Junta in the late 1600's. The first detailed account of a passage through the Big Bend area was written by Captain Juan de Mendoza, who traveled to one of the missions, La Navidad en las Cruces, meeting the friars who were the first white settlers of the area. Because of the threat of Mescalero Apache uprisings, the missionaries abandoned their settlements at La Junta.

During the end of the seventeenth century, Indian attacks from the north in the area caused a great deal of damage to the Spanish Presidios. The Apaches also found the area an ideal avenue for raids on Mexican haciendas. As a frontier settlement, La Junta was desirable, as it was the only habitable location in the area despite the fact it was named Despoblado, meaning the uninhabitable. The Indians at La Junta has also asked the Spaniards for protection from the relentless attacks of the Apaches. The Presidio of Belen was founded in 1760, the present site of the town of Ojinaga. At the end of the eighteenth century the city was renamed Presidio del Norte, and later shortened to Presidio after 1865.

Also at about this time, a settlement was being developed in the northern part of the area in the Davis Mountains. The settlement was named La Limpia on a creek by the same name. To protect the settlement, U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis established an army post, Fort Davis.

From 1880 to 1890, the surge of growth in Presidio County was precipitated by the cattlemen seeking new territory to graze their herds. This combined with the birth of the silver mining operation and the extension of the railroad brought stabilization to the area. The railroad reached Tank Town, now known as Marfa in January of 1882. It was little more than a watering stop with three accommodations, a tent housing a restaurant, a gambling shack and the one room building for the station. The naming of Marfa came from the wife of a railroad engineer who was reading Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamozov as they arrived in the settlement. She named the town after a female servant in the book.

Marfa and the surrounding area began to be settled in the late 1880's when a small business district served the landowners and shipping service for Fort Davis and Presidio. Historians note the controversial removal of the county seat from Fort Davis to Marfa in 1885. The existing courthouse of Presidio County was built in 1886 in Marfa, where it still stands as a centerpiece to the town. In the same year, the St. George Hotel was erected to house ranching families who made their annual or semi-annual visit to town.

In 1911, concerned with the unrest of the Mexican Revolution, the government sent a company of U.S. soldiers to Marfa to patrol the border. Initially the installation of troops was named Camp Albert, renamed to Camp Marfa in 1914 and finally became Fort D.A. Russell in 1930. After World War II, the fort was deactivated and the property sold to private citizens. In the 1970's, noted minimulist sculptor, Donald Judd, bought much that was remaining to be transformed into permanent art installations, galleries and offices for what is now the Chinati Foundation.

The U.S. Border Patrol has had an active presence in the area since it was organized under the Immigration Act of 1924. The sector headquarters was in Marfa until 1933 when it was moved to Alpine. In 1949, the headquarters returned to Marfa.

In 1930, the Paisano Hotel was built becoming one of the significant landmarks of the town. It's greatest moment was when it housed the members of movie cast from Giant, filmed in 1955. The cast was to include Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean and Rock Hudson. In 1979, the Paisano Hotel was admitted to the National Register of Historic Landmarks. That year also marked the creation of the Marfa Municipal Airport, formerly known as the Army Air Drome.

During the Second World War, a new prosperity came to Marfa. In 1942, the U.S. government issued a contract for the new class A airport specifically for trainng military pilots called the Marfa Army Air Field. This facility was closed after the war in December 1945. Fort D.A. Russell soon followed with deactivation, and finally, closure in 1949.

Marfa's economy declined with the closing of the fort and the prolonged drought. Events that led to the cultural and economic growth that Marfa now enjoys started with Judd's investment in art and people back in the 1970's. With the purchase of much of Fort D.A. Russell, Donald Judd began the work on his permanent sculptural installations. A noticable amount of revitalization came from his activities and continued up until his death in 1994. The Chinati Foundation was established as guardian of his artworks and the museum. The foundation continues his vision as well as attracting thousand of visitors each year to Marfa.

 Today, Marfa enjoys an international reputation in the art world and still remains a simple and modest place to live.