
In the 1930s, architect Albert Dorgan and his wife Avis Ann bought land near Sublett’s farm. The Dorgan’s first lived in a two-room stone house. Later they built an impressive adobe home on top of the mesa. Roof width in the Castolon area was limited by the length of vigas (wood ceiling beams), which were typically from the small local mesquite or cottonwood trees. Dorgan used his expertise as an architect to design this atypical house. The petrified wood fireplace in the center of the house was more than just decoration; it provided a place for the vigas to meet in the center of the room, making his house twice as wide and deep as other Castolon homes.
Dorgan owned pumps and irrigation equipment, which he leased to James Sublett for several years. Dorgan also sold vegetables and employed several area families, including the Garcia family of La Coyota, to crate and ship vegetables.
The Dorgan’s left their Big Bend property in 1938 due to business and health issues. The Dorgan and Sublett business partnership also dissolved. In 1941, Dorgan leased the property to A.F. Robinson who intended to open the “Mexitex Resort”, evidently hoping to benefit from the national park which was being established in the area at that time. The resort failed, and Dorgan sold his holdings for inclusion in Big Bend National Park.
Dorgan owned pumps and irrigation equipment, which he leased to James Sublett for several years. Dorgan also sold vegetables and employed several area families, including the Garcia family of La Coyota, to crate and ship vegetables.
The Dorgan’s left their Big Bend property in 1938 due to business and health issues. The Dorgan and Sublett business partnership also dissolved. In 1941, Dorgan leased the property to A.F. Robinson who intended to open the “Mexitex Resort”, evidently hoping to benefit from the national park which was being established in the area at that time. The resort failed, and Dorgan sold his holdings for inclusion in Big Bend National Park.
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Itineraries across USA

Acadia

Arches National Park

Badlands

Big Bend

Biscayne

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison

Bryce Canyon

Canyonlands

Capitol Reef

Carlsbad Caverns

Channel Islands

Congaree

Crater Lake

Cuyahoga Valley

Death Valley

Dry Tortugas

Everglades

Gateway Arch

Glacier

Grand Canyon

Grand Teton

Great Basin

Great Smoky Mountains

Guadalupe Mountains

Haleakalā

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes

Hot Springs

Indiana Dunes

Isle Royale

Joshua Tree

Kenai Fjords

Kobuk Valley

Lassen Volcanic

Mammoth Cave

Mesa Verde

Mount Rainier

North Cascades

Olympic

Petrified Forest

Pinnacles

Rocky Mountain

Saguaro

Shenandoah

Theodore Roosevelt

Virgin Islands

Voyageurs

White Sands

Wind Cave

Yellowstone

Yosemite

Zion