Milton Faver

(ca. 1829 - December 1889) The earliest large-scale cattleman to settle in the Big Bend, Milton (Don Meliton) Faver prospered against seemingly impossible odds to become the first cattle baron west of the Pecos. While operating a freighting business on the Chihuahua Trail, he moved his family to Presidio del Norte and opened a general store about 1855 . After accumulating a large herd of cattle in Mexico he moved his family and vaqueros to the mountain country north of Presidio and made his headquarters on Cibolo Creek in 1857. He established two other ranches at nearby La Cienega and La Morita. Springs flowed abundantly on all three ranches, providing water for livestock and agriculture. In the fertile fields surrounding the ranches, Faver devised and installed irrigation systems that supplied water for vegetables, grain, and large peach orchards. El Fortin del Cibolo, ranch headquarters, served as a supply station for the U. S. Army quartermaster division at Ft. Davis. Troops used the ranch as a point of departure for forays into Indian occupied regions to the west and north. Celebrated for his hospitality, Faver was known as a gentleman of means who lived in style. He died in December 1889 and was buried on his ranch at Cibolo. (1992)

Milton Faver is a historical marker in Shafter, Presidio County, dedicated in 1992. It is one of 26 historical markers documented in Presidio County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 81 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.8916, -104.2746 near Shafter. The nearest cataloged historic site is Milton Faver Ranches (historical marker), about 0.7 miles away. Others within a short drive include El Fortin Del Cibolo, Yucca Hill, and Here Milton Faver.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5377003391. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.