Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Texas Redford Contrabando
Contrabando is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

AO Edited

Contrabando

An abandoned movie set in the desert of West Texas.

Redford, Texas

Added By
Clinton
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Contrabando   http://www.flickr.com/photos/metropolitici...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/khowaga/28839...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/khowaga/28839...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/khowaga/28839...
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/dboz/3170253957/
Flooding damage from September 2008 can be seen here, the water level was above the doorway to the church.   http://www.terlinguagallery.com/contraband...
A shot of the sign that points to the Contrabando movie set site.   http://www.flickr.com/photos/astro-dudes/3...
The chapel at night with the moon rising over the hills. Damage to the outside is quite obvious, the stucco has been washed off   Jurgen M Lobert
  notoriousFIG / Atlas Obscura User
A view within the cantina building.   WGTMMike / Atlas Obscura User
  notoriousFIG / Atlas Obscura User
A view within the cantina building.   WGTMMike / Atlas Obscura User
A look out at the Rio Grande which the set is set beside.   WGTMMike / Atlas Obscura User
The Rio Grande has flooded in the past, destroying some of the set’s buildings.   WGTMMike / Atlas Obscura User
The other building on the premises, a great place to relieve yourself of the cerveza(s) you consumed earlier.   WGTMMike / Atlas Obscura User
A fine place for a picnic lunch besides the surging Rio Grande River.   WGTMMike / Atlas Obscura User
The main cantina building standing alone after other buildings have been removed.   WGTMMike / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A short drive west into Big Bend Ranch State Park from Lajitas yields the discovery of a completely vacant and mostly artificial ghost town. There exists one building at the site that is actually historical in nature, a small adobe building called 'La Casita', the rest of the site was built for the movies. Among the movies filmed here are: Dead Man’s Walk, and Streets of Laredo, both made for TV movies from the 'Lonesome Dove' series by Larry McMurtry. In September of 2008, Ojinaga, Mexico was inundated with rain, which led to the Rio Grande flooding into the State Park and surrounding areas. Today, the site is once again open to the public. 

Related Tags

Film Locations Abandoned Ghost Towns

Know Before You Go

Head West on Ranch Rd. 170 for 9.5 miles from Lajitas into Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Community Contributors

Added By

Clinton

Edited By

SanJosway, cosmopolitician, jmlobert, notoriousFIG...

  • SanJosway
  • cosmopolitician
  • jmlobert
  • notoriousFIG
  • WGTMMike

Published

September 24, 2009

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/releases/?req=20040927d
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/13583
  • http://www.terlinguagallery.com/contrabando_flooded.html
Contrabando
Farm to Market 170
Redford, Texas, 79846
United States
29.279586, -103.841169
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Lajitas Ghost Town

Terlingua, Texas

miles away

Terlingua Ghost Town

Terlingua, Texas

miles away

Balanced Rock

Big Bend National Park, Texas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Texas

Texas

United States

Places 378
Stories 64

Nearby Places

Lajitas Ghost Town

Terlingua, Texas

miles away

Terlingua Ghost Town

Terlingua, Texas

miles away

Balanced Rock

Big Bend National Park, Texas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Texas

Texas

United States

Places 378
Stories 64

Related Places

  • The old Kiosk saw mill

    Nipissing District, Ontario

    Kiosk Ghost Town

    All that remains of this former mill town is a ranger station and some crumbling buildings.

  • The ruins of the ancient fortress of Rocchettine

    Rocchette, Italy

    Rocchettine

    This long-abandoned village sits across a narrow gorge from a still-inhabited settlement that was once its twin.

  • Film City

    Film City, Qatar

    Film City

    A creepy, deserted mock Arabian village can be found in the middle of the Qatari desert.

  • An abandoned café in Glenrio.

    San Jon, New Mexico

    Glenrio Ghost Town

    The old Route 66 town straddling Texas and New Mexico died along with the Main Street of America.

  • Nothing, Arizona

    The Ghost Town of Nothing, Arizona

    Nothing to see here.

  • Living quarters

    Azrou, Morocco

    Tioumliline Monastery

    Set up in 1953, abandoned in 1978, and became a movie set in 2009.

  • Cabin made of old railroad ties.

    Carlin, Nevada

    Palisade

    Little is left of this formerly bustling railroad junction on the Transcontinental Railroad.

  • Malo Grablje, Croatia

    Abandoned Village of Malo Grablje

    This deserted town in the hills of Croatia’s "party island" may have a scandalous connection to King Henry VIII.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.