Contrabando

Contrabando is not a typical ghost town born of boom-and-bust settlement — it was built specifically as a film set and has never housed a permanent community. The structures are artificial, constructed to look the part on screen, and the site sits inside Big Bend Ranch State Park along a stretch of land tucked between Texas State Highway 170 and the Rio Grande, which forms the international border with Mexico. It lies roughly 9.5 miles west of Lajitas.

Visitors will find a photogenic cluster of fabricated old-west-style buildings in a dramatic riverside setting. Because the place was designed for the camera rather than for habitation, there is no authentic historical ruin here — what you see is scenery by design. That said, the surrounding park landscape and proximity to the Rio Grande make it a compelling stop for photography and sightseeing along Highway 170.