What West Texas Ghost Town Hosts An Annual Chili Cookoff That Started in 1967?

The Satellite
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Terlingua. Located in Brewster County, west of Big Bend National Park, Terlingua was home to four mining companies and 3,000 residents in the years following the discovery of mercury in the 1880s. By the end of World War II, mercury production had stopped, and Terlingua became a ghost town.

In 1967, New York journalist H. Allen Smith and Texas reporter Wick Fowler met in Terlingua to compete in a chili cookoff. Judges couldn’t determine a winner, so a rematch was scheduled for the following year, and it became an annual event attended by thousands.

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Late to the party, but would have not known it.

Couldn’t imagine the health issues those 1880 mercury miners faced.
Came across this related phrase…

The phrase “mad as a hatter” refers to the chronic mercury poisoning that plagued hat makers in the 18th and 19th centuries. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Hatters used a mercury solution to turn animal fur into smooth felt for top hats. Working in poorly ventilated rooms, they inhaled toxic vapors for hours every day, causing severe neurological damage known as “Erethism” or “Mad Hatter’s Syndrome”. [1, 2, 3]

Key Symptoms of “Mad Hatter” Syndrome

  • Severe Tremors: Workers suffered uncontrollable shaking in their eyes, tongue, and limbs, famously called the “hatter’s shakes”.
  • Extreme Shyness: Poisoning caused intense social anxiety, making hatters prone to outbursts if looked at or criticized.
  • Mood Swings: Victims experienced sudden rages, deep depression, confusion, and terrifying hallucinations.
  • Slurred Speech: Neurological damage severely impacted muscle control, making it hard to speak clearly or walk straight. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Other Historical Mercury Phrases

  • The Danbury Shakes: Named after Danbury, Connecticut, the hat-making capital of the United States, where the local population suffered widespread mercury tremors. [1, 2]
  • Quick as Quicksilver: Derived from “quicksilver” (the ancient name for liquid mercury), describing something that moves fast, changes shape quickly, or is highly unpredictable.
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I remember when Chili’s used to be decorated with pictures from the Terlingua festival.

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I went to 3 or 4 Terlingua Chili Cookoffs back in the 90s. I remember passing through the gates off the River Road, and… that’s where my memories end. :joy:

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Maybe someone could explain what possible advantage mercury would provide in making hats. And wouldn’t it also affect the hat wearers?

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I’ve read they used mercuric nitrate solution to convert fur into felt hats.
When later heated for shaping, that’s when the vapors were most dangerous.
Hat wearer was thus not exposed.

I never knew the “mad as a hatter” was real; used the phrase before but just
thought it was from the Alice in Wonderland story :flushed:

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