A man who owns a construction company that builds man camps recently purchased the landmark Stillwell Store & RV Park south of Marathon near Big Bend National Park and the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area — adding the potential for yet another large-scale housing area for border wall contractors.
Park Group Construction CEO Greg Gachassin, of Lafayette, Louisiana, did not return messages left to his voicemail to outline his intentions for his purchase of the Stillwell site, which when operating could accommodate 133 RVs and includes a total of 250 acres. The site has a general store and also houses the Hallie’s Hall of Fame museum showcasing the life of the former and late store owner, Hallie Stillwell — a rancher, teacher and justice of the peace that became a legend in the Big Bend after her arrival in 1918.
Stillwell’s family ran the RV park for decades, and it was a popular spot for snowbirds and park visitors looking for a remote spot. The park’s website — which advises people not to even book during the hot summer months — is not taking any bookings, and at least one person posted on social media that their reservations were canceled.
Although the sales price was not disclosed, the property was listed at $875,000. The sale was conducted with another party gaining ownership first on July 30, legal if done right and not rare. Dr. Donald Kocurek of Shulenburg, Texas, who went by “Doc” and managed the park for several years, transferred the park deed to Kristin Cavness of Alpine operating under a corporation called Flying Dove Ranch, Inc., Brewster County records show. Cavness then transferred the deed the next day to Sunset Basin Development Corporation, owned by Gachassin and incorporated in June.
Cavness owns Ellyson Abstract, an Alpine title company, and is the great-granddaughter of Herbert Lee Kokernot Jr., of the 06 Ranch who established Kokernot Field, home of the Alpine Cowboys; Cavness serves as general manager for the team. Her husband, Buddy Cavness, is the operations manager for WTG Fuels in Alpine and also served as president of the Big Bend Regional Hospital District Board from 2018 to 2024. Kristin Cavness declined to comment for this article. After returning an initial voicemail message, Buddy Cavness did not respond to a request for comment.
Big Bend Sentinel could not confirm the park will be a border wall man camp. State records show Gachassin also incorporated another corporation in June, Sunset Basin RV Park. Within a week of the sale, trucks and equipment from a Midland water well company were seen at the Stillwell site.
With the potential to house hundreds of workers, the site would be another key piece of what contractors need for construction in the national park and down river to the east. Contractors began some vegetation clearing and road work in the park earlier this week.
Another large site north of Terlingua on Highway 118 is expected to house at least 200 workers and serve as a staging area for equipment.
Anna Claire Beasley, a Terlingua photographer who lives next to the site, said a flurry of activity has begun. “It’s been insane,” she said in a video posted on Instagram. “It’s not something that anyone would want to have next to their house. And the noise is constant. They had lights going even last night after eleven o’clock.”
Beasley, an advocate fighting the border wall, said the traffic of 18-wheelers has been constant, many carrying yellow pickup trucks — the same style as used by Kiewit, a subcontractor for the wall project.
“I moved to the middle of nowhere to live in the middle of nowhere for the night skies, for the quiet, for all the birds that come to my house, and all the wildlife around my house,” she said. “I did not move out here to live next to a man camp that is literally going to play a role in destroying my home, the area that I rely on for work, all to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.”
