Lesson plan
Contrabando
The Contrabando is a vacant and artificial ghost town used as a filming location within the Big Bend Ranch State Park, west of Lajitas, Texas, between Texas State Highway 170 and the Rio Grande, the international border with Mexico. The Contrabando consists of an original adobe building called 'La Casita' and several later additions that became part of the Contrabando during its use as a movie set. The movie set was constructed in 1985 for the Roy Clark film Uphill all the Way. The site has been used as a set for nine movies including John Sayles' 1996 movie Lone Star; as well as Dead Man's Walk and Streets of Laredo, which were part of the Lonesome Dove miniseries based upon the novel by Larry McMurtry. In September 2008, heavy rains and flooding occurred in Ojinaga, Mexico. The rain, and the ensuing release of water from local flood control structures, caused widespread flooding, and resulted in damage to the movie set buildings at the Contrabando. The original Casita was not damaged. In 2015, the buildings, except for the Casita, were removed for safety reasons.
Article summary
The Contrabando is a vacant and artificial ghost town used as a filming location within the Big Bend Ranch State Park, west of Lajitas, Texas, between Texas State Highway 170 and the Rio Grande, the international border with Mexico. The Contrabando consists of an original adobe building called 'La Casita' and several later additions that became part of the Contrabando during its use as a movie set. The movie set was constructed in 1985 for the Roy Clark film Uphill all the Way. The site has been used as a set for nine movies including John Sayles' 1996 movie Lone Star; as well as Dead Man's Walk and Streets of Laredo, which were part of the Lonesome Dove miniseries based upon the novel by Larry McMurtry. In September 2008, heavy rains and flooding occurred in Ojinaga, Mexico. The rain, and the ensuing release of water from local flood control structures, caused widespread flooding, and resulted in damage to the movie set buildings at the Contrabando. The original Casita was not damaged. In 2015, the buildings, except for the Casita, were removed for safety reasons.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.