On our way to Big Bend National Park from Saguaro National Park, we stopped at the famous Prada Marfa to get our token, roadside photos of the art installation and post them to Instagram. And now that we had visited Prada Marfa, we had to visit the other faux brand name store in the desert, the Marathon Target.
The Marathon Target, standing alone in the West Texas desert along US Highway 90, is an old cinder block railroad switch station that has been adorned with the Target logo.
This mini Target, that’s not really a Target store, showed up sometime in 2016. While no one knows who created it, like Prada Marfa, the fake Target has become a sought-after photo op destination for Instagrammers and social media buffs.
After a long day driving and hiking through Big Bend National Park, we big adieu to what we call the Death Valley of Texas and hit the road bound for Carlsbad, New Mexico and Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Along the way, in the late afternoon, we pulled off the Highway at the tiny Target to snap some of our photos.
It was quiet and we were the only people on the road who stopped. The building has some graffiti on the outside, but inside the abandoned railroad building, graffiti covers the walls and trash covers the floor. We were tempted to tip toe through the garbage for a graffiti photo inside, but the possibility of rats kept us outside!
Know Before You Go
- Target Marathon, also referred to as the Altuda Target, is located on the south side of US HWY 90 about 15 miles outside Marathon in Brewster County, Texas.
- It was created in early 2016 but no one has come forward to claim it and it’s still a mystery of who is behind the art installation.
- A spokesperson for Target claims the company is not connected with this art installation. The nearest real Target store is in Odessa, Texas.
- Marathon Target is named for it’s proximity to the town of Marathon. With a population of only 430, Marathon is in one of the most unpopulated parts of the state, yet remains the second-largest town in Brewster County.
