[2] Brewster County, Texas is a source of cinnabar ore, and the mineral was discovered in the Mariscal area in 1900 by rancher Martin Solis.

When mercury prices dropped at the end of World War I, Ellis sold to William Burcham in 1919.

A final attempt was made by the Vivianna Mining Company in 1942 with a rotary Gould furnace for refining, but it failed in 1944.

The miners built their own shelters from rocks and brush, building more substantial houses as time, money and materials permitted.

Miners worked six days a week, earning from $1 to $1.50 per ten-hour shift, obtaining most of their needs through the company store at the site.