The Contrabando Trail System is composed of 25 miles of interconnecting wagon paths and single-track trails.
In the early 1890s the East Main Trail was part of the supply and stage route that connected Lajitas and the Terlingua Mining District
to the Marfa Railhead of the Southern Pacific Railroad located 80 miles to the north. This route also connected several ranches and homesteads in the area.
From the 1890s to the 1950s, prospectors blazed many of the trails in this area in search of cinnabar. The West Main Trail began as a rugged jeep and wagon road
that served as the main passageway from Presidio to Lajitas and Terlingua.