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Amarillo
Landmarks / Attractions / Images
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English
Field Air and Space Museum :
A project of the Texas Aviation Historical Society, Inc. For directions
and information telephone 806-335-1812.
Harrington
House :
One of Amarillo's early and elegant homes (1914) at 1600 Polk Street.
Free tours on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, April to December.
Advance arrangements required. 806-374-5490.
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Palo
Duro Canyon State Park
Lake Meredith
National Recreational Area
Hwy 287 or State Hwy 136 North
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/lakes/meredith/lake_id.htm
McClellan
Reservoir
50 miles east of Amarillo on McClellan Creek, Red River tributary
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/lakes/mcclell/lake_id.htm
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Amarillo
Travel & Tourists Information
Texas
Travel Information Center on I-40 / U.S. 287 just east of
Amarillo. Operated by the Texas Department of Transportation.
Amarillo
Convention & Visitor Council
1000 S. Polk Street, Amarillo, Texas 79101
806-373-7800
Amarillo
Hotels >
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History
in a Pecan Shell
The railroad (Fort
Worth and Denver City) was coming through the Panhandle in
1887 and merchants from Colorado City wanted to establish stores at
a logical stop. Since they needed voters to choose the county seat
and most of the voters were ranch hands of the LX Ranch, the
promoters promised them each a residential and business lot to vote
for Oneida. Not surprisingly Oneida won and was promptly
renamed Amarillo.
The first houses in town were actually painted yellow in honor of
the new name and perhaps in guilt for mispronouncing the Spanish word.
A rancher named
Sanborn bought land on the other side of the tracks because
of its elevation and convinced others to move their businesses there
as well. Actually, rains and the subsequent flooding did most of
the convincing. This was the beginning of Polk Street, the
city's main commercial boulevard.
The city grew steadily, adding an Opera House in 1909 and a library
in 1910. Helium discoveries in the late 1920s and the establishment
of an Army AirField, led commercial growth until the depression
arrived. Because the city was the focal point of government programs
during the depression, the city's infrastructure benefited greatly
from the Work Projects Administration.
Amarillo grew
85% in the decade of 1950-1960, from 74,000 to 138,000. The population
in 1980 was 149,000 and in 1990 it was 158,000. The 2000 Official
Highway Map shows the population to be 168,562.
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Photographer's
Note:
Subject: Canadian River
These shots are of the Canadian River valley traveling from Dumas,
Texas to Amarillo. You can see Amarillo on the far horizon (to
the South). The river has carved its way through the otherwise flat
plains in a million different channels. The road is U.S. 287/87 which
is the main road from Texas through
the Panhandle to Denver
and other points North.
The Canadian River today is often just a small stream thanks to the
many dams on the river and its tributaries in New Mexico, but even
a short rainstorm can fill its banks.
The Canadian River is now an important recreation area for off-roaders,
hikers, and hunters. To the east of these views, the river flows into
Lake Meredith, which is an important source of drinking water and
recreation. - Tom
Jones, December 24, 2007 |
Amarillo
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