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HAPPY, TEXAS
Official Slogan:
"The Town Without a Frown."
Unofficial Slogan: "We didn't like the movie either."
Swisher County,
Texas Panhandle
34° 44' 38" N, 101° 51' 25" W (34.743889, -101.856944)
Hwy 87 and FM 1075
On the Randall County
Line
11 miles NW of Tulia the county
seat
19 miles S of Canyon
35 miles S of Amarillo
ZIP code 79042
Area code 806
Population: 668 Est. (2019)
687 (2010) 647 (2000) 588 (1990)
Happy,
Texas Area Hotels:
Canyon
Hotels | Amarillo
Hotels |
 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
The name comes
from Happy Draw - a watercourse discovered and named by thirsty
cowboys. Hugh Currie is credited with establishing the town's post
office near Happy Draw in 1891. It was also the site of a stage horse-changing
station.
Hopes of a depot were dashed in 1906 when Happy was bypassed (a mere
two miles) by the Santa Fe. A town was established alongside the tracks
and Plains Lumber and Grain was the first company to open for business.The
towns first store was opened by J. F. White and Happy soon had their
own paper - appropriately named "Happy News." In 1907 the town
was reunited with the post office when it relocated on the new site.
The following year the First State Bank of Happy opened its doors.
Happy was incorporated in 1925. Like most of Texas,
Happy built it's infrastructure in the 20s. Improvements included
the formation of a VFD and new school construction. The Depression
years passed without incident, and by 1940 there were 576 residents.
The population was about the same (588) in 1990 and it has since increased
to 687.
See Happy, Texas Old Photos ›
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Happy, Texas
Vintage Photos
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Happy Chevrolet
Store and gas pump
Photo
Courtesy Swisher County Museum
More Texas Gas
Stations |
| "Mose
Wesley's Auto Repair Shop was the first brick building in Happy, Texas,
built in 1913. The night before the opening, a dance was held in the
new building to celebrate the occasion. Mr. Wesley died in 1918, but
the business continued with Mr. Emmett LaRoe as shop foreman and Miss
Myrtle LaRoe working as bookkeeper. Alden Montgomery moved his automobile
sales business into the building and it was called Montgomery Motor
Company. For thirty years he sold cars and tractors. After his death,
his son Flake took over the business and operated it until his death,
at which time the inventory was sold at auction. The Taylor-Evans
Farm Store occupied the building through 1967, and ten years later
it was rented to Wildore Taylor III for displaying and restoring antique
cars." - Andrew Wilson |
"The L. C. Klein
Land Co. office located on the south side of Main Street. It was later
used as the post office and as William F. Miller's office."
Photo Courtesy Swisher County Museum |
Happy Fire Truck
(foreground) and
new City Hall under construction (background).
Photo Courtesy Swisher County Museum |
Subject:
Happy, TX
My great-great grandparents John Markley St. John and Mary Francis
Knox settled near Happy, TX. I'm pretty sure my Great grandfather
Olin Bert St. John grew up and went to school in the area. I was recently
gifted a box with a bunch of pictures of Olin St. John and others
from Happy, TX. [Here's] one photo, front and back, that may be of
some interest to local historians. - Cheers, Jennefer White...Olin's
daughter's daughter's daughter, June 23, 2015 |
Group photo showing
Olin Bert St. John.
Click on photo for large image including writing.
Photo Courtesy Jennefer White |
Back of above
photo
Photo Courtesy Jennefer White |
Joe Fortenberry,
a long, tall Texan from the little Panhandle town of Happy, was a
member of the first U.S. men's Olympic basketball team in 1936 and
an All-American for West Texas State University in Canyon (now West
Texas A&M University) in 1932-33.
That he's a footnote in most modern basketball histories is peculiar
because Joe Fortenberry basically revolutionized the game of basketball
by giving fans - and reporters - their first glimpse of what we know
today as the slam dunk. Because of Joe Fortenberry, they changed the
rules of the game. Then the game forgot about him... more
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HAPPY,
TEXAS
by David
Knape
A little town
that never frowns
although it sounds
quite sappy,
But who could blame
a town's good name
forever famed
as Happy! |
Editor's note:
Happy's inclusion in TE was suggested by Andrew Wilson, a 21 year-old
actor from San Antonio, Texas who forwarded the three old photos above
and provided text. Mr. Wilson wrote:
Dear Texas Escapes,
[Your site] is truly a vault of knowledge that I use quite fequently,
however, I beg you, please add HAPPY, TEXAS to your treasure trove
of history! - Andrew Wilson, December 30, 2004 |
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Texas
Escapes,
in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas,
asks that anyone wishing to share their local history and recent/vintage/historic
photos, please contact
us.
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