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Quitaque peak
seen from the Flomot valley
Photo
courtesy Eric Blackwell November 2006 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Comanchero trader José Piedad Tafoya is said to be the first settler in the
area. He operated a trading post from 1865 to 1867, his main customers the Comanches.
In 1877 the Lazy F Ranch was formed when George Baker arrived with a herd of cattle.
Charles
Goodnight bought the ranch in 1880 and renamed it Quitaque, which someone
had convinced him meant "end of the trail." Others say that the real meaning is
horse manure - the same story is told of Waxahachie.
A third translation supposedly means "whatever one steals."
A post office
was established in 1882 and eight years later the town had forty residents. When
Briscoe County was organized the townsite was platted.
A school was
opened in 1894 and moved to Quitaque in 1902.
In 1907 the Twilla Hotel,
a local landmark, opened.
By 1914 the town had seventy-five citizens
and the the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway came through town in 1928.
By 1940 the town had a population of 763. |
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A Railroad Tunnel
near Quitaque, Texas.
The
highlight of the "Rails to Trails" trail about 8-10 miles south of Quitaque.
Photo courtesy Eric Blackwell (left) November 2006 |
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Light at the
end of the tunnel
"You
can see the ranger's truck tracks through the guano - looks almost like someone
has driven through a recent deep snow. The ranger seems to make at least one trip
each day along the full length of the trail, which is reassuring for us old bike
riders." - Eric Blackwell, November 08, 2006 | |
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