New Deal, Texas

Name: New Deal, Texas
Address: New Deal, TX

Everything New Deal is known for

6 songs mention this city

RoadyGoat plays music like this when you drive through New Deal. It's free on iPhone, and full songs play through Apple Music.

Music in New Deal

Songs About New Deal

Amarillo Highway (For Dave Hickey)

Terry Allen

50%

"And a fresh deck in New Deal"

Amarillo Highway

Emily Nenni

50%

"And a fresh deck in New Deal"

I've Been Everywhere (In Texas)

Brian Burns

30%

"I've been everywhere in Texas"

amarillo highway

terry allen

29%

Amarillo Highway

Robert Earl Keen

"And a fresh deck in New Deal"

I’ve Been Everywhere...In Texas

Brian Burns

"New Deal"

Artists From New Deal

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History of New Deal

The Town That Rebranded to Survive the Depression RoadyGoat

You're driving through one of the few towns in America whose very name is a relic of the Great Depression. For years this was the Monroe community, named for Monroe G. Abernathy, a local landowner and railroad promoter who helped put the place on the map. Then, in 1935, four little rural schools out here — Caldwell, Center, Grovesville, and Monroe — decided to join together into a single school district. It was the height of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, and that era of federal hope and hard-times optimism was so much in the air that the folks running the new district simply named it 'New Deal.' The school got the name first. The town itself stayed Monroe for another fourteen years, until June of 1949, when it finally got its own post office. Because Texas already had a Monroe on the postal map, the postal service borrowed the school's name instead — and just like that, the town became New Deal too. So as you roll through, know that this little place quietly carries the name of a whole American era, handed down from a country schoolhouse to the town that grew up around it.

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The Invisible Ocean Fueling the Cotton Fields RoadyGoat

The vast cotton fields surrounding New Deal seem impossible in this semi-arid climate, which gets only about 20 inches of rain a year. The secret isn't in the sky; it's in the ground. Beneath this entire region lies the Ogallala Aquifer, a massive underground reservoir of 'fossil water' that fell as rain thousands of years ago. For decades, farming here was limited by rainfall. But after World War II, engineers developed powerful turbine pumps and, later, center-pivot irrigation systems—those long, wheeled arms you may see spraying water in giant circles. This technology allowed farmers to tap the Ogallala on a massive scale, transforming the High Plains into one of the world's most productive cotton regions. The challenge now is one of conservation. This water is a finite resource, being pumped out far faster than nature can replenish it, forcing a new wave of innovation in water-saving agricultural technology.

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New Deal, TX RoadyGoat

Originally known as Monroe, the town was named after a local landowner, Monroe G. Abernathy. It was developed as a train station loading site, and people began to settle there, building the town alongside the railroad tracks and highway. The town's name was changed to New Deal after Franklin D. Roosevelt's programs, to align with the consolidated school system's name. In 1970, the township was incorporated by the vote of its citizens to avoid annexation by the city of Lubbock. A local farmer, Billy Fortenberry, became the first mayor, and under Ray Edell West's mayoral direction, the town built a City Hall and a Volunteer Fire Department building.

New Deal

1909

The Pecos and Northern Texas Railway, part of the Santa Fe system, extended from Plainview to Lubbock in 1909 and established new settlements along the line. Invited to name two of the towns north of Lubbock, Mollie Abernathy suggested “Monroe” and “Abernathy” for her husband, a land agent and official liaison to the Santa Fe Railroad. The Monroe townsite developers held an auction for lots on December 22, 1909, and a store was built soon after. The town grew to the west and south of the original townsite and by the late 1920s had a general store, a blacksmith shop, cotton gins, a café, and a lumberyard. On May 28, 1917, the town’s school became Monroe Common School District #10 of the Lubbock county schools. Later that year, voters approved plans to construct a 2-story brick school building, which burned in 1938. In 1935, Monroe consolidated with Caldwell, Grovesville and Center Schools to form New Deal Rural High School District #3, named after the federal programs of U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt. By 1939, all of the schools were consolidated at New Deal. On June 1, 1949, Monroe was renamed New Deal with the establishment of a post office. The city of New Deal incorporated in 1970. The community benefited from its strategic location on the main transportation corridor between Lubbock and Plainview and leading to points beyond. In addition to the railroad, an automobile route was progressively designated as first the Puget Sound to Gulf Highway, then State Highway 9, then US Highway 87. Despite changes over the years, the city continues to thrive as a result of citizens’ service and pride in their community. (2018)

Historical Marker →

Lubbock County

-12000

Lubbock County is located in Northwest Texas on the Southern High Plains, within the larger Great Plains of the western United States. The center of the county lies at 33°35' north latitude and 101°52' west longitude. Lubbock, its largest city, is 327 miles northwest of Dallas and 122 miles south of Amarillo. The county measures 893 square miles of flat tableland sloping gently from northwest to southeast, with elevations ranging from 2,900 to 3,400 feet. Its soils are mainly brown to reddish-brown loams and sandy loams, with smaller areas of grayish-brown, silty clay loams. These overlie a clay subsoil and, beneath that, at from two to three feet from the surface, a hardpan of caliche made of calcium carbonate. This caliche forms the Caprock , which has generally prevented streams from cutting their way through the area. Beneath the caliche zone lie beds of water-filled sand of varying thickness but averaging about 300 feet; these make up a part of the great Ogallala Aquifer, formed some ten million years ago as great rivers deposited sand from the Rocky Mountains over an area extending several hundred miles east of the mountains, from what is now Canada to the South Plains of Texas. In 1968 there were 922 small, wind-scoured lakes called playas dotting the county and providing refuge for wildfowl. These are formed by runoff from rainwater and range in size from less than an acre to more than fifty acres. Grasses are predominantly buffalo and blue grama, and in summer there is a profusion of wildflowers, including daisies, buttercups, verbena, and Indian paintbrush, together with scattered yucca and catclaw. Before its settlement the county was treeless, except for cottonwoods and hackberries in the canyons. In later times Chinese elms, oaks, pines, cedars, and a few other trees were introduced, along with mesquite in the nineteenth century. The county is classed as semiarid; its average annual rainfall is 18.41 inches, most of which occurs during the growing season of 208 days. The average minimum temperature in January is 25° F, and the maximum in July averages 92°. Lubbock County is one of the oldest inhabited places in the state, if not the oldest. In the northern part of the city of Lubbock is the archeological site known as the Lubbock Lake Site, the first archeological site in Texas to be entered on the National Register of Historic Places ( see LUBBOCK LAKE NATIONAL HISTORIC AND STATE ARCHEOLOGICAL LANDMARK ). There, in Yellow House Canyon , preserved in the twenty-foot wall of a dry lakebed, lies one of the very few known records of human habitation in Texas reaching back uninterrupted for at least 12,000 years. There Paleo-Indians camped and hunted the elephant, camel, bison, giant bear, and prehistoric horse, all long since extinct. Although the evidence is not conclusive, some authorities believe Francisco Vásquez de Coronado was the first Spaniard to visit the lake, during his famous expedition of 1540. In 1629 Father Juan de Salas led an expedition that went down Black Water Draw to Yellow House Canyon on its way from Santa Fe to the South Concho River. In 1650 another expedition commanded by captains Hernán Martín and Diego del Castillo used the same route, as did Capt. Diego de Guadalajara four years later. Other Spanish expeditions traveled this same route and on their maps gave the name La Punta de Agua to the Lubbock Lake Site, which is now in Mackenzie Park . From 10,000 B.C. to about A.D. 1000 the plains were inhabited by bands of Indians who lived off the land. When the Spaniards reached the plains they found tribes they called Quecheros or Teyas, probably ancestors of the Apaches. About 1700 the Comanches (from a Ute word meaning "enemy") came onto the South Plains with their newly acquired horses. They quickly came to dominate an area stretching from north of the Red River south to the Edwards Plateau , westward to New Mexico, and as far east as the Brazos River. The area of West Texas

Tsha Handbook → · 8.5 mi away

The 1970 Lubbock Tornado

1970

The major tornado that struck Lubbock on May 11, 1970 was one of the most destructive in American history. That evening there was an outbreak of thunderstorms with strong winds and hail. An initial tornado touched down East of Mackenzie Park at 8:15 p.m., traveling northeast through a sparsely populated part of the city. A second tornado formed at 9:35 p.m., near Texas Tech University, tracking northeast with a path of destruction nearly two miles wide. The central business district, industrial areas and downtown residential areas, including the Guadalupe neighborhood, were the most heavily damaged. The funnel continued north-northeast to the Lubbock County Club and airport where it also caused damage before lifting back into the storm at approximately 10:10 p.m. 
 The twisters caused more than $250 million in damage (more than $1.6 billion in today’s dollars), affecting 25% of the city. It destroyed 1,100 homes and damaged 8,000 others. Hundreds of businesses were destroyed or severely damaged. Twenty-six people died and 1,755 people were injured. Cleanup and relief efforts commenced immediately. A state of emergency was declared, bottled water was shipped in, and the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum became a makeshift shelter. 
 Many important advancements resulted from the tragic event. The city was given $59 million in federal relief, and a $13.6 million bond package helped fund the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, George and Helen Mahon Library, city parks and the beginnings of the Canyon Lakes system. Dr. T.T. Fujita compiled data used to develop the Fujita Scale, which measures tornadic intensity by wind speed and resulting damage. Shortly after, Texas Tech University founded the institute for disaster research (now the National Wind Institute). While the 1970 Lubbock tornado was devastating, the response demonstrated the resilience of the city and its people. (2020)


Historical Marker → · 9.9 mi away

South Plains Army Air Field

1942

During World War II, nine preliminary and advanced military glider pilot training fields operated in Texas; one of the most prominent sites was located here. The U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) leased Lubbock Municipal Airport, and with help from the City of Lubbock expanded it for glider training. Opened in October 1942, the site was initially named South Plains Army Flying School, and later renamed South Plains Army Air Field (SPAAF). The mission of SPAAF was ground and advanced flight training for glider pilots who flew the “Waco CG-4A” glider––the USAAF's primary glider during the war. During its tenure, SPAAF trained nearly 80% of America’s combat glider pilots who served in major operations, such as Market Garden (Invasion of the Netherlands), Varsity (Invasion of Germany) and overlord (the “D-day” Allied Invasion of Normandy, France). SPAAF closed on April 1, 1945, more than a month before victory in Europe was declared. Designated surplus, the site was transferred to the War Assets Administration in December 1947. In 1949 the airfield returned to the City of Lubbock for municipal use, and in 1950 the city built a modern air terminal. Regional combat glider training facilities –– located in the Texas panhandle and South Plains –– were vital components of U.S. Military force projection capability during the war. In addition, the creation and maintenance of these bases contributed significantly to local economies during the war. In 1971, former glider pilots formed the National World War II Glider Pilots Association, Inc., providing the framework for the preservation of the history of the U.S. Combat Glider Program. Today, a key element in telling this story is the Silent Wings Museum, moved to this site and opened in October 2002.

Historical Marker → · 5.2 mi away

Abernathy, Mollie D. Wylie

1901

Mollie D. Wylie Jarrott Abernathy, rancher and businesswoman, was born on April 27, 1866, in Hood County, Texas, the daughter of John N. M. and Elizabeth (Robertson) Wylie, both members of prominent ranch families. She grew up at Thorp Spring and was a member of the first class at Add-Ran College (forerunner of Texas Christian University). She spent the summers on her father's ranches in Erath and Runnels counties, where she acquired knowledge of the cattle industry. On September 26, 1886, she married James William Jarrott, who served that year in the Texas legislature. The next year the couple moved to a ranch near Phoenix, Arizona, where their first child was born. In 1889 the family returned to Thorp Spring and in 1890 moved to Stephenville. There Jarrott became county attorney for Erath County. The couple had three more children in Stephenville. In 1901 the Jarrotts filed for themselves and twenty-three other families under the Four-Section Act on a mile-wide strip of vacant land extending from the western boundary of Lubbock County to New Mexico. The tent that they pitched on their claim was the only human habitation within a thirty-mile radius; by 1902 they had settled all of the other families on the land. The influx of small landowners living in tents and dugouts aroused the hostility of the area ranchers, and on August 28, 1902, Jarrott was shot and killed. Mollie was in a hotel in town convalescing from an illness at the time of the murder, but she returned to the claim and operated the Swastika Ranch alone. She expanded it from four to sixteen sections and developed a prime herd of registered Hereford cattle. In 1905 she married Monroe G. Abernathy, a real estate developer, for whom the South Plains towns of Monroe (later New Deal) and Abernathy were named. Together they successfully promoted the construction of the Santa Fe Railroad into Lubbock. The ranch properties were sold in 1920, after the extension of the railroad caused a demand for farmland. During the same period, Mollie Abernathy was investing in business property in the fledgling city of Lubbock, and in 1916 she financed the construction of the J. C. Penney building, one of the largest downtown commercial structures. On the eastern and northeastern borders of town she and her husband acquired more than a thousand acres of undeveloped land. Portions of the properties were later developed into Mackenzie Park and a residential addition overlooking it. Her astute management of her ranch and business holdings led to Mrs. Abernathy's reputation as Lubbock's first businesswoman. She was a charter member of the Business and Professional Women's Club and served as president of both the League of Women Voters and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in Lubbock. She chaired the first Woman's Democratic League in Texas and actively promoted full citizenship responsibility for women. She was a member of the First Christian Church. She died in Lubbock on June 4, 1960, and was buried in the city cemetery.

Tsha Handbook → · 6.5 mi away

Things to Do in New Deal

historical 10.3 mi away

Buddy Holly Center

Lubbock was a dusty cotton town when a skinny kid named Charles Hardin Holley picked up a guitar in the nineteen fifties and figured out how to make rock and…

historical 10.5 mi away

Buddy Holly Center

Museum dedicated to Lubbock's most famous son. The day the music died.

quirky 16.5 mi away

Ozymandias On The Plains

A pair of giant legs — and nothing else — standing in a Lubbock field. Shelley's poem made real.

Sports in New Deal

🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 2A · Baseball · 2021

New Deal — 2021 UIL 2A Baseball State Champions

Most recent: 2021 2A

The New Deal High School baseball program, competing in Class 2A, has established a notable presence in Texas high school sports. Their dedication on the diamond culminated in a significant achievement for the community.

The New Deal Lions secured a UIL State Championship in 2021. This accomplishment reflects the consistent effort and spirit present within the program, bringing pride to New Deal, Texas.

State titles

2021

Most recent

2021

Class

The moment

The New Deal Lions baseball team captured the Class 2A State Championship in 2021.

Sources: UIL State Championship Archives · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)

Everything Near New Deal

209 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the nearest 200 are listed here — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

New Deal, TX · Tsha Handbook
You're driving past New Deal, Texas, a town whose very name tells a story. Originally founded in 1909 and named Monroe for a railroad promoter, this small settlement didn't really take off until the late 1920s. By then,…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: New Deal (New Deal) · 0.2 mi
New Deal (New Deal, TX) placed on the 2A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Lane Proctor (2 HR).
The Town That Rebranded to Survive the Depression · 0.6 mi
You're driving through one of the few towns in America whose very name is a relic of the Great Depression. For years this was the Monroe community, named for Monroe G. Abernathy, a local landowner and railroad promoter…
The Invisible Ocean Fueling the Cotton Fields · 0.6 mi
The vast cotton fields surrounding New Deal seem impossible in this semi-arid climate, which gets only about 20 inches of rain a year. The secret isn't in the sky; it's in the ground. Beneath this entire region lies the…
New Deal, TX · 0.6 mi
Originally known as Monroe, the town was named after a local landowner, Monroe G. Abernathy. It was developed as a train station loading site, and people began to settle there, building the town alongside the railroad…
New Deal · 0.6 mi · Historical Marker
The Pecos and Northern Texas Railway, part of the Santa Fe system, extended from Plainview to Lubbock in 1909 and established new settlements along the line. Invited to name two of the towns north of Lubbock, Mollie…
The Nineteen Thirty Seven Road From Texline to Orange · 1.0 mi
On May eighteenth, nineteen thirty seven, a Texas highway minute order gave the name Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Highway to a chain of roads. The route started at the New Mexico state line at Texline and ran to…
The Highway Commissioner's Interstate · 1.4 mi
Interstate Twenty Seven between Lubbock and Amarillo is the Marshall Formby Memorial Highway, named for a man who once chaired the Texas Highway Commission. Marshall Formby was born in nineteen eleven and moved with his…
South Plains Army Air Field · 5.2 mi · Historical Marker
During World War II, nine preliminary and advanced military glider pilot training fields operated in Texas; one of the most prominent sites was located here. The U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) leased Lubbock Municipal…
W. G. McMillan Construction Company · 5.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Lubbock, and for the next thirty years, a man named W.G. McMillan shaped this city. He arrived in 1924, just in time to help build the iconic Hotel Lubbock. After that, he stayed and built over…
Original Lubbock Municipal Airport · 5.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the original Lubbock Municipal Airport, born from the aviation craze sparked by Charles Lindbergh. Land was purchased in 1929, and by 1930, a stylish Art Deco hangar stood ready. While it…
Abernathy, Mollie D. Wylie · 6.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
Mollie D. Wylie Jarrott Abernathy, rancher and businesswoman, was born on April 27, 1866, in Hood County, Texas, the daughter of John N. M. and Elizabeth (Robertson) Wylie, both members of prominent ranch families. She…

Show all 200 nearby places

Abernathy, TX · 6.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Abernathy, a town that owes its existence to a railroad line built back in 1909. <break time="400ms"/> The South Plains Investment Company founded this place, even moving buildings from a nearby…
Struve Family Businesses · 6.9 mi · Historical Marker
As you drive through Abernathy, keep an eye out for the legacy of the Struve family. Fritz Struve arrived here in 1912, just three years after the town was founded, and opened a grocery store. His brother Ben joined him…
Site of Old Lubbock · 7.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Lubbock County, and right here is the site of Old Lubbock, a town that barely existed! Back in 1890, three rival groups were fighting to establish the county seat. Two of them, led by W.D. Crump…
Abernathy · 7.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Abernathy, a town that owes its existence to the railroad. Back in 1909, the Santa Fe line pushed south from Plainview, and right here, a new community sprang up. It was named for Monroe…
Lubbock Lake Landmark · 8.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Imagine a place where mammoths roamed and early humans hunted – that's Lubbock Lake Landmark! For nearly 12000 years, people and animals have been drawn to this area on the Llano Estacado. Archeologists have unearthed…
The Hidden Ocean and the Green Circles · 8.2 mi
Look at the farmland surrounding Abernathy. You might see massive green circles on the landscape, especially from an aerial view. These aren't natural formations; they're feats of engineering powered by a hidden…
Abernathy, TX · 8.2 mi
Abernathy, sitting high up here on the plains, has a certain stillness to it. You feel like you've stepped back a bit, maybe to a time when things were a little less rushed. It’s a place where Friday night lights still…
A Town Split in Two · 8.2 mi
Here's a curious fact about the town you're in. Abernathy is split by a county line. Most of the city sits in Hale County -- including the original townsite, laid out in 1909 when the Santa Fe pushed its line from…
When the Antelopes Reigned · 8.2 mi
In a small Texas town, high school sports are the stuff of legend, creating memories that last a lifetime. And in Abernathy, one of the proudest moments came not on the football field, but on the basketball court. In…
Lubbock County · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
Lubbock County is located in Northwest Texas on the Southern High Plains, within the larger Great Plains of the western United States. The center of the county lies at 33°35' north latitude and 101°52' west…
The Town on XIT Land · 8.5 mi
As you drive the neat, right-angled streets of Shallowater, you are a short way from a legend and standing squarely on the money it made. The XIT was a three-million-acre cattle empire across ten Texas counties, handed…
The Shallow Water Secret · 8.5 mi
The name 'Shallowater' was a sales pitch. When rancher J. C. Bowles and Bob Crump bought land for a townsite here in May 1909, they picked a name that advertised the one thing that mattered on the South Plains: water…
The Santa Fe's Creation · 8.5 mi
Look over at the railroad tracks that still slice through Shallowater. The railroad is the reason the town is here - but the town went and got the railroad, not the other way around. In 1909 a rancher named Jim Bowles,…
Singer, George Washington · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, maybe near Estacado, and right here in Yellow House Canyon, a lone store once stood. It was 1881 when George Washington Singer, a Quaker merchant, opened his doors. This wasn't just…
Monterey, TX (Lubbock County) · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
The brief history of Monterey began in the summer of 1890, when the town was established by W. A. Rayner, a cattleman and town promoter. Rayner had previously organized the town of Rayner to be the county seat of…
Buffalo Springs Lake · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving southeast of Lubbock, and right here is Buffalo Springs Lake. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1874</say-as>, this was a watering hole for buffalo hunters, and it became a flashpoint when they…
Cone, Stephen Elsemere · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, and right here, in what was once Yarrellton, Stephen Cone got his start. He began with bees at age ten, then sold that to pay for college. But when his father died, Cone came home and…
IOA Ranch · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock County, heading southeast of the modern city. Right here, in the late 1880s, was the headquarters of the IOA Ranch. This massive operation, owned by businessmen from Iowa and Illinois,…
Maines Brothers Band · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
Right here in northeastern Lubbock County, you're driving through the heartland of a West Texas musical dynasty: the Maines Brothers Band. It all started in the mid-1950s with brothers Sonny, James, and Wayne, playing…
Western Land and Livestock Company · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, and right here in what is now Lubbock County, a huge cattle operation once tried to make its mark. In 1884, the Western Land and Livestock Company, organized in Iowa with a hefty…
Acuff, TX · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
Acuff is on Farm roads 40 and 789 ten miles east of Lubbock in east central Lubbock County. The town is said to have been named for Michael S. Acuff, who reportedly arrived in the area in February 1891. Other early…
Becton, TX · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook
Becton is on the Burlington Northern Railroad just east of Farm Road 400 and twenty-four miles northeast of Lubbock in northeastern Lubbock County. It was first named for W. E. Bledsoe of the Three Circle Ranch, but in…
West, Joe Bob [Sonny] · 8.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, a region that birthed legends like Buddy Holly. But right here, near Shallowater, is where Sonny West got his start. Though not as famous as some, West penned songs that became hits…
Shallowater, TX · 8.8 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Shallowater, a town founded on a bit of clever marketing! Back in 1909, folks like J.C. Bowles wanted a railroad, and they knew how to attract it. They formed the Ripley Townsite Company, and to…
Cora Vance and Vance Hatchery · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Vance Hatchery, a business built by Cora Vance. Born in 1905, she survived a serious car accident that left her paralyzed, but she bought this farm and started a hatchery with just 400…
Shallowater, TX · 9.3 mi
Shallowater, a town where the air's thin and dry at over three thousand feet, might seem like just another dot on the West Texas map. But if you listen close, you can hear echoes of Friday night lights and the roar of a…
The Biggest Cotton Patch in the World · 9.5 mi
Look out at the flat land around Lubbock and you are looking at what is often called the largest contiguous cotton patch in the world. Contiguous is the key word: it means one huge, unbroken stretch, mile after mile of…
Every Cotton Fiber Is a Single Cell · 9.5 mi
Here is something wild about the cotton growing all around you. A single cotton fiber, the kind that gets spun into your shirt, is actually one single plant cell. Just one. It grows straight out of the coat of the…
Grading Cotton by Machine · 9.5 mi
Not all cotton is equal, so before it is sold it gets classed, which means graded for quality. Classers look at a handful of key traits. Staple length is how long the fibers are; longer fibers spin into finer, stronger…
Farming on a Shrinking Aquifer · 9.5 mi
Every plant in these fields needs water, and out here most of it comes from underground. Beneath the High Plains lies the Ogallala Aquifer, a vast layer of water-soaked rock and sand that stretches under eight states.…
Pearce Chapel - Strip Cemetery · 9.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through the old Strip Community, a place named for the 1.5 by 15-mile strip of land opened to homesteaders back in the 1890s. William Houston Pearce arrived in 1895, starting a school that also served as…
Yellowhouse Canyon · 9.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Yellowhouse Canyon, a place known to Spanish explorers way back in the 1600s. Albert Pike passed through here in 1832 and described it. Look around – this was the site of the last major battle in…
The 1970 Lubbock Tornado · 9.9 mi · Historical Marker
The major tornado that struck Lubbock on May 11, 1970 was one of the most destructive in American history. That evening there was an outbreak of thunderstorms with strong winds and hail. An initial tornado touched down…
The Fujita Scale · 9.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Lubbock, the site of a devastating tornado on May 11th, 1970. That storm helped confirm the work of Dr. Tetsuya Fujita, a Japanese scientist who developed the Fujita Scale to measure tornado…
Congressman George Mahon · 10.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the legacy of George Mahon, a West Texas powerhouse who served an incredible 44 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was more than just a congressman; Mahon was instrumental in bringing…
The Free Range Era of Ranching · 10.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through West Texas, where for a brief, wild time, cattle roamed free. From 1878 to 1885, this was the heart of the Free Range Era of Ranching. After the removal of Native Americans and buffalo, hundreds…
Mackenzie Scout Trail · 10.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through West Texas, following a path etched into history by the Mackenzie Scout Trail. This wasn't just any trail; it was a vital artery connecting Camp Supply in Crosby County to Fort Sumner, New Mexico.…
The Night the Sky Fell · 10.1 mi
On the night of May 11, 1970, Lubbock changed forever. Just after dark, a small tornado touched down, but it was just a warning. Around 9:35 PM, a second, monstrous F5 tornado, a mile wide, tore a path of destruction…
The Sound of the South Plains · 10.1 mi
Before Buddy Holly, popular artists usually sang songs written by others. But here in Lubbock, a lanky teenager decided to do it all. Buddy Holly and his band, The Crickets, wrote their own songs, pioneered new…
Engineering the Storm · 10.1 mi
The 1970 Lubbock tornado was a catastrophe, but it also became a groundbreaking scientific laboratory. In the storm's wake, engineers and meteorologists from Texas Tech University descended on the wreckage. They didn't…
The Lubbock Lights · 10.1 mi
Imagine looking up into the night sky over Lubbock and seeing something you can't explain. That's what happened in August and September of 1951. Dozens of credible witnesses, including professors from Texas Tech,…
General Ranald Slidell Mackenzie · 10.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through West Texas, a land shaped by conflict and resilience. Look around, and imagine the vast, unexplored Llano Estacado. In the late 1800s, this was the domain of Native American tribes. But a…
Prairie Dog Town · 10.1 mi
It might seem quirky now, but Lubbock is home to a pioneering conservation effort. Head over to Mackenzie Park and you'll find Prairie Dog Town. In the mid-1930s, when the government's poisoning campaign was sweeping…
Bacon Home · 10.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Bacon Home, built in 1916 for Warren Bacon, a major business and civic leader in early Lubbock, and his wife Myrta. She was the daughter of a pioneer family here. This two-story brick…
First Methodist Church of Lubbock · 10.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the First Methodist Church of Lubbock. This congregation started in 1892 with circuit rider R.M. Morris and 12 members. They met in the schoolhouse and courthouse until their first…
Buddy Holly Center · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
Lubbock, Texas raised a kid who changed the sound of popular music forever, and he was dead before he turned 23. Charles Hardin Holley, who dropped the 'e' from his last name thanks to a misprinted contract, grew up…
Lubbock, Colonel T. S. & Texas in the Civil War · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site associated with Colonel T. S. Lubbock, a South Carolinian who came to Texas in 1835. He was an Indian fighter and soldier who served the Confederacy. He was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the…
Nicolett Hotel · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Nicolett Hotel. In late 1888 and early 1889, Frank E. Wheelock and Rollie Burns, manager and employee, respectively, of the large Ioa Ranch, built the Nicolett Hotel on a high prairie just east of…
The Mast House · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're cruising through Lubbock, and just ahead is a glimpse into the past: the Mast House. Built in 1925 by a top local builder for Dr. Clarence S. Mast, a founding physics professor at Texas Tech. This home shows off…
Lubbock County · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Lubbock County. Formed from Young and Bexar territories Created August 21, 1876 Organized March 10, 1891 Named in honor of Colonel Thomas S. Lubbock 1817 - 1862 Member of the New Orleans Greys at the…
St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church. Early Catholic settlers in Lubbock and on the Texas South Plains celebrated Mass with traveling priests in private homes. Beginning in 1905, Father Joseph Keller…
Citizens National Bank of Lubbock · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Citizens National Bank of Lubbock, the oldest national bank still operating in the city. It opened its doors way back on May 5, 1906, when Lubbock was just a tiny town of 1,500…
Lubbock Women's Club · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the Lubbock Women's Club. It started in 1944 when several women's groups decided to coordinate their community improvement efforts. By 1945, 22 groups had joined, forming the Lubbock…
First Baptist Church of Lubbock · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Lubbock's First Baptist Church. Organized way back in 1891, this congregation actually met in the county jail before building their first church in 1901. They grew with the town,…
Buddy Holly Center · 10.3 mi · Things to Do
Lubbock was a dusty cotton town when a skinny kid named Charles Hardin Holley picked up a guitar in the nineteen fifties and figured out how to make rock and…
Idalou, TX · 10.3 mi
Idalou, Texas, it's a place where the land stretches out forever, almost a painting in browns and blues under that big Texas sky. You can feel the peace out here, see it in the friendly waves you get driving down the…
Idalou, TX · 10.4 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Idalou, a town born from a railroad line. Back in 1911, the South Plains and Santa Fe Railway pushed its tracks through this area, and a small depot sprung up right here. The name itself is a bit…
Buddy Holly Center · 10.5 mi · Things to Do
Museum dedicated to Lubbock's most famous son. The day the music died.
Texas Tech Judging Pavilion · 10.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the old Livestock Judging Pavilion at Texas Tech. Completed in the 1920s, this was one of the first four buildings on campus and the very first designed specifically for agricultural education.…
St. John's United Methodist Church · 10.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of St. John's United Methodist Church in Lubbock. It started in 1939, serving Texas Tech faculty and students. Interestingly, the first services were held in a movie theater, the Tech…
Buddy Holly · 10.6 mi
You're driving past Buddy Holly. Charles Hardin “Buddy” Holley was born in Lubbock on September 7, 1936, to Ella Pauline (Drake) and Lawrence Odell “L.O.” Holley. The youngest of four…
Cactus Theater · 10.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Get ready to tap your toes! The Cactus Theater has been a Lubbock entertainment hub for decades. Originally built as a movie theater in the 1930s, it later fell into disrepair. In 1993, Don Caldwell purchased and…
Lubbock's First Cotton Gin · 10.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Lubbock's very first cotton gin, which opened in late 1904. Before this, the closest gins were over a hundred miles away, making cotton farming nearly impossible here. This single gin,…
Texas Tech University Dairy Barn · 10.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the historic Texas Tech Dairy Barn, completed in 1927. Designed by Wyatt Hedrick in an unusual Arts and Crafts bungalow style, it was built to house the university's dairy cows. By 1930, this barn…
Terry's Texas Rangers and a One-Day Command · 10.7 mi
Thomas Saltus Lubbock, the man this county is named for, helped raise one of the most storied cavalry outfits Texas ever put in the saddle. Along with a man named Benjamin Terry, he recruited the Eighth Texas Cavalry,…
Lubbock, TX · 10.7 mi
Lubbock rises from the South Plains like a cottonwood after a rain. It's easy to think it just *happened* here, but there's a reason this particular spot became a regional hub. Think about it: endless flat land, perfect…
The Hometown Kid Who Changed Rock and Roll · 10.7 mi
The name Lubbock honors a nineteenth century Ranger, but the modern name that put this city on the world's radar belongs to a bespectacled kid who grew up right here. Buddy Holly was born in Lubbock on September…
The Dryline: the Front You Cannot See · 10.7 mi
Out here on the South Plains there is a weather front you will never see on the news the way you see a cold front, because it has no rain and no clouds of its own. It is called the dryline, and it is one of the…
The Ranger Behind the Name · 10.7 mi
Here is the honest story behind the name on the map. Lubbock is a real, documented namesake. When the Texas Legislature carved out this county on August twenty-first, eighteen seventy-six, they named it for Thomas…
Two Brothers, One Name · 10.7 mi
Let us clear up something that trips people up. When folks hear the name Lubbock, some of them picture Governor Francis Lubbock, the wartime governor of Texas. But the city and county were named for his brother, Thomas…
How the Texas Rangers Actually Began · 10.7 mi
The county name here comes from a Texas Ranger, so let us talk about what that title actually meant and how the Rangers got started, because the beginning is humbler than the legend. Back in the summer of eighteen…
The Town That Rolled Across a Canyon · 10.7 mi
Here is a wild bit of how this city actually came to be. Back in the summer of eighteen ninety, there were not one but two little rival towns squaring off near Yellow House Canyon. One was called Monterey, planted by a…
Why the Land Here Is So Flat · 10.7 mi
If you have been driving across the country around Lubbock, you have probably noticed the land is almost supernaturally flat and wide, stretching to a straight-line horizon in every direction. There is a real geologic…
Terry Allen · 10.7 mi
Lubbock gave the world Buddy Holly. It also gave the world Terry Allen — and Terry Allen never once let the place off the hook. In 1979 he came home to cut a record with Lubbock players and called it "Lubbock (on…
Amanda Shires · 10.7 mi
Growing up in Lubbock, Amanda Shires watched Bobbie Nelson play piano alongside Willie and the band — and then she went and built her own outlaw résumé the bold way. She climbed onstage uninvited at a Billy Joe Shaver…
Blue Light Live · 10.7 mi
Just off the Texas Tech campus in Lubbock, the Blue Light turned its lights on in 1999 — and it's been minting West Texas songwriters ever since. Wade Bowen played it early. So did Flatland Cavalry, and a young Josh…
Buddy Holly Center · 10.7 mi
Out on the West Texas Walk of Fame in Lubbock, there's a bronze man about your size, a Fender slung across him, frozen mid-song. That's Buddy Holly, cast in metal right where he came up. The center behind him lives in…
City of Lubbock Cemetery · 10.7 mi
The City of Lubbock Cemetery goes back to the late eighteen hundreds and holds better than sixty thousand graves. One of them is Buddy Holly's — Charles Hardin Holley, killed in a plane crash in 1959, brought home to…
Lubbock's Pancho Clos · 10.7 mi
In Lubbock, Santa comes in a poncho. They call him Pancho Clos — spelled without the a-u-s, so nobody mixes him up with the other fella. It started back in nineteen seventy-one, when three men, Agustin Medina, Jesse…
Weather balloons and instrument pods · 10.7 mi
Out here in storm country, the science starts before the storm does. Twice a day, from about 100 sites across the country, the National Weather Service floats weather balloons miles into the sky. The instrument hanging…
Flying debris, the real tornado threat · 10.7 mi
Out here in storm country, the wind itself is rarely what gets you. The real danger is what the wind picks up. A snapped board, a chunk of roof, a fence rail, all of it turns into a high-speed missile. Hit a window and…
Hail and tornadoes share a parent storm · 10.7 mi
Out here on the High Plains around Lubbock, hail and tornadoes are cousins, born of the same engine. Both grow inside a supercell's tilted updraft, that violent column of rising air. Here's the trick to a giant…
A Ranger's Name Under Your Wheels · 10.7 mi
So the next time the sign for Lubbock rolls past your window, you will know it is carrying more than a name. It is carrying a Texas Ranger named Thomas Saltus Lubbock, who helped raise Terry's Texas Rangers and held…
Lubbock High School · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Lubbock, and right here is a landmark that rose from the plains' booming population in the 1920s. This is Lubbock High School, completed in 1931. Designed in a rich North Italian Romanesque style,…
Texas Tech Alumni Association · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the heart of Texas Tech's connection to its graduates. The very first graduating class in 1927 didn't just leave campus – they immediately formed the Alumni Association to stay connected. From a…
New Hope Baptist Church · 10.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of the New Hope Baptist Church, a historically African American congregation that organized back in 1926. Originally known as Mount Calvary Baptist, it moved to this area in 1929. Over the…
Mount Gilead Baptist Church · 11.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Lubbock, and you're passing the site of Mount Gilead Baptist Church, believed to be the city's oldest black congregation. It all began back in October 1917, with an organizational meeting led by…
The Engineering of the Modern Cotton Gin · 11.1 mi
When you think of a cotton gin, you might picture Eli Whitney’s simple invention. But the massive industrial facilities you see on the edge of Idalou are marvels of modern agricultural engineering. These gins are where…
A Town Built by Blueprint · 11.1 mi
Idalou is a town that was drawn before it was built. As you drive its orderly grid, you are looking at a plat laid down around a railroad. In 1911 the South Plains and Santa Fe Railway pushed its line east from Lubbock…
Willie Lusk Jr. · 11.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Lubbock, passing the spot where Willie Lusk Jr. built his legendary custom boot business. Born in 1914, Lusk apprenticed early, learning the craft from a Czech bootmaker. He eventually opened his…
Mary & Mac Private School · 11.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of a Lubbock institution that defied segregation and fostered dreams. In 1954, Lucille Graves opened Mary & Mac Private School, a preschool for African-American children, named for a…
Isham and Texana Tubbs House · 11.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Isham and Texana Tubbs House, a beautiful example of Queen Anne architecture. Isham Tubbs was a pioneer, serving as one of the first school board trustees and a founding member of Lubbock's First…
Bradford Knapp · 11.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Lubbock, home of Texas Tech, a university that owes a lot to Bradford Knapp. He was a giant in agricultural education, leading the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service and helping plan food…
Lakeview School and Community · 11.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through what used to be Lakeview, a community that bloomed around a schoolhouse. It started in 1892 as the Ivey School, then joined with the Star School in 1914 to become Lakeview. By the 1920s and 30s,…
City of Lubbock Cemetery · 11.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the City of Lubbock Cemetery, a place that tells a big story about this city's past. Back in March of 1892, locals got five acres from a rancher for a graveyard. That very same month, the first…
Holley, Charles Hardin [Buddy Holly] · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, the hometown of a true rock and roll pioneer: Buddy Holly! Born Charles Hardin Holley in 1936, he started young, performing with his brothers in talent shows right here. He taught himself…
Cotton Club · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, and right here is a place that shaped Texas music for decades: the Cotton Club. <break time="400ms"/> Forget that famous New York joint; this Texas dance hall, born in a renovated Army…
Stubblefield, Christopher B., Sr. · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Texas, and right here, you're passing through the heart of a legendary music scene. In 1968, Christopher B. Stubblefield, Sr., known to everyone as 'Stubb,' opened his Bar-B-Q joint in Lubbock. It…
Crickets, The · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, the birthplace of a band that helped define rock and roll: The Crickets. Formed in 1957, this group was the powerhouse behind the legendary Buddy Holly. After Holly's solo career hit a…
Buddy Holly Center · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, and right here at 1801 Crickets Avenue stands the Buddy Holly Center. But this isn't just any museum; it's a building with a story all its own. It started life in 1928 as a grand train…
Cawthon, Peter Willis · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, and right here in Lubbock, you're passing through the stomping grounds of a legendary football innovator. Peter 'Pete' Cawthon took over Texas Technological College in 1930, and by…
Chatman, Joseph Alvin · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, a city that owes a lot to Dr. Joseph Alvin Chatman. Born in Navasota in 1901, Dr. Chatman moved to Lubbock in 1939 and, right here, he established the Chatman Medical and Surgical Clinic…
Chuck Wagon Gang · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, maybe near Lubbock, where in 1935, a family of sharecroppers decided to turn their singing into a career. Dave and Carrie Carter, with their nine kids, started auditioning for radio.…
Lubbock Lake National Historic and State Archeological Landmark · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Lubbock, and right here is a place that holds the story of Texas for over eleven thousand years. Lubbock Lake isn't just a landmark; it's a time capsule. Back in 1950, researchers found burned bone…
Lusk, Willie, Jr. · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, Texas, a city that was once home to a bootmaker with a national reputation. Willie Lusk, Jr. was a towering figure, six-foot-six and 260 pounds, who learned his craft from a Czech…
Overton, Marvin Cartmell · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, and right here in Lubbock, you're passing through the legacy of Dr. Marvin Cartmell Overton. He arrived in 1901, becoming the very first physician to call this growing community home.…
Wade, Franklin Alton · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, Texas, home of Franklin Alton Wade, a geologist and explorer who chased the polar ice. Wade first journeyed to Antarctica in 1933, accompanying Admiral Richard Byrd. He suffered severe…
Wheelock, Frank Emerson · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, Texas, a city that owes its very existence to a man named Frank Emerson Wheelock. Originally from New York, Wheelock came west in 1887 to manage the sprawling IOA Ranch. But his real…
Yellow House Canyon, Battle of · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, near what is now Lubbock, and you're passing through the site of the last major fight between American Indians and settlers on the High Plains. It was March 18, 1877, during the Staked…
Yellow House Draw · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Lubbock, and right here is Yellow House Draw. This canyon, carved over millions of years, was a vital landmark for early Texans. In 1877, it became the scene of a wild frontier battle. Forty-six…
Davis, Morris Mac [Mac] · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, not far from Lubbock, the hometown of songwriter and performer Mac Davis. He was born Morris Mac Davis in Lubbock on January 21, 1942. Young Mac was inspired to become a singer after…
Aguero, Bidal · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, where Bidal Aguero made a huge impact, especially on the Mexican American community. Growing up on a cotton farm, he saw firsthand the struggles of farmworkers. After college, he didn't…
Baugh, William Lofton · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, a city that owes a lot to Dr. William Lofton Baugh. He arrived here in 1906, becoming one of the first physicians on the South Plains. Back then, reaching patients meant riding horseback…
Bledsoe, William Harrison · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, a city that owes a lot to William Harrison Bledsoe. He wasn't just a lawyer and investor; he was a key player in shaping Texas education. While serving in the Texas House of…
Dow, James Lorenzo · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, and right here, you're passing through Lubbock, a town that owes a lot to the vision of James Lorenzo Dow. Dow arrived in 1905, when Lubbock was just a tiny frontier settlement. He…
Edwards, Ross · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, and you're passing through the life of Ross Edwards, a man who did it all. Born in 1884 near Granbury, Edwards was a merchant, inventor, musician, and even mayor of this city. He started…
Graves, Lucille Sugar Barton · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, and right here is a place that made history. In 1961, Lucille Graves broke a barrier, becoming the very first African American admitted to study at Texas Tech University. She wasn't just…
Griggs, William Frederick [Bill] · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, the hometown of rock-and-roll legend Buddy Holly. But this city is also home to Bill Griggs, a man who dedicated his life to preserving the music and stories of the 1950s. Griggs, born in…
Iles, Ella Beth Winn · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, and right here, you're passing through a place that owes a lot to Ella Beth Winn Iles. She arrived in 1922, becoming the first long-term African-American teacher in the city. She started…
Posey, Walter Samson · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, and right here, in what's now Floyd County, a young Walter Posey learned the meaning of hard times. Back in 1893, a panic and drought hit his family hard. Thirteen-year-old Walter…
Silent Wings Museum · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, and right here is the Silent Wings Museum. It's dedicated to the brave World War II glider pilots. These volunteers flew silent, unpowered aircraft deep behind enemy lines, facing a…
Teatro Chicano (Lubbock) · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, and right here, in the early 1970s, a powerful voice for the Mexican-American community took the stage. It was the Teatro Chicano, founded by Nephtalí De León. This wasn't just theater;…
Talkington, Margaret Weed · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, and right here is where a true West Texas style icon got her start. Margaret Talkington, born in Fort Worth, moved to Lubbock after World War II and saw a need. She traveled all the way…
Lubbock, TX · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, a city born from a compromise. Back in 1890, two groups of town promoters, one led by Frank Wheelock and the other by W. E. Rayner, decided to join forces. They abandoned their own…
Rath City, TX · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what was once Rath City, a rough-and-tumble frontier town that sprung up in 1876, right here in Stonewall County. It was a hub for the booming buffalo trade, founded by Charlie C. Rath, who’d seen…
March of Faith (Lubbock) · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
The March of Faith took place in Lubbock, Texas, on November 7, 1971, and was planned by several Chicano organizations in the city. The Mexican American activists included Lubbock youth, a Brown Beret chapter, and the…
Crump, William Dorsey · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, maybe near Lubbock, and you can thank William Dorsey Crump for helping put it on the map. This Confederate soldier, who rode with John Hunt Morgan and even survived prison camps during…
Hubbard, Bess Bigham · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, maybe near Lubbock, and you're passing through the homeland of Bess Bigham Hubbard. Born in Fort Worth in 1896, she didn't start her art career until 1925, as a hobby. But this hobby…
Krueger, Julian Thomas · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, a city that owes much of its modern medical reputation to Dr. Julian Thomas Krueger. Arriving here in 1919, he joined the Lubbock Sanitarium and quickly became its chief of surgery.…
Mackenzie Park · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, and right here is Mackenzie Park. It started back in 1921 with just a swimming pool, but the city had bigger plans. During the Great Depression, the American Legion pushed to develop this…
Maedgen, Charles Ernest · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, and right here is a place that owes a lot to Charles Ernest Maedgen. He arrived in 1917 and founded the Security State Bank and Trust Company, becoming its first president. During the…
Mullican, Clark Marion · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through North Texas, and right here in Ellis County, a young man named Clark Marion Mullican was born. He'd go on to become a decorated soldier in World War I, serving with the 144th Infantry Regiment in…
Reese Air Force Base · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving west of Lubbock, and right here is the site of Reese Air Force Base. It started in 1941 as a crucial center for pilot training during World War II. Construction began in August of that year, and by…
Stangel, Wenzel Louis · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, home to Texas Tech University. Right here, in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1925</say-as>, Wenzel Stangel joined the very first faculty of this new college. Known as 'Runt' in…
Struggs, Edward Cecil · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, Texas, a city that owes a lot to the vision of one man: Edward Cecil "Prof" Struggs. For thirty-five years, starting in 1930, Struggs led the development of African-American schools here.…
Arnett House · 12.0 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Arnett House, a beautiful Craftsman-style bungalow built in 1915 as a wedding gift. It later became the home of pioneer rancher and banker Sam C. Arnett. In 1956, the house was donated to Lubbock…
Ervin, Joan Yvonne Snell · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
Joan Yvonne Snell Ervin, community activist, education advocate, and the first African American to serve as a member of the board for the Lubbock Independent School District, was born in Waxahachie, Texas, on April 5,…
Furr, Roy K. · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, maybe near Lubbock, and you're passing by the legacy of Roy K. Furr. He started small, buying six grocery stores in Lubbock back in 1929. But he didn't stop there. Furr's chain grew…
Griggs, William Clark · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Texas, and right here in Lubbock, William Clark Griggs was born in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1932</say-as>. After serving in the Army and earning his doctorate from Texas Tech, Griggs…
Maxey, James Barney · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through West Texas, and you might be passing by a park named after a man who built much of the region. James Barney Maxey, born near Prosper in 1881, started as a carpenter and became a major contractor.…
May, Kenneth Alton · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, a city that owes a lot to Kenneth Alton May. Born in Farmersville in 1929, May moved to Lubbock after college and became a journalist for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. He won numerous…
Patton, Leroy Thompson · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, Texas, where Leroy Thompson Patton arrived in 1926. He was tasked with building the geology department at the brand new Texas Technical College. Imagine starting with just one professor…
Simmons, George Albert · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, Texas, a city that owes a lot to the cotton industry. Right here, George Albert Simmons, a key figure in cottonseed processing, moved in 1930 to manage the Lubbock Cotton Oil Mill. He led…
Simmons, Mae D. Thomas · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, a city that recognized the immense contributions of Mae D. Thomas Simmons by naming a community center and a park after her. Simmons dedicated twenty-nine years to educating Lubbock's…
Wilson, Roscoe · 12.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lubbock, a city that owes a lot to the vision of Roscoe Wilson. This lawyer and businessman arrived in 1909 and immediately set to work building the community. He helped establish the local bank,…
Bledsoe Santa Fe Depot · 12.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past a relic from one of America's last frontiers! Built in 1925 in Cochran County, the Bledsoe Santa Fe Depot wasn't just a stop for trains. It was a community hub. Sheepherders and cowboys would even…
Dagley Field · 12.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Dagley Field, a place that helped transform warfare. Back in the late 1930s, America launched the Civilian Pilot Training Program to prepare young men for the skies. Texas Technological…
County Line Community · 12.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past County Line Community. In 1901, W.G. Murray, John H. Pettit and the J.G. Hardy family purchased land in this area.
Coronado High School · 12.3 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Coronado High School in Lubbock. This school, opened in 1965, carries the name of a famous explorer. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, guided by a man called 'The Turk', traversed the vast Llano…
Monterey High School · 12.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Monterey High School in Lubbock. This school opened its doors in 1955, but its name tells a story going back much further. It's named for Monterey, one of the two original townsites that vied to…
Lubbock Christian - 2025 Texas TAPPS Division III state football champion · 12.5 mi · Sports News
You're near Lubbock Christian High School in Lubbock. Last December, they took down Dallas Christian School thirty-six to thirty to win the Texas TAPPS Division III state football championship. They wear that crown…
Idalou Cemetery · 12.6 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Idalou Cemetery, established in 1920 when John and Mary Turner deeded two acres for burials. Their infant nephew was the first interred, followed by other early community members. The cemetery grew…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Monterey (Lubbock) · 12.7 mi
Monterey (Lubbock, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Ashton Castillo (4 HR); Lincoln Lamm (4 HR); Dyson Quigley (3 HR).
Lubbock Cotton Club · 12.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Lubbock, where in 1938, the Lubbock Cotton Club opened in a renovated army hut. This massive ballroom, one of the largest in West Texas, hosted big bands like Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys.…
Breedlove Airport · 12.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the site of Breedlove Airport, a crucial World War II training ground right here in Lubbock. In 1943, this field was buzzing with activity, training thousands of cadet pilots for the war effort…
Becton Cemetery · 12.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through the South Plains farmland near Idalou, heading past Becton Cemetery. This burial ground started in 1898 when Abner Becton and his wife Cornelia settled land that had been part of the W.E. Bledsoe…
Carlisle Cemetery · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through the land once owned by W. Augustus 'Uncle Gus' Carlisle. He and his wife settled here in 1890, becoming prominent landowners and contributing to the area's development, even donating land for a…
V-8 Ranch · 13.8 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the V-8 Ranch, a place with roots stretching back to the vast IOA ranch, established in the 1880s. This land saw the collapse of the free-range cattle industry, followed by lawsuits, sheriff's sales,…
Murfee, Miss Mae · 14.1 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Lubbock, and right here is a marker for Miss Mae Murfee, a true pioneer of education in this city. Born in 1888, she started teaching in Lubbock County back in 1905. She didn't just teach; she…
Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Roosevelt (Lubbock) · 14.2 mi
Roosevelt (Lubbock, TX) placed on the 3A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Caleb Daniel (0.580 avg, 1 HR); Cameron Vasquez (0.455 avg, 3 HR); Ryan Bradshaw (0.443 avg).
Reese Air Force Base · 14.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the former Reese Air Force Base, a place that trained thousands of pilots during World War II and beyond. Established in 1941 as an Army Air Corps Advanced Flying School, it officially opened in…
Two Generations of Maines Brothers Near Acuff · 15.2 mi
The Maines Brothers Band Highway honors a West Texas musical family, and northeastern Lubbock County is where it started. In the mid nineteen fifties, brothers Sonny, James, and Wayne Maines lived near Acuff and began…
Robert Bruno's Steel House · 16.4 mi
If you look up at the canyon rim, you might spot something extraordinary. It looks like a four-legged steel spaceship, and it’s one of the most famous works of architecture in Texas. It’s the Steel House, the life’s…
Engineering a Lake in the Desert · 16.4 mi
The very existence of Ransom Canyon as a town is a feat of civil engineering — and it did not go smoothly the first time. The canyon takes its name from cañon de Rescate, the Canyon of Ransom, where Spanish and Anglo…
The Town with No Stores · 16.4 mi
As you drive around Ransom Canyon, you will notice something missing. No gas station. No convenience store. No strip center. It is houses and canyon and water, and that is about it, which means a trip for a gallon of…
Estacado Cemetery · 16.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past Estacado Cemetery, a final resting place for the pioneers who opened up the Texas Plains. It all started in 1878 when Paris Cox, an Indiana Quaker, scouted this land. He returned home, dreaming of a…
Estacado · 16.4 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through what used to be Estacado, a town founded in 1879 by English Quakers. Led by Isaac Paris Cox, they bought over 50,000 acres here. First named Marietta, it became Estacado in 1886. By 1893, the…
Ransom Canyon, TX · 16.4 mi
Ransom Canyon, even though many folks drive into Lubbock for work, has a unique draw. It's not about mass production or some big industry, but more about a certain kind of peaceful living, centered on the lake. The…
The Stant Rhea Stage Stand · 16.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through the South Plains, an area that once depended on a tough stagecoach line. Back in the late 1800s, Stant Rhea, a small, red-haired man, drove a buckboard pulled by wild Spanish mules, hauling mail…
Ozymandias On The Plains · 16.5 mi · Things to Do
A pair of giant legs — and nothing else — standing in a Lubbock field. Shelley's poem made real.
Ransom Canyon · 16.7 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Ransom Canyon, a place that's seen it all. Spanish explorers might have crossed this very canyon as early as the 1540s. Later, Native Americans like the Jumano, Apache, and Comanche found shelter…
The Machines That Draw on a Hidden Sea · 17.0 mi
If you could fly over Petersburg, you'd see the landscape is a grid of massive green circles. These aren't natural; they're the product of an engineering marvel that transformed West Texas: center-pivot irrigation. For…
The German Experiment on the Plains · 17.0 mi
Petersburg was a post office before it was a town, and it wasn't even in this county. In 1891 it opened at the home of Zack Peters over in southwestern Floyd County, named for Peters and for his wife Margaret, who ran…
Petersburg, TX · 17.0 mi
Founded in 1891 as a post office in southeast Hale County, the city was named Petersburg in honor of Zack Peters and his wife, Margaret, who was the first postmistress. The town's growth was significantly influenced by…
Petersburg, TX (Lavaca County) · 17.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through what used to be Petersburg, Texas, the very first county seat of Lavaca County back in 1846. This townsite, donated in 1846, was a key stop on important roads. But things didn't go smoothly. The…
Petersburg, TX (Hale County) · 17.1 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Petersburg, a town that started as a post office in 1891, named for Zack and Margaret Peters. Margaret Peters was even the first postmistress! The town officially moved five miles southwest and…
A Lesson in Frenship · 17.4 mi
A huge part of Wolfforth's identity is its school district: Frenship ISD. So where did that name come from? It isn't a typo and it isn't a family name. Back in 1935 four small rural districts around here - Wolfforth,…
Mountains of Cotton · 17.4 mi
Wolfforth sits in the middle of the biggest cotton patch in the country, and it got here by conversion: this was Spade Ranch grazing land until the 1920s and 30s, when the sod went under the plow and a Panhandle and…
What's in a Name? · 17.4 mi
The men this town is named for spelled it with an A. George C. and Eastin Wolffarth were early ranchers out here on the South Plains — George held county offices and later ran the Citizens National Bank of Lubbock — and…
Petersburg · 17.5 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Petersburg, a town that owes its start to a post office and a general store. It all began in 1891 as a rural post office, established at the home of Captain Zack Peters. His wife, Margaret, was…
Lorenzo Cemetery · 17.9 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving past the Lorenzo Cemetery, a final resting place for the folks who built this town. It all started with the C.B. Livestock Company, who planned a railroad and a townsite here back in 1910. They named the…
Wolfforth, TX · 18.0 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Wolfforth, a town that owes its existence to the railroad. It was established in 1916 and named for brothers George and Eastin Wolffarth, early ranchers in this area. But right from the start,…
Moore, Patsy L. Smith · 18.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving near Lorenzo, Texas, home of Patsy L. Smith Moore. Born in 1924, she contracted polio as a child, facing life with leg braces and a crutch. But that didn't stop her. When Southern Methodist University Law…
Lorenzo · 18.2 mi · Historical Marker
You're driving through Lorenzo, a town born from the railroad. The Crosbyton-South Plains Railway brought its first train here on April 10, 1911, marking the official founding. Named for Lorenzo Dow, an employee of the…
Lorenzo, TX · 18.2 mi · Tsha Handbook
You're driving through Lorenzo, a town born right here in Crosby County. It all started back in 1910 when Lorenzo Dow, an employee of the C.B. Livestock Company, secured the title to this very land. Just a year later,…
Wolfforth, TX · 18.3 mi
Wolfforth's story is intertwined with the land itself, and the grit of the people who worked it. You can still feel that connection walking around – the dry air, a consequence of our altitude on the high plains,…
The Night of the Tornadoes · 18.8 mi
On the evening of May 11, 1970, the skies over the South Plains turned terrifying. This was the night of the Lubbock tornado, an F5 that tore through the city twenty miles west of here and killed twenty-six people. That…
Tapping the Hidden Ocean · 18.8 mi
The fields you see around Lorenzo thrive because of a massive feat of engineering that taps into a hidden water source. This area only gets about 20 inches of rain a year, not enough for the thirsty cotton crop. The…

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