The Ozark Trail at Tampico - Hall County, TX
N 34° 28.375 W 100° 46.719
14S E 336651 N 3816029
The Ozark Trail passed through Tampico, TX, originating from St. Louis, MO and ending in Santa Fe, NM. This obelisk marked the route, and is one of a few such surviving Ozark Trail markers.
Waymark Code: WMR6J2
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/17/2016
Views: 3
The marker is located off of a spur -- a dirt road -- off of TX 86, about 9.5 miles northeast of Turkey and 21.6 miles southwest of Estelline. Check the road conditions before driving down this way. It could be some time before a wrecker could even get to you. If anything, listen to the wind blow out here on the prairie, imagining what it was like to be a rancher in the days of the Old West.
About thirty feet tall, the obelisk simply says "Hall County, Texas TAMPICO" on the north and south faces. Destinations ahead are listed on both the west and east faces. In this case, Turkey was to be the next stop if heading west, and Parnell the next stop if heading east.
A 2006 Texas Historical Marker provides some background about this obelisk, which is all that remains of Tampico, TX:
In 1913, William Hope "Coin" Harvey, who operated a resort in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, founded the Ozark Trail Association as a private highway organization. Several Texas and New Mexico counties joined the effort, and the line went diagonally from St. Louis, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico. As part of Harvey's plan, stops along the way featured white obelisks denoting, in the official Ozark Trail green lettering, town names, as well as directions and distances to other towns.
The central Ozark route passed across Wellington, Texas, and a second southern route was built through the communities of Childress, Estelline, Tampico, Turkey, Quitaque, Silverton, Tulia, Nazareth and Dimmitt. J.E. Swepston of Tulia, elected Ozark Trail Association president in 1920, was instrumental in having the striking road markers placed in this area. At the time, Hall County had more than 1,000 farms and ranches, and ranchland continued to be divided into farms as more settlers arrived in the area. In 1924, however, with a government initiative to enact a national road-numbering system, the Ozark Trails and other private highways were abandoned or absorbed into the national road system.
Adjacent to the Tampico marker was a service station and general store. In 1929, the Tampico oilfield started a short-lived boom in the community, which supported a school. After the oil supply proved minimal, the school consolidated into the Turkey school district. The obelisk, designated a State Archeological Landmark in 1999, remains as a tie to both the early efforts to increase automotive travel and to the community of Tampico.
Date Created/Placed: 1920s
Address:
Texas Highway 86
Turkey, TX 79261
Height: 30'
Illuminated: no
Website: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:
Give a narrative of your experience. What did you think of the obelisk? Did you learn anything? Photos are always welcome too. Please no virtual visits.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|