|
 Great Spanish Road; First Ranch in Potter County; First Store in Potter County Posted by:  PeterNoG
N 35° 28.552 W 101° 52.984
14S E 238411 N 3929638
This Texas historical marker is on US 287, 15 mi. N of Amarillo OR 29 mi. S of Dumas.
Waymark Code: WM2Y8Z
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/09/2008
Views: 42
Official Location: From Amarillo, take Highway 87 about 15 miles north. Marker is north of Canadian River Bridge on east side of road.
Another marker(693) "The Canadian River" is right beside this marker.
Marker Number: 2265
Marker Text:
Near course of the Canadian River, early as days of the American Revolution, men from Santa Fe went past this spot on trips to meet traders from San Augustine, Nacogdoches, and other Spanish towns of East Texas. In 1786, Pedro Vial was commissioned by the Spanish Governor at Santa Fe to establish this route, and secure direct connection from Santa Fe to San Antonio, Texas, with access to East Texas towns. The Great Spanish Road served well colonial Texas and foreshadowed 20th Century usage of the route for a segment of a great intercontinental highway.
FIRST RANCH IN POTTER COUNTY
Established 1877 at point 1 1/2 miles east of this site, by Bates and Beals, northern investors. Ran the LX Brand, and once had a cowboy named Will Rogers--later internationally famous as a humorist.
FIRST STORE IN POTTER COUNTY
Opened 1878 a few hundred feet west of this marker, by William Pitcher, whose name was given to nearby creek, and who figured in a desperate robbery from which LX cowhands rescued him.
(1965)
|
Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture in your log. You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture. We encourage additional information about your visit (comments about the surrounding area, how you ended up near the marker, etc.) in the log.
|