Texas Plains Trail Region

18/03/2025

Today, we celebrate National Ag Day, a time to recognize the hardworking farmers and ranchers who help feed and fuel our nation. Agriculture has long been the backbone of the Texas Plains Trail Region, shaping our communities and economy.

The Panhandle-Plains of Texas is home to vast fields and ranchlands, producing an incredible variety of crops that sustain both Texas and the world. Some of the crops grown in our region include: cotton, wheat, peanuts, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, pumpkins and grapes.

The Panhandle is also home to roughly 10 million head of cattle, contributing significantly to the nation's beef supply. We are also home to the number one milk-producing county in Texas, accounting for 19% of all milk produced in the state.

Agriculture is not just about crops—it’s about heritage, innovation, and community. On this National Ag Day, let's take a moment to honor the hard work and resilience of our farmers and ranchers, whose efforts nourish our communities and drive our economy forward.

17/03/2025

🍀 Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Add a touch of Irish charm on your next road trip in our region by visiting Shamrock, Texas, where US Highway 83 and the legendary Route 66 meet!

🍀 Murals, the Pioneer West Museum, U-Drop Inn, Route 66, Blarney Stone Plaza, downtown and more await you for your lucky adventure!

🍀Learn more about the heritage of Shamrock: https://bit.ly/40hd1HW

14/03/2025

🚨 URGENT TRAVEL ADVISORY 🚨

High winds, fire danger, and limited visibility make for dangerous conditions on the roads.
Please reconsider travel if possible. Your safety comes first! Stay alert and stay safe! 🚗💨

***DANGEROUS HIGH WIND AND FIRE WEATHER EPISODE TOMORROW, WITH WIND GUSTS NEAR 80 MPH AND A DUST STORM ARE EXPECTED.***

***ISOLATED, EXTREME WIND GUSTS UP TO 90 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CAPROCK ESCARPMENT TOMORROW.***

The well-advertised high wind and fire weather episode for tomorrow remains on track, with an expectation for this high wind event to start before sunrise following the passage of a very strong cold front.

A dust storm is also expected, and may result in near-zero visibility. Travel will become very difficult or nearly impossible during the height of the dust storm.

The highest winds are forecast to occur following the front in the morning and last into the late afternoon hours.

Conditions will also be favorable for extreme fire behavior, with an outbreak of wildfires possible across the entire forecast area. The High Wind Warning and Red Flag Warnings remain in effect area-wide tomorrow.

Winds will begin to diminish quickly after dark tomorrow, returning to a 15-25 mph breeze towards midnight tomorrow night.

Details can be found here: weather.gov/lub

07/03/2025

On this day in 1901, the Texas legislature proclaimed the bluebonnet the state flower. In the 1930s the state began a highway-beautification program that included scattering bluebonnet seed beside roadways, thus extending the flower's range. The flower--called in some Indian lore a gift from the Great Spirit--is the subject of countless photographs and paintings. It usually blooms in March and April.

03/03/2025

We were honored to be featured in the latest edition of Authentic Texas! Learn more about our 52 county region below! ⬇️

🔗 https://authentictexas.com/heritage-and-horizons-in-the-heart-of-the-panhandle-plains/

27/02/2025

A year has passed since the fires, but their effects are still deeply felt. We continue to stand in support and remembrance of the tragedy that impacted the Panhandle. 💙

We want to take a moment and remember that one year ago today, continuing into tomorrow February 27th and for several weeks after, the Panhandles were ravaged by large wildfires. The largest of these, the Smokehouse Creek fire, would go down in state history as the largest wildfire in Texas with well over one million acres burned. However, there were many other fires during that event that we don't forget about either. Sadly, two people also lost their lives during these wildfires. These fires impacted many of our residents, changing lives and our landscape forever. The road to recovery has been long, but in true Panhandle spirit, we continue to work as a community and only become stronger with each passing day. We have not forgotten this event and want to share our deepest thoughts and sympathies to those impacted by these wildfires.

22/02/2025

19/02/2025

🚂 Exciting news for the Texas Plains Trail Region! We are thrilled to announce that The Slaton Harvey House has become the 40th state historic site of the Texas Historical Commission. This iconic landmark, originally established in 1912, stands as a testament to early 20th-century life and the pioneering spirit of the Harvey Girls, who brought fine dining and hospitality to the American Southwest. Today, it is one of only six remaining Harvey Houses of the original eighteen built in Texas.

Learn more about this remarkable addition to our historic sites:

Past Matters, Spring 2025, Published 2/17/2025 Slaton was a railroad town, quite literally. Named after a local rancher, the town […]

12/02/2025

11/02/2025

The application period for the 2026-2027 Museum on Main Street tour, Spark! Places of Innovation, will open in February 15, 2025 and close on April 15, 2025.

Six small towns will be selected to host this exhibition and receive over a year of heritage tourism training and consultation led by THC staff and partners. A variety of community-based organizations are eligible to apply, including but not limited to museums, designated Main Street districts, tourism organizations, public libraries, and other entities who are interested in transforming their local heritage into an economic boon for their community.

Cities with a population of 20,000 or less are eligible to apply. Communities exceeding that population should inquire directly with the THC’s Heritage Tourism team before applying.

Learn more and apply here: https://thc.texas.gov/preserve/tourism-and-economic-development/museum-main-street

A virtual information session for prospective applicants will be held on Monday, March 3, 2025 at 10am CST. RSVP required. Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/1F9j5UlgQAWzBjVTAHDciQ #/registration

01/02/2025

The Day the Music Died

Join the Buddy Holly Center on Monday, February 3, 2025, in remembering the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson. This year marks the 66th anniversary of the tragedy.

The museum will be open FREE to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The J.I. Allison House will be open for guests to walk through from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Screenings of the documentary “The Buddy I Knew,” a film by Buddy’s brother, Larry Holley, will play in the theatre all day.

Children’s activities in the Education Station will take place all day for children of all ages to enjoy!

31/01/2025

Discover the latest updates from the Texas Plains Trail Region! Check out our newsletter for upcoming events, heritage spotlights, and ways to get involved in preserving our region’s rich history.

🔗 Read more here: https://conta.cc/3WJ3ASu

🔗 Subscribe: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/6hq67rM

Email from Texas Plains Trail Region Heritage tourism information for travelers and regional partners   I cannot believe we are already one month into a new year. 2024 was such a special year professi

28/01/2025

🌟 Exciting News 🌟

We have teamed up with TravelHost West Texas to offer an exciting opportunity for organizations to enhance their marketing efforts through professionally designed brochures. This partnership combines the Texas Plains Trail’s commitment to promoting regional heritage sites and communities with TravelHost’s expertise in creating high-quality, attention-grabbing marketing materials.

Help us help you by signing up today and have your material distributed across the state, including at trade shows, the State Fair of Texas, and key destinations like Palo Duro Canyon. This collaboration ensures that your organization’s materials will stand out, reach the right audience, and help drive visitors to your attractions.

Contact us or Ramon Johnston today to get your new brochure started!

11/01/2025

We are elated to share The U Drop Inn Café will be open again for business! Plan to stop and grab a bite when you’re exploring Visit Shamrock Texas on historic Route 66! 🍀🛣️

09/01/2025

On this day in 1984, veteran Texas newspaperman and chili aficionado Frank X. Tolbert died of heart failure. Francis Tolbert was born in Amarillo in 1912 and attended four different Texas colleges but never received a degree. He began his career in journalism as a sportswriter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and later worked for papers in Wichita Falls and Amarillo before joining the staff of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He also published two novels, numerous short stories, and various nonfiction works. Tolbert began using the name Frank X. Tolbert when he enlisted in the United States Marines in 1942. He served as combat correspondent in the Pacific for the marines' official publication, Leatherneck, and later as its managing editor in Washington, D.C. He joined the staff of the Dallas Morning News in 1946 and began publishing his "Tolbert's Texas" column.

Tolbert's most popular work, A Bowl of Red (1962), was devoted to chili con carne. Soon after the publication of A Bowl of Red Tolbert founded the Chili Appreciation Society International, which is based in the ghost town of Terlingua, where annual chili-cooking contests are held. He officially retired from the Morning News in 1977 but continued to write one column a week until his death.

Gilbert Martinez , left, son of founder of El Fenix restaurants and Dallas Morning News columnist Frank X. Tolbert, dressed in Mexican sombreros at an autographing party of Tolbert's newest book "A Bowl of Red," a history of his favorite food, chili con carne. Photo is stamped dated August 13, 1966. (Clint Grant/The Dallas Morning News)

04/01/2025

“On this day in 1929, Bose Ikard died. Ikard, born a slave in Mississippi in 1843, became one of the most famous black frontiersmen and trail drivers in Texas.

The Civil War left Bose a free man, and in 1866 he went to work for Oliver Loving as a trail driver. After Loving's death, Ikard continued in the service of Loving's partner, Charles Goodnight.

The two men became lifelong friends. Goodnight later commented that he trusted Bose Ikard "farther than any living man. He was my detective, banker, and everything else in Colorado, New Mexico, and the other wild country I was in." In 1869, after settling in Weatherford, Ikard participated in a running battle with Quanah Parker's Comanche band, riding alongside his former master, Milton Ikard. Goodnight visited Bose in Weatherford whenever the opportunity arose and gave him presents of money.

After Ikard's death, Goodnight bought a granite marker and wrote an epitaph for his old friend: "Bose Ikard served with me four years on the Goodnight-Loving Trail, never shirked a duty or disobeyed an order, rode with me in many stampedes, participated in three engagements with Comanches, splendid behavior."

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/ikard-bose