Amarillo

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. You're rollin' through Amarillo, county seat of Potter County, and this place has a story worth slowin' down for. Founded in 1887, incorporated in 1892, and carrying a name that reaches back through time to the Spanish words for a nearby creek.

Arroyo Amarillo, they called it. That creek gave this city its name, and the city grew up to fill it. Now, a lot of towns get founded and quietly go about their business, but Amarillo had bigger ideas.

It became the transportation, financial, cultural, and medical center of this part of Texas. That's not a small thing out here on the High Plains, where the distances between places can make your eyes water just thinkin' about them. And here's where the story gets even richer, because Amarillo doesn't just stand on its own.

It stands as a gateway. A gateway to Alibates Flint Quarry National Monument, to Lake Meredith, to Palo Duro State Park, to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, and to Boys Ranch. Five destinations, each one a world unto itself, and Amarillo is the door you walk through to reach any of them.

A creek with a Spanish name, a founding, a city that rose to anchor an entire region. Not bad for a place that started in 1887.

What the marker says

County Seat, Potter County; founded in 1887. Incorporated 1892. Named for Arroyo Amarillo, Spanish name of nearby creek. Transportation, financial, cultural and medical center. Gateway to: Alibates Flint Quarry National Monument, Lake Meredith, Palo Duro State Park, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Boys Ranch. (1965)