Amarillo

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Amarillo, Potter County. Now settle in, because this one's short on words but long on West Texas weight. The year is 1887, and somebody decided this stretch of the Panhandle needed a town.

So they founded one. Just like that, Amarillo was on the map, though the map itself probably took a minute to catch up. The name comes from Arroyo Amarillo, the Spanish name of a nearby creek, and that Spanish word for yellow carried right on over to the town that grew up beside it.

By 1892, the place had incorporated, which is the official way of saying it had gotten serious about itself. And serious it got. Amarillo grew into a transportation hub, a financial center, a cultural and medical center, the kind of place the whole surrounding Panhandle starts leaning toward when it needs something important handled.

But here's what really tells you something about where Amarillo sits in this world. They call it the gateway. The 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.

All that land, all that history, all that wide open sky, and Amarillo is the door you walk through to get there. Not a bad reason for a town to exist. Not bad at all.

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)