DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. The early twentieth century brought something new rumbling down every dirt path and wagon trail in Texas — the automobile. And once folks started driving, they started wanting somewhere to drive to.
That hunger for roads set off a chain of events that would reshape the entire country, and leave its mark on a little Dallas County town called Garland. The 1916 Federal Aid Road Act was the first big piece of the puzzle. Sponsored by Alabama Senator John H.
Bankhead, the act supplied matching funds to states willing to upgrade their roads — with one condition: a state had to establish a highway department before it could see a single federal dollar. Texas took that deal, and in 1917 the Texas Highway Department was born. Now, the highway that carried Senator Bankhead's name was no small thing.
The Bankhead Highway was America's second east-to-west transcontinental highway, stretching all the way from Washington D.C. out to San Diego. In Texas, that route cut through Texarkana, Dallas, Fort Worth, and El Paso — and right through the heart of Garland. In 1919, Texas Bankhead Highway Association Secretary Arthur P.
Dyer took notice of something. Out of every town along the Texas route, Garland was the only one that had voluntarily organized and gone to work without asking for outside help. Not a single request for assistance.
The people of Garland simply saw what this highway could mean and got moving. Auto repair shops went up. Restaurants opened.
Service stations appeared along Main Street, which was the highway's route right through town. Main Street was paved. It was curbed.
Garland was ready for business. Now, the highway itself wore a few different names over the years. It was officially designated Texas Highway 1 in 1917, but it kept the Bankhead name alongside that designation until 1926, when it became part of U.S.
Highway 67. In Garland, though, folks held onto that old name well into the early 1950s — some things just stick. Then the Interstate system arrived.
Wider roads, safer roads, faster roads. Most drivers made the switch, and the Bankhead's importance began to fade. But here's the thing about a road that connected an entire continent — it doesn't just disappear from memory.
The Bankhead Highway is remembered for the significant place it held in the history of scores of Texas towns, Garland among them. A town that, when the opportunity came rolling down the road, didn't wait for anyone to tell it what to do.
What the marker says
The early 20th century development of the automobile led to major changes in road systems throughout the U.S. The 1916 Federal Aid Road Act, which supplied matching funds to states for the upgrade of roads, was sponsored by Alabama Senator John H. Bankhead and required that states establish a highway department in order to receive federal disbursements; the act led to the creation of the Texas Highway Department in 1917. The Bankhead Highway, America's Second east-to-west transcontinental highway, was soon routed from Washington D.C. to San Diego. The Bankhead Highway's route through Texas included the major cities of Texarkana, Dallas, Fort Worth and El Paso, and passed through the Dallas County town of Garland. In 1919 Texas Bankhead Highway Association Secretary Arthur P. Dyer noted that Garland was the only town on the Texas route which had voluntarily organized and gone to work without asking for outside help. The people of Garland took advantage of the highway's potential for economic impact. Auto repair shops, restaurants and service stations were built along Main Street – the Highway's route through Garland – which was soon paved and curbed. Although the Bankhead Highway was officially designated as Texas Highway 1 in 1917, it also retained the official Bankhead name until 1926, when it became part of U.S. Highway 67. However, the old name remained attached to the Garland segment until the early 1950s. The road's importance diminished beginning in the 1950s, as most drivers opted to use the wider, safer and faster new Interstate system, but the Bankhead Highway is remembered for its significant place in the history of scores of Texas towns such as Garland. (2009)