Bankhead Highway in Turkey

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Bankhead Highway in Turkey, Texas. Now, before the interstate, before the numbered highways, before anybody had a GPS telling them to turn left in three hundred feet, there was a question that felt downright monumental: how do you get a whole nation of brand-new automobile drivers from one coast to the other? That question is exactly what brings us to Turkey, Texas, and to a story that starts in Washington and ends right here on Main Street.

In the early twentieth century, Americans were falling hard for the automobile. Roads, though, hadn't quite caught up with the enthusiasm. Enter Alabama senator John H.

Bankhead, a staunch advocate of what they called the Good Roads movement. Bankhead sponsored the 1916 Federal Aid Road Act, which would provide matching funds to states for road improvement. And out of that act came the very first national highway it created: the Bankhead Highway, a transcontinental route stretching all the way from Washington, D.C. to San Diego.

Now, a highway that long has to go through a whole lot of somewhere before it gets anywhere. And in April of 1919, at the annual meeting of the Bankhead National Highway Association, held in Mineral Wells over in Palo Pinto County, delegates sat down to debate a matter of considerable consequence: which way would this highway cut through Texas? Two routes were on the table.

And one man from a small town out on the Texas plains wasn't about to let the moment pass quietly. Samuel Porter Lacy, of Turkey, Texas, stood up at that meeting and made a strong case for the highway to cross the Texas panhandle. Now, whether every delegate was persuaded or not, the final decision gave them both paths.

The main road was called the All Texas Route, running through Texarkana, Dallas, Fort Worth, and on to El Paso. Big cities, well-traveled ground. But the northern alternative, designated the Scenic Route, was something else entirely.

It branched off at Hot Springs and crossed Oklahoma, swept through the Texas plains, moved through New Mexico, and then rejoined the main route in El Paso. E.H. Perry of Plainview summed up the feeling about that northern path about as well as anybody could.

He said, and I'm quoting here, "this route will prove to be of more benefit than three new railroads would, and thousands of tourists will pass over it and through here each year." Three new railroads. That's not a man hedging his words. The Scenic Route was later renamed the Four States Division of the Bankhead Highway, and it rolled right through Childress, Estelline, Turkey, Quitaque, Silverton, Plainview, Olton, Muleshoe, and Farwell.

Towns along the way found themselves reaping real economic benefits as travelers passed through. And Turkey? Turkey did not sleep on the opportunity.

In the 1920s, Main Street in Turkey served as the Bankhead route right through town, and that road brought enough tourism and commerce to support twelve filling stations (twelve) along with two groceries, a bank, three automobile dealerships, and several other stores. On one Main Street. In one small Texas town.

That's what a highway can do. That alignment through this area later became State Highway 86, and the Four States Division of the Bankhead Highway is credited with making a lasting contribution to the social and economic growth of Turkey. So next time you roll through on 86, just know: the road beneath your wheels has a longer memory than most people give it credit for.

Samuel Porter Lacy of Turkey knew what was coming. He just had to make sure the highway knew where Turkey was.

What the marker says

Increasing popularity of automobile travel in the early 20th century led to improved roads throughout the U.S. Alabama senator John H. Bankhead, staunch advocate of the Good Roads movement, sponsored the 1916 Federal Aid Road Act to provide matching funds to states. The Bankhead Highway was the first national highway created due to the act, establishing a transcontinental route from Washington, D.C. to San Diego. In April 1919, at the annual meeting of the Bankhead National Highway Association in Mineral Wells (Palo Pinto Co.), delegates debated two possible routes for the Bankhead through Texas. At the meeting, Samuel Porter Lacy of Turkey was a strong advocate for the highway to cross the Texas panhandle. The final decision resulted in two paths. The main road, the "All Texas Route," included Texarkana, Dallas, Fort Worth and El Paso. A northern alternative, designated the "Scenic Route," branched off in Hot Springs and crossed Oklahoma, the Texas plains and New Mexico before joining the main route in El Paso. E.H. Perry of Plainview stated "this route will prove to be of more benefit than three new railroads would, and thousands of tourists will pass over it and through here each year." Cities and towns on the highway reaped significant economic benefits. The Scenic Route, later renamed the Four States Division, included Childress, Estelline, Turkey, Quitaque, Silverton, Plainview, Olton, Muleshoe and Farwell. Main Street in Turkey served as the Bankhead route through town and had enough tourism and commerce in the 1920s to support twelve filling stations, two groceries, a bank, three automobile dealerships, and several other stores. The alignment through this area later became State Highway 86. The Four States Division of the Bankhead Highway made a lasting contribution to the social and economic growth of Turkey. (2023)