DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Beale Road, right here in Hutchinson County. Now, if you want a man who did just about everything the 19th century had to offer, you're going to want to sit with the story of Edward Fitzgerald Beale — Ned, to those who knew him. Naval officer.
Military general. Explorer. Diplomat.
Rancher. Frontiersman. The marker doesn't rank those in order of importance, and honestly, it'd be a hard call to make.
Ned Beale first made his name in the U.S.-Mexico War, emerging as a hero at the Battle of San Pasqual in 1846. But here's the thing about a man like Beale — one act of heroism just sends him on to the next chapter. He carried the first gold sample out of California to the East.
The first. You can draw your own conclusions about what that set in motion. Now, across the country, big minds were thinking big thoughts about railroads.
Under President Franklin Pierce, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis began the Pacific railroad surveys — mapping out possible routes for a proposed railroad to connect this vast nation. Then came a new president, James Buchanan, and Lieutenant Beale was appointed under Jefferson Davis to survey a southern route all the way to Los Angeles, California. What followed became the Beale Wagon Road.
Well documented. Well marked. Running from Los Angeles through Arizona, through New Mexico, through the Indian Territory of Oklahoma.
But here in the upper counties of the Texas Panhandle — right here — was the connecting link. Without this stretch, east and west don't shake hands. Thousands of pioneers made that journey, and this road made it easier, and safer, than it had any right to be.
Beale wasn't starting from nothing, though. Two earlier roads had already cut through Hutchinson County. The Fort Smith-Santa Fe Trail, blazed by Josiah Gregg in 1840.
The Marcy Trail, established by Captain Randolph B. Marcy in 1849. It was logical — the marker says as much — for Beale to use what had already been put down.
And those trails didn't stop mattering once the wagons quit rolling. In the 20th century, those same established routes became the famous Route 66. And Route 66 later developed into Interstate 40.
So the next time you're humming along that highway, know that the ground under you has been carrying travelers for a long, long time. There are still parts of the Beale Wagon Road you can see today — visible, right there on the landscape, recalling every soul who passed through on their way from somewhere to somewhere else. Ned Beale connected this country.
And Hutchinson County was the link that made the whole chain hold.
What the marker says
Edward Fitzgerald "Ned" Beale was a significant figure in 19th century America. In his long career, he was a naval officer, military general, explorer, diplomat, rancher and frontiersman. He fought in the U.S.-Mexico War, emerging as a hero of the Battle of San Pasqual in 1846. He also carried the first gold sample from California to the East, contributing to the gold rush. Under President Franklin Pierce, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis began the Pacific railroad surveys to determine possible routes for a proposed railroad. Under the following president, James Buchanan, Lieutenant Beale was appointed under Jefferson Davis to survey a southern route to Los Angeles, California. The Beale Wagon Road has been well documented and marked from Los Angeles through Arizona, New Mexico and the Indian Territory of Oklahoma. The upper counties of the Texas Panhandle were the connecting link that made this road possible to connect the east with the west and made the migration easier and safer with an established road. Two earlier roads passed through Hutchinson County, the Fort Smith-Santa Fe Trail blazed by Josiah Gregg in 1840 and the Marcy Trail established by Captain Randolph B. Marcy in 1849. It was logical for Edward Beale to use the trails that had already been established. During the 20th century these established trails became the famous Route 66 and later developed into Interstate 40. Today, there are still parts of the Beale Wagon Road which are visible, recalling thousands of pioneers who traveled the road in its early days. (2014)