DUANE
Duane's take
The way the marker tells it, here's the story of Hamblen Drive — and the man who spent a lifetime earning that name on the sign. Back in the 1890s, a young man named William H. Hamblen decided that Palo Duro Canyon was not going to beat him.
He pioneered a crude road — about six miles north of where you're standing — cutting right down into that canyon along old Indian trails. Now, steep and dangerous doesn't begin to cover what that route was. But here's what it did: it cut a hundred and twenty miles off settlers' trips to the courthouse in Claude.
A hundred and twenty miles. On the frontier, that's not convenience — that's survival. Hamblen was born in 1878, and by the time he and his wife Ada — born in 1883 — settled in to ranch near Wayside after 1905, that rough cut through the canyon had already made its mark on the land.
But Hamblen wasn't finished. Not even close. He worked unceasingly — and that word unceasingly is doing a lot of work there, because this went on for decades — to get a passable road built through Palo Duro.
Then in 1928, Armstrong County elected him county commissioner. And now he had something he hadn't had before: the authority to match the ambition. At last, a graded road was built through that canyon.
The commissioners court dedicated it in 1930 as Hamblen Drive. And then, in 1954, they paved it. The marker puts it plainly: with its paving in 1954, a dream of a lifetime was realized.
William H. Hamblen died in 1952. He didn't live to feel the smooth pavement under his wheels — but he had already won.
The road was built. The road had his name. Sometimes the canyon doesn't get the last word after all.
What the marker says
Named for William H. Hamblen (1878-1952), who in the 1890s pioneered a crude road (about 6 mi. N) into Palo Duro Canyon along old Indian trails. This cut 120 miles off settlers' trips to the courthouse in Claude, but was steep and dangerous. Hamblen and his wife, Ada (1883-1955), ranched near Wayside after 1905. He worked unceasingly to get a passable road through Palo Duro. Elected county commissioner in 1928, he at last had a graded road built. By decision of the commissioners court, the road was dedicated in 1930 as Hamblen Drive. With its paving in 1954, a dream of a lifetime was realized. (1968)