Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1922-07-05
WASHDURN, FIRST
RAIL Center or
PLAINS SECTION

Special a. The New
WASHER July at was one D,
those peculiar Panhandle day. BOO
August, 1855 \ travel worn man and
tired team came o. e studytlI Boz 'H"
middle Of Section ss To. reason 'h.y
stepped there was bycHu.. r vl- mo
end Of the railroad IN, section gang
had driven the last spike tHHf dpy Thar
oompl.lcd the Denver road fo that sp,
cal pant, which vas ar,r manned
Washhuru
u b. au interesting .u.urd,nt that
the FIRST real a,ttirr oi th, WlshbWu
community arrived on the spot ou Tho
very day III, railroad wac completed Goo
that plucc But such - hi-u.. That
Hetilcr was James iprI, lnr YEAR tho
leading character BOO ~, development ~
the Wlshburu community. boat iur sDy.
cril years past president OF fhr First
stsic Bank Of Claude.
From that first hour until tfn H. ~
July 1922. James l.Dsu, bias Doom t.r
outstanding figtr, m Oh, hi-u.. ot
Washburn, IN fact tHc -t..F or ha
lifo and tho story of th. N,. Oh. tine
town Of Wsshbguu tho -uu. .fufN
Both struggled fu. 90 start together
Both grew and thIt,I together Both
suffered disappointment together And
both have conquered and ,umr uu' y.r
torious in liies battles fn-.iH,r iuder
James I.ogu, lowe. Wa-uNuru better
than any other spot Ou earth because
his very life wa spent and Invested n
the development 81 that community.
And more sacred memories l.u lu,krl
an his heart that u.. D,uf,.,l around
bis home Boz Washbuu than anywhere
else in this world
ln th, snm,. uf Iss> 80 Lugw,
drove from IIuuI COUNTY T..t. i.U,
Plains. l1llonma th, u.v Denver Oh
Wh'r' the ns' fa had l..u uI Ilo
cam" IN a 'wn fnI.. uu.n wagon 1rd
lr"ugh' 20 Armstrong County fH, first
well drilling DufUf TU. night h...r,
Do reached 90. sight eli. Nl-uhIu hr
stayed AN Uigh' boz Dltud, us present
ioW" tnNn 81 frud rr .'It with rom,
e the fn'ls tho. that might. hut tho
i'n who wore There had uo su8,r o.
.lsrc. 80 ] slept n mv wagon that
iighf and came HtrrrI u,I. fr.gue Oh
,..sth. inr all tho ,Ht,. 1d tts t,,
odd .arts that I UIl NtI food +. Sol.
70 vus August Dur H.I.t. fUri v5s
The 'oldrs' suumr. might . ever ut,o
through said Iudl, I.uo ls hu rc
called thus" interesting Iit. and nights
90 the early settler. OFF our country
Their, was lt,le section huu., mli
90 'hc end of fH' IuI Iru STAYED
there !0r wh.l, luI ..et. 100 .... Pc
drill fUr waiter ~ tuaf Nm. 600 fHs
water the people Ulu $500. shipped f
over 90, A,t railroad
~ that time th, Santa o.. had ,v
tended their roId is faI To-. Panhandle
h1i there Wa un connection D,fH.,f
tAc two ruads soon tHD fVu divisions
~ the Denver orr building uut irm
Fort Worth aHd tr, utH,. buiHn.
uoNu from Denver met Hf % point above
Amarillo somewhere n was chem fhl
tho Denver 'Dmurr decided fO CON
siruct = short ilne from W8ah.ur p
Panhandle When THE road was com
ploted u was called Toe pauhanIl, ros,
but wa8 owned AND operated by th
Denver Later OBJ, Santa %. Luurh
the Panhandle division and th,n leases
The Denver into Amarillo. giving then
direct line into Amarillo B.i for
number - Sfa.. before ihIs rh1nE. wa
mad" NashburH Was th, ONE railroad
center ir the entire Panhandle being th
oniT town in thr wbob country VIII
two railr0ads You could NOT cal
Nsshburn a railroad crossing cxlcti
bc.au- neither rad crossed the othe
but tbey met and made an outlet 20
the greatest cattle shipping business d
the whois world
There was TIM, when water wa
The only Qus finn between Washbur
snd imsrllo iuf IL would spoil TIA
sfofy o. ten how Amarillo turned m
lid q immigratiou toward Amarli,
What Nashburr needed ir those dav
was few more men lIke James T.agu
with = few mere dris and q vision ~
the fufure nui newer mind n Am.
fllio was ~ Washburn io.lay wher
would Potter COUNTY be- They are q
IN the rsnhandie. and that b. enough
In 1919 AfsnsiroaE County Wa orgsf
lzrd and fhrn b'Islnoss toat ou a dffei
en- sls. Tho ascnI.i, hoEsu 90 fssi ,ha