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TEXAS LEGENDS
Groom
- Life After the
Jericho Gap |
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Another railroad town of the
Texas
Panhandle, Groom
was laid out in 1902 and named for B.B. Groom, the
first general manager of the nearby Francklyn Ranch. A general store
and post office was established in the same year, a mercantile store in
1903, and by 1906 the town boasted a barbershop, a bank, a hotel, a
lumberyard, a school, and several more new businesses.
When the town was incorporated in 1911, it had more than 250 residents. While benefiting from the oil boom of the twenties and the traffic along
Route 66,
it never grew beyond much more than 800 people.
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Groom, Texas, Kathy Weiser, September, 2007
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The old service stations, as well as the
local farmers and ranchers, once did a big business pulling stranded
cars out of the infamous Jericho Gap, a stretch of muddy road to the
east of Groom. And those travelers not stranded, breathed a deep sigh of relief as
they entered the small town without having fallen prey to the
treacherous piece of road.
If
you missed the leaning tower on your way into Groom
westbound, it’s worth a turnaround for a peek. Next to the
leaning water tower was once the busy
Britten Truck Stop, garage and
restaurant. Though the business is long gone, the vestige remains of
the tall sign still stand next to the tower.
Many people have often wondered how this water tower
came to stand this way, some thinking that one leg of the tower is
shorter than the others. Not true, nor was the tower swept to
one side by a raging
Texas tornado. Quite
simply, it was planned that way, making for a good
gimmick and lots of traffic
at the Tower Restaurant when travelers stopped to inquire.
On the west end of
Groom
at I-40 and F.M. 295 is the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries. Built by a man in Pampa who was disgusted with the huge billboards
advertising pornography along I-40 to
Amarillo,
the cross is the largest in the Western Hemisphere at 190 feet and can
be seen from a distance of twenty miles on a clear day.
Today, the sleepy little village of Groom is
home to only about 500 people.
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Cross at
Groom,
Texas,
September, 2007, Kathy Weiser.
his image available for photographic prints
and downloads
HERE!
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Closed Gas Station in
Groom,
Texas, May,
2004,
Kathy Weiser
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Conway, Texas
A
few more miles down the road you'll enter a ghostly little town called
Conway, with less than fifty residents. The last town on the Mother
Road before reaching
Amarillo, Conway began as a very small ranching community in the late
1800's. It changed and grew when the Choctaw Route of the Chicago, Rock
Island and Gulf Railroad came through in 1903. One of its earliest
buildings in the community and one of the first schools in the Texas
Panhandle was the Lone Star School, established in 1892.
The
town was officially established in 1903 when it gained a post office and
was named in honor of a former county commissioner named H.B. Conway. The
town was platted by brothers, Delzell and P.H. Fisherin 1905 and one of
its first businesses was a store run by Edward s. Carr, into which the
post office moved in 1907.
Today, this small community offers little more than
memories of Route 66. However, it's worth a
quick stop to check out the "Bug Ranch," a spoof on the more
popular
Cadillac Ranch on down the road, as well as stopping in at the
Longhorn Trading Post piled high with
Texas
souvenirs and even a few live rattlesnakes! An old motor court and
service station also continue to stand.
In
1925, Conway's population was just 25 residents but when Route 66 barreled
through, the small community responded with various services for travelers
including tourist courts, restaurants and service stations. By 1939, the
town had grown to about 125 people and later, to almost 200.
But, the small
town was doomed when I-40 replaced Route 66 and the town was bypassed.
People moved, businesses failed and the post office closed forever in
1976.
Continue your
tour of
Route 66
by traveling northwest through the old
Amarillo Air Force Base property, through which the old pavement once
traversed.
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©
Kathy Weiser/Legends
of America, updated January, 2009.

Longhorn Trading Post in Conway,
Texas,
May, 2004, Kathy Weiser
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Bug Ranch in Conway,
Texas,
November, 2005, Kathy Weiser.
This image available for
photographic prints and
downloads
HERE!
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Conway Old Motor Court, May, 2004, Kathy
Weiser
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Old Station in Conway,
Texas, May,
2004, Kathy Weiser
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SITES AND
ATTRACTIONS
Britten Leaning Water Tower - Just east of
Groom.
Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries
- Standing tall above the flat prairie is a cross 190 feet tall which can
be seen for almost 20 miles. The arms of the cross are 110 ft. wide. The
structure weighs 2-1/2 million pounds (including foundation). At the
intersection if I-40 and F.M. 295 just west of
Groom.
WHERE TO STAY
Chalet Inn
- I 40 Exit 113 E,
Groom,
Texas
79039, (806-248-7524)
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Book your
lodging right
HERE online
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From the Rocky Mountain General Store
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