Groom Texas - Life After the Jericho Gap on Route 66

TEXAS LEGENDS

Groom - Life After the Jericho Gap

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.

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.

Groom, Texas, Kathy Weiser, September, 2007

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.

Closed Gas Station at Groom, Texas

Closed Gas Station in Groom, Texas, May, 2004,

Kathy Weiser

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.

Long Horn Trading Post in Conway, Texas

Longhorn Trading Post in Conway, Texas,

May, 2004, Kathy Weiser

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.

Cross at Groom, Texas, September, 2007, Kathy Weiser.

his image available for photographic prints and downloads HERE!

Bug Ranch in Conway, Texas, November, 2005, Kathy Weiser.

Conway, Texas Motor Court

Conway Old Motor Court, May, 2004, Kathy Weiser

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