In 1879 this area of the Texas Panhandle was opened up for homesteading but, the first settler did not arrive until the fall of 1899. N.J. Whitfield purchased the future town site for $1.00 per acre and in 1903 sold a 100-foot strip across Oldham County to the Choctaw, Oklahoma, and Texas (later the Rock Island) Railroad as a right-of-way. Sitting in a vast prairie, the town was named for the Spanish word for Meadow. In the same year the town site was surveyed and the first store was opened by A.M. Miller.  

In 1904, Vega saw the arrival of a post office, the ever present saloon and a school, which doubled as a Masonic Lodge.

Old downtown Vega, Texas Kathy Weiser, November, 2008.

This image available for photo prints & editorial downloads HERE!

HOME OF OPPORTUNITY -- VEGA HAS THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS PLACES

  Grandest Hotels in the County
  Largest Bank in County
Only Printing Office in County

In 1915 Vega won a five-year battle with nearby town of Tascosa for the rights of County Seat. The county business was, at first, conducted in the Oldham Hotel until a permanent courthouse could be built. It wasn’t until 1927 that the town finally incorporated. Just a few years later, on May 3, 1931, a fire leveled six of its downtown buildings west of the courthouse square. Unfortunately, another fire just two months later destroyed two more businesses north of the square and Vega got busy with establishing a formal water system within the town.

When Route 66 arrived, Vega began to really develop with tourist courts, gas stations, shops and services for the many travelers of the Mother Road.

Today, this small farm and ranching community of just under 1000 residents, continues to cater to travelers with several motels and great eating establishments. A drive down old Route 66 provides plenty of photo opportunities as you view the former glory of the Mother Road. Be sure to check out the old Magnolia Gas Station, which has now been restored by the City of Vega with the help of the National Parks Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. Dating back to the early 1920s, it was the second service station built in the small town. Today, it provides a great picnic spot, a glimpse into simpler times, and wonderful photo opportunities.

Just across the street from the old Magnolia Station is the Roark Hardware Store -- the oldest operating hardware store on the Mother Road. A stop in here will make you feel as if you’re walking into a past time zone as you view a wide variety of farming implements, household supplies, gifts and toys.

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