Amarillo Sunday News-Globe (Amarillo, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 33, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 14, 1938 Page: 81 of 264
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GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY EDITION, 19",8.
AMARILLO SUNDAY NEWS AND GLOBE. AMARILLO. TEXAS
SECTION B—PAGE TWENTY-FTVB
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I
Captain Marcy Pre-eminent Among Later Panhandle Explorers
* * *
(Editor's note: The ranhandle
was crossed and recrosscd many
times by numerous explorers he-
fore Capt. K. B. Marcy, Fifth
United States Infantry, was to see
It for the first time in 1819. That
year he was commissioned to ac-
company a croup of 17!) emigrants
originating al Fort Smith, Ark.,
bound for the rich gold strikes in
California. The government saw
In this rush westward more than
Just the need of transient protec-
tion for the emigrants. There
was considerable talk at the lime
about a route for a railroad from
the Mississippi to the Pacific and
if the trek to the gold fields was to
continue unabated there was defi-
nite need of another outlying
fort both to protect the travelers
from the Indians, who had been
placed on reservations in Indian
Territory, and to protect the In-
dians from this new invasion of
their lands. Marcy was selected
to carry out all these missions.
The choice proved a happy one,
for Marcy soon revealed himself
an accurate and observant ex-
plorer, careful to keep such de-
tailed and interesting reports that,
after he had made a second ex-
ploration to determine, tile head-
waters of the Red River in 1852. he
was called upon to lecture on his
New Business
Established less than a year, the
Bush-Donnell Pharmacy at 500 Tay-
lor Street has justified the faith of
Its owners, two former drug store,
employees who got together to go
Into business for themselves.
The partners are J. S. Bush, a
graduate of the McLean High School,
and O. V. Donnell, West Texas State
College ex. Bush started working
In a drug store in 1920. Twice he
quit this busine s. but each time was
lured back. In 1935 he located in
Amarillo. Donnell began his diug
store career in 1930, being employed )
In Amarillo from the very start. He
Is a graduate of the Capitol College
of Pharmacy at Denver, Colorado.
Last February when the firm was
started, it employed four persons.
Today six are on the payroll and
business had doubled.
The partners, ambitious and alert,
located in Amarillo because, "of the
future po. abilities."
Their faith in the country is ex-
pressed in a joint statement they
released to the News. "It is our j
opinion," say the partners, "that
Amarillo and Potter County, with
everyone working together, can and
will go further in the next few years
than they have in the past. We
have unlimited natural resources
and have practically everything that
Is needed to make a manufacturing,
milling, and packing center. Our
farmers will learn how to conserve
the soil and pastures. Farming,
after all, is the backbone of any
country."
* * *
travels and explorations before
the American Geographical and
Statistical Society. He was liken-
ed by the New York Press to the
Old World explorers. For this
reason no account of the history
of the Panhandle is complete
without some special mention of
this intrepid army officer and his
vivid accounts of his expeditions to
the Panhandle. But even Marcy,
despite his careful observations
and his flair for detailed descrip-
tion. as so many before and even
after him did, erred flagrantly
in his estimation of the I.lano
l.staeado, as the reader may ob-
serve.
The News-Globe wishes t o
acknowledge its indebtedness to
the following, each of whom has
contributed valuable and interest-
ing information for the prepara-
tion of this article: Joe II. Avnes-
worth of llorger, Ft. ('. Crane of
Sweetwater, and Charles Renfroe
of Amarillo.)
The schoolboy prior to 1860, and
in some localities much later,
glanced at, his map of the North
American continent and let his eyes
come to rest on a wide white space
lying Just west of the Mississippi
and extending to the Rocky Moun-
tain Divide. Across it was printed
* * *
'Great American Desert.' No doubt
his eyes widened somewhat as he
contemplated this blank space, and
likely he speculated on what it actu-
ally contained for considerably
more time than the information
before him warranted. For there
were meag: - accounts of this strange
land then floating around, some
at variance with the others. On
one point in particular, though, they
all seemed agreed: It was a wide
expanse of open lands, most of it
sandy and with little or no timber
and not much water.
The Panhandle of Texas fell Into
this classification. So painstaking
and observant an explorer as Capt.
R. B. Marcy of the United States
Army, who logged the first road
across the Panhandle, said of the
Llano Estacado after first glimp-
sing it in 1849: "It must forever
remain uninhabited."
And again, in 1852 while exploring
the headwaters of the Red River,
he has this to say of the region
beyond the Cross-Timbers after he
had emerged from the timbered
lands along Red River onto the
Great Plains:
"It 'the Cross-Timbers) seems to
have been designed as a natural
barrier between civilized man and
the savage, as, upon the east side,
there are numerous spring-brooks,
* * ¥
St. Mary's in 1913
Cafe Man \\ ins
He challenged a depression for
a hand-to-hand fight—and won.
That, briefly, Is the stary of C. C.
Wood 'the Missouri farmer,'' who
decided the beginnine of a business
recession was a fine time to get
Into business for himself, took over
a cafe that had dealt financial
r tsery to several previous owners,
and made it go.
Mr. Wood—some of his friends
call him "Jack," some "Charlie."
but his real name is Clint—came
to Amarillo more than 15 years
ago.
For several years he was con-
nected with the Texas Grill on
East Fourth Avenue, which was
operated by Gathright Brothers.
Then, in 1930, his opportunity
came.
Taking over the Lamar Cafe at
604 Taylor Street, he and a partner
wpn1: to work in earnest to whip
ti i depression. Later, Mr. Wood
became the sole owner of the busi-
ness, which had thrived almost from
th. first week.
Within five years, he had built
up an excellent cafe business and
ww in position to open a second
cife, the Lamar No. 2. located at
Fourth Avenue and Polk Street. He
>ow operates both places.
Mr. Wood has been in the cafe
business about 23 years, having had
a working Interest in an eating
house at Popular Bluff, Mo., before
coming to Amarillo.
The two Lamar cafes in Amarillo
now employ about 20 people. The
Lamar No. 2 is an all-night cafe,
catering to transient as well as lo-
cal patronage.
J. S. Talley, sheriff of Ochiltree
County since 1908, has held office
longer than any other sheriff In
the state.
BY HERBERT AND CAROLYN
TIMMONS
St. Miry's Academy is the oldest
of the lout Catholic schools in Pot-
ter County, and was founded by the
Sisters of the Incarnate Word in
1913, whe came to Amarillo from
San Antonio.
Thi.~ congregation of the Sisters of
Charity >1 the Incarnate Word came
to Texas soon after the Civil War.
first establishing headquarters at
Galveston but a few years later
they erected an independent chap-
ter at 3ar Antonio, from which they
founded Catholic schools over the
entire state.
SI Mary's Academy in Amarillo
w i in reality but a continuation of
the St.. Mary's Academy that was
established in Clarendon January
lfi. 1899. and operated until 1911.
when serious sickness compiled the
closing of the school during Ihe fail
term. Recalling the four sisters
stationed at Clarendon. Rev Mother
Alphonse at once began looking
about for another location for the
school.
It was largelv through the efforts
of Dr. David Fly. Mr. F. M. Shaugh-
nessy and Father Dunn tha* Ama-
nita was selected. These men. ably
assisted by other devout catholics
soon rai.-ed a substantial sum to
build an academy. To this project
Amarillo citizens gladly contributed.
During the summer of 1913 eight
Sisters of the Incarnate Word, led
by Sister Mary de Pazzi. came to
Amarillo to open the school. Sisters
Mary Cornelius. Mary Baptist. Mary
Hilda, Mary Seraphia. Mary Pierre.
Mary de Lellis and Mary Isabel
came with Sister Mary de Pazz.i.
Befor? their coming, a ten-acre
plot had been purchased at 1200
Washington Street as the site for
tlie academy, and already a 60 by
100 too' brick, three-story school and
dormitory was under construction.
This was encouraging to the sis-
ters. Temporary quarters were se-
cured in a residence just north of the
building site and the announcement
was made that St. Mary's Academy
was ready to enroll students. This
temporary site was Ihe Stuart home,
and now, entirely remodeled, is the
Catholic chancery.
• * •
Only a few pupils were expected
at first because of the temporary ar-
rangement.?, but despite that 63 day
and seven boarding students en-
rolled. This was encouraging, but
theie war not enough furniture.
This situation was met by securing
equipment from the Amarillo Acad-
emy only recently closed.
In February, 3914 the brick school
building was completed at a cost of
540,000. Work of placing furniture
and school fittings proceeded rapid-
ly, and St. Mary's Academy was soon
ready for dedication.
Sunday afternoon March 1, 1314.
the Verv Rev J. J. Harty. Arch-
bishop of Manila, P. I., dedicated
St. Marv's Academy, assisted by
Very Rev R M. Nolan of Fort
Worth, and the Very Rev D. H,
Dunn and Rev. F. W. Hlckey of
Amarillo.
Within a short, time St. Mary's was
affiliated with the state department
of education at Austin, and has
maintained complete affiliation
since.
Five years after the academy was
opened, a parochial school was
opened at Tenth and Arthur Streets,
to meet, the needs of the Mexican
Catholics In Amarillo, At first, this
school was housed In a small room
back of the church, but soon a
school building w'as erected on land
adjoining the church property.
Catherine Burke was the first
teacher ot this church schocl When
the Catholic Church of East Ama-
rillo, Our Lady of Guadalupe, was
moved to the 1100 block on Arthur
Street, a brick school house was
erected near the church. This school
is now under the care of the Mis-
sionary Sisters of St.. Francis
The Missionary Sisters of St.
Francis also have charge of anoth-
ei parochial school in Pottei Coun-
ty. The town of St. Francis was
founded as a Catholic community,
and soon a small school was cpened
in a building on the church proper-
ty. This school has had a varied ex-
istence, but now. under 'he able
guidance of the Missionary Sisters,
an accredited course and full sched-
ule is maintained.
In 1923 St. George College, now
Price Memorial College, was opened
In Amarillo, largely through the ef-
forts of Bishop Robert A. Gsrkin.
St. George College was at first a
secondary school conducted as a di-
ocesan institution by secular priests
and laymen.
St. George's classes were held in
rooms Ji the Sacred Heart Cathe-
dral but, soon the first unit of a
three-stoi> brick building was erect-
ed on a tract of land several miles
east and north of Amarillo. It had
ample dormitorv space, adequate
classrooms and facilities, and dedi-
cated Feb. 3, 3929.
The name of St. George College
was changed to Price Memorial aft-
er a bequest from Mrs. Catherine E.
Price, as a memorial to her nusband.
permitted the school authorities to
double its capacity and to offer all
high school and Jiuiior college sub-
jects.
Price Memorial College was dedl-
cated with appropriate ceremonies
by Most Rev. R. A. Gerkin, Oct 27
1929.
Members of the faculty fit that,
time were Mast Rev. R. A. Gerken
D. D., president: Rev F. X. Hillen!
A. B , vise president; Rt. Rev Mon-
signor A. F. Amirault, A. M.; Rev.
Henry Hoerr.er, A. M.: Rev. Francis
Kaminsky, A. B.; Rev. Bartholomew
O'Brien. Rev. Hrnry Hofer, Rev
Cesare Gutierrez, C. M.; and Rev.
Elmer WcFadden.
From its opening St. Mary's Acad-
emy hao shown steady progress
The same year that St. George'*
CAPT. (GEN.) RANDOLPH B.
MARCY
flowing over a highly prolific soil,
with a superabundance of the best
timber, and an exuberant vegetation,
teeming with the delightful perfume
of flowers of the most brilliant
hues; . . . while on the other side
Fine Linens
Even the port city of Houstpn
| didn't win over Amarillo as a dis-
tributing center for the Damascus
Art. Linen and Infants' Wear Shop
511 Polk Street.
Morris Salahi, owner and operator
of the wholesale and retail business,
came here from Houston because
! Amarillo had the strategic location
for distribution.
From the cheapest to the most
j expensive, the linen stock is com-
J plete, and the infants' department
is stocked from socks to caps. The
j shop also deals in rugs and tapes-
; tries.
Goods are imported from Ireland.
China, Belgium, Italy, France and
Czechoslovakia.
"Despite the 'incident' In China,
as the Japanese call it. shipments
; Iron) the Orient have been regular
so far." Mr. Salahi said.
The Damascus Art Linen and
I fnfants' Wear Sho.j is one of Ama-
! rillo's newest businesses. It was
j established a year ago last April.
"Business has been much better
than I expected." said Mr. Salahi.
"In fact., we did twice as much busi-
ness during the first eight months
as I expected to do. I was surprised
by the great number of out-of-town
shoppers in Amarillo."
From the storehouse of the shop
Mr. Salhahl does a wholesale busi-
! ness with dealers throughout W-\st
Texas, eastern New Mexico and
western Oklahoma.
"The right merchandise at the
right price" is one of the important
busines rsules followed by the shop.
College received its gift, St. Mary's
also received a generous bequest.
Mike Gallaher, an early-day ranch-
man of An-arillo. gave funds suffi-
cient to erect a large wing south of
the main building and to remodel
and modernize the entire plant of
St. Mary's. This new wing added
classrooms and provided space for
the art department to have am-
ple room with proper lighting. Since
this addition, St. Mary's Academy
has grown until now an addition on
the nortn of the main building is
planned.
All Catholic schools in the county
are now in cood condition, are meet-
ing state requirements in every re-
spect and are contributing Immeas-
urably X higher education in the
Panhandle
Bill Gates. Midland: "Never had
many chivaris in the Andrews coun-
try, for there wasn't much marryin'
done. There were only two women
in here then —Bud Good's wife at
Four Lakes, and McCleskey's wife."
The Real Pioneer
Spirit
Has Made
AMARILLO
A Great City.
W e Pay Our Tribute
G. C. McDamel
Since I 907
For More than
31 YEARS
+
The Name of—
Gilvin & Gilvin
has stood for-
"REAL, REAL
ESTATE SERVICE
n
In Amarillo
and Surrounding Territory
+
Gilvin & Gilvin
JOHN B. GILVIN
WILL D. GILVIN
REALTORS
113 East 4th Ave.
* * *
commence those barren and desolate
wastes, where but few small streams
greet the eye of the traveller, and
these are soon swallowed up by the
thirsty sands over which they flow;
here but little woodland Is found,
except on the immediate borders of
the water-courses."
• • •
Others who travelled across the
Panhandle and the Great Plains in
that day substantiated or enlarged
upon the legend of the Great Amer-
I Des«rt, among them Horace
Greeley. An amusing postcript i
his report made in 1859, which was
even more disconcerting than
Marcy's in 1852. reveals with what
alarm the early traveller viewed
the Great Plains. His reference 1« !
undeniably to a region north and
west of the Panhandle, but. at that
time the Llano Estacado fell into
the same category.
"Since writing the above," he
penned, "I learn by a newly arrived
Pike's Peaker that the waterless
stretch of desert is already a hun-
dred miles long, and that every
day's sun Ls extending it."
Captain Marcy's route in 1849
lay along the south bank of the
Canadian River, While his esti-
mate of the whole of the Panhandle
region was most disparaging, his re-
port on the feasibility of this route
for a transcontinental railroad car-
ries a little more cheerful note.
"The road which was made un-
der my supervision," he wrote, "from
Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Santa Fe,
New Mexico, skirts the northern
border of the Llano Estacado and so
far as the topography of the country
was concerned I believe that a rail-
road can be made over it with great
facility."
For those who have traversed any
considerable stretch of the Canadian
Valley Marcy's log of this part of his
journey might enable them to rec-
ognize many creeks and springs
which were then unnamed.
Antelope Buttes — Road runs
alone the Canadian bottom, and
in places is sandy.
14—Miles Rush Lake — Small
pond on the prairie. No wood
within half a mile; some buffalo
chips; poor water.
IB—Branch of Washita River.
Good road on the divide.
10 1-4—Dry River. Road de-
scends a very long hill and crosses
the dry river near the Canadian.
Water can be found by digging
about a foot in the sand nf the
creek. Good grass on the west
bank.
17—Branch of Canadian. Road
winds up a verv long and abrupt
hill, but is smooth and firm.
22 1-2—Timbered Creek. Road
passes over a very elevated prairie
country, and descends by a long
hill into the beautiful valley of
Timbered ( reek.
II 1-2—Spring Branch. Good
camp.
14 — Spring Branch. Good
camp.
17 3-4—Branch of Canadian.
* * *
Road passes a small branch 5 1-2
miles from Ihe last camp.
18 .1-8—Branch of Canadian.
Road passes a small branch of the
Canadian at 8 miles from the last
camp.
17 7-8—Spring Branch. Good
road.
9 1-2—Branch of Canadian.
Good road and camp.
18 1-2—Branch of Canadian.
Good road and camp.
Ill 1-4—Pools of water. Good
camp.
Ill—Large pond. Good camp.
25—Pools of Water. No wood;
water brackish. The road passes
over a very elevated dry country,
without wood or water.
18 1-2— Head of Branrh. At
13 1-2 miles the road crosses a
branch of the Canadian.
19 3-4—Laguna Colorado. Road
here falls into an old Mexican
rartroad. Good springs on (he
left up the creek, with wood and
grass abundant.
In describing this route as mark- [
ed out hy him in 1849 Marcy con-
tinues: "Soon after leaving the
woodlands '99th parallel in Indian
Territory) the road takes a ridge
which divides the Canadian from )
the Washita and continues upon it
near the sources of the Canadian in
New Mexico, a distance of nearly
three hundred miles. This ridge lies
in direct, course for Santa. Fe, is firm
and smooth and makes one of the
best natural roads I have ever trav-
elled upon. . . . From the head of
the Washita fin the Panhandlei the
road continues nea the vallev of
the Canadian for a hundred miles
further, occasional.'.' crossing small
streams which furnish the traveller
with abundant, water at convenient
intervals. It then bears to the left
and passes over the elevaUd lands
bordering the Pecos River.
Writing later, Marcy seems to
have been considerably chagrined
that the mapmakers of that day had
given others credit for laying out
this road, and "my own name seems
to have been carefully excluded
from the list. I shall merely re-
mark that I had the command and
entire direction of an expedition
which in 1849 discovered, located,
explored and marked out this iden-
i t.ical wagon road from Fort Smith,
Arkansas, to Santa Fe and that this
road for a greater portion of the
j distance is the same that has been
| recommended for a Pacific rail-
\ road."
Marcy's recommendations were of
no avail, because the Union-Pacific
decided to use a route farther to
I the north of his proposed "trans-
I Panhandle" route.
His observations regarding a de-
sirable location for a fort bore
j sweeter fruit, however, for if. is re-
corded that his superiors, after in-
vestigating his recommendations, es-
tablished a post in the territory he
I had suggested and called it Fort
: Sill.
♦ * •
As has been pointed out, Marcy I
* * *
was a most thorough explorer and
historian of his exploration. He
took careful note of the country
through which he travelled—In all,
he made five trips into the region
bounded by the ' Canadian River of
the Arkansas, and upon the head-
waters of the Trinity, Brazos and
Colorado Rivers of Texas." He
wrote lucidly of what he saw, de-
picting the topography of the land,
its water-courses, the Indians he
encountered and their manner of
dress and living: the vegetation and
texture of the soil, the bird and an-
imal life—nothing escaped his eye
and pen. The accuracy of most of
his notes has been proved beyond
dispute. That alon" is "iflicient to
class him among the nation's, or
the world's for that matter, most re-
nowned explorers.
This dependable officer, although
he eventually rose to the rank of
general and from Maw 1861, to No-
vember, 1862, was Chief-of-Staff
under Gen. George B. McCieiian in
the war between the s-at.es, h;t.
come to be more familiarly, per-
* * *
haps more affectionately, known as
simply Captain Marcy. He was born
In 1826, finished West Point in 1832,
and in 1846 distinguished himself
at the battles of Palo Alto and
Resaca de la Palma in the Mexi-
can War. During the winter of
1848 he was stationed at Fort Tow-
son in the Choctaw Nation. It was
here that news of the gold strike in
California brought about the events
that were to embark him upon his
Panhandle explorations.
He engaged in many other such
expeditions, however, traversing
most of Texas and the greater part
of the Western frontier. Thirty
■ears of his army life were spent
among the Indians.
His explorations of the headwa-
ters of the Red River were carried
to their farthest reaches, and he
named numerous streams and other
physiographical features of the
Llano Estacado. One of these was
McClellan Creek, in Hutchinson
County, which he named ir. honor
of Captain McClellan, then attached
to his expedition as an engineer
ind who was later to become his
ion-in-law and commanding officer.
gramma
ysttn
ANSLEY'S
Steaks, Short Orders
Sixth and Georgia
"BEEN IN THE PANHANDLE ALWAYS"
26 YEARS
0
f S
ervice!
Helping in the Building of
Amarillo and Plains District
Ready at all times in the future as we
have been in the past to supply the best
quality of lumber, building and insulat-
ing materials ... as well as a most
complete building service.
AMARILLO LUMBER
& SUPPLY COMPANY
FOXWORTH-CALBRAITH
LUMBER COMPANY
501 Washington Street
Amarillo
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Amarillo Sunday News-Globe (Amarillo, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 33, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 14, 1938, newspaper, August 14, 1938; Amarillo, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth299921/m1/81/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Hutchinson County Library, Borger Branch.