Possum Kingdom Lake, near Breckenridge and Graham, offers clear water and dramatic landscapes. Access it from the state park or lakeside resorts.
BIG SPRING POP. 27,677
ALT. 2,397
BIG SPRING CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU: 432/263-8235 or 866/430-7100.
www.visitbigspring.com.
Big Spring is located in a rocky gorge between two high foothills of the Caprock escarpment. The name is derived from the huge natural spring in Sulphur Draw that provid- ed water to area wildlife, as well as the Comanche and Shawnee tribes. The first Anglo-Americans used the site in 1849 as a campsite on the Overland Trail to California. The spring is now located in Comanche Trail Park. The city is the home of Howard College, Dorothy Garrett Coliseum and Southwest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf.
BIG SPRING STATE PARK—At the northern edge of the Edwards Plateau, the park sits on a high bluff. A three-mile drive around Scenic Mountain also is enjoyed by joggers, walkers and birders. Offers picnicking and a group pavilion. Day use only. Admission charge. 1 Scenic Drive. 432/263- 4931.
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/big-spring.
BIG SPRING VIETNAM MEMORIAL—This memorial rec- ognizes those who were killed in action during the Vietnam War. The stone is the same type used at National Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. Displays include an F-4E Phantom II jet, UH-1 Huey, an Abrams tank and Cobra helicopter. On the grounds of the former Webb Air Force Base. Accessible from F.M. 700.
www.thebigspring
vietnammemorial.org.
COMANCHE TRAIL PARK—The site of the spring that gave Big Spring its name features a limestone amphithe- ater, hiking on the Rose Magers Trail and Comanche Trail Lake. Events include the Christmas Festival of Lights and the Pops in the Park on July 3. On south edge of city; access from U.S. 87 and from F.M. 700. 432/264-2376.
HANGAR 25 AIR MUSEUM—This restored World War II flight hangar features Bombardier School and Webb Air Force Bases exhibits. These include various aircraft and a B-52 bomber nose. Donations accepted. 1911 Apron Drive. 432/264-1999.
www.hangar25airmuseum.com.
156 MAP L-10
HERITAGE MUSEUM—This museum was once the home to pioneer Dora Roberts. Exhibits include the area’s early Native American life and the oil industry of West Texas. A gallery displays the work of local artists and traveling exhibits. Admission charge. 510 Scurry. 432/267-8255.
www.bigspringmuseum.com. Potton House is the restored 1901 Victorian home of
the Joseph Potton family. It is listed in the National Regis- ter of Historic Places and features early 1900s furnish- ings. By appointment through the Heritage Museum. Admission charge. 200 Gregg St. 432/267-8255.
LAKE—Lake Moss Creek—This lake offers fishing, boat- ing, swimming and camping. Good area for birding. About 10 miles northeast of Big Spring off of I-20. 432/393-5246.
BORGER POP. 13,360
ALT. 3,116 MAP C-10
The town was established after the discovery of a rich Panhandle oil field in 1926. Soon, a boomtown of tents and shacks sprang up, and the population numbered more than 40,000. Home of Frank Phillips College. Annual events include Adobe Walls Trek in June and Juried Quilt Show in July.
BATTLE OF ADOBE WALLS—A marker is at a roadside park, about 15 miles from the site where two famous Native American battles were fought. Actual battle sites are on private lands. Texas 207, six miles north of Borger.
HUTCHINSON COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM— Exhibits depict the Hutchinson County area from the time of Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado to boomtown days. 618 N. Main St. 806/273-0130.
www.hutchinsoncountymuseum.org.
LAKE—Lake Meredith, see FRITCH LAKE MEREDITH RECREATION AREA—See FRITCH.
SCENIC DRIVE—A 25-mile loop west and north to Stinnett crosses the rough, canyon-cut landscapes of the Canadian River breaks and leads across the dam impounding Lake Meredith. Texas 136 west, F.M. 1319 and F.M. 687 north.
BOYS RANCH POP. 288
ALT. 3,176 MAP C-9
OLDHAM COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: 806/267-2828.
www.oldhamcofc.org.
Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch is a nationally known home for boys and girls in a ranch setting. It was established in 1939 by the late Cal Farley, a Texas businessman and world wel- terweight wrestling champion of the 1920s. The ranch facilities include a chapel, schools, auditorium and visitor center. The Boys Ranch Rodeo held on Labor Day week- end features competition among youths of all ages. Visi- tors are welcome. 800/687-3722.
www.calfarley.org.
BOOT HILL CEMETERY—When Tascosa was the riotous cowboy capital of the 1880s, gunfights were the traditional means for settling disputes, and its cemetery was an essen- tial part of the town. Boys Ranch students maintain the cemetery today. U.S. 385 at Boys Ranch.
JULIAN BIVINS MUSEUM—Housed in the former Old- ham County Courthouse in Tascosa, the name honors a Panhandle rancher whose donation of land started Boys Ranch. Features artifacts from prehistoric Panhandle cul- tures, pioneer items and Boys Ranch history. At Main and U.S. 385 at Boys Ranch.
OLD TASCOSA—Tascosa was a shipping point for several Texas ranches, including the famed XIT and LIT, and was known as “the Cowboy Capital of the Plains.” The famous and infamous—from Kit Carson to Billy the Kid—once strode its rough-plank sidewalks. Decline set in when the open range was fenced and the railroad bypassed the site. It was deserted by the 1930s.
BRECKENRIDGE POP. 6,017
ALT. 1,220 MAP J-14
BRECKENRIDGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: 100 E. Elm. 254/559-2301.
www.breckenridgetexas.com.
Known as the “Mural Capital of Texas,” the town grew from 1,500 to 30,000 in a year during the 1920s oil boom.
PHOTO: WILL VAN OVERBEEK/TXDOT
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