Four miles east on US 82, mesas and mesquites form a rugged backdrop for historical markers that tell dramatic stories about nearby Blanco Canyon. Formed by the White River it was a battleground in the early 1870s pitting Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie against renegade Comanches. Once the Indians were forced from the area, Texas Rangers set up Camp Roberts in 1879 to maintain law and order. The Two Buckle Ranch soon built headquarters at Silver Falls on the White River.
One of the state’s finest roadside parks now sprawls along US 82 at the falls where stonework remains from Depression projects of the 1930s.
These stories and more come to life at the Crosby County Pioneer Memorial Museum and its Wayne J. Parker Center for the Study of Native American Studies. The expansive museum incorporates a furnished replica of the 1877 rock house of the county’s first permanent settlers. A 23,000-piece Native American artifact collection features a research library, tepee and photos of Indians who survived the Red River War. There are also a diorama of Blanco Canyon, a mural depicting the history of Crosby County, a replica dugout hous,e and thousands of artifacts on family, farming and business life.
Across from the 1914 Crosby County Courthouse, a historic structure houses the Prairie Ladies Multi-Cultural Center, home of the Chamber of Commerce, an old-fashioned soda fountain and exhibits on local women and transportation.
Related
Plains Trail Region
Crosbyton Cemetery
From Crosbyton, take US 82, 1 mile East Crosbyton, TX 79322 Website
Crosbyton CemeteryFrom Crosbyton, take US 82, 1 mile East
Crosbyton, TX 79322
Plains Trail Region
Crosby County Pioneer Memorial Museum and Community Center
101 West Main Street Crosbyton, TX 79322 (806) 675-2331 Website
Crosby County Pioneer Memorial Museum and Community Center101 West Main Street
Crosbyton, TX 79322