Wheeler County Historical Commission

02/28/2026

Vernon Hardcastle, a tenant purchase client, working on building a new home in Wheeler County, 1939. Wheeler County is due east of Amarillo, just on the border with Oklahoma.

11/23/2025

The first public schoolhouse in the Texas Panhandle was this one in Mobeetie, Texas, built in 1889. Actually, I misspoke. It's the second oldest, replacing a wooden one that occupied the same spot and had been built in the early 1880s. Mobeetie, established in 1879, is really the mother town of the Texas Panhandle. All during the 1880s it was a busy and boisterous place. Business establishments included a Chinese laundry, a restaurant, two barber shops, several saloons, a large general store etc ... The population peaked at about 1200 in 1890, but the town declined after nearby Fort Elliott was closed and a railroad bypassed the town.

Photo courtesy the outstanding Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Please go and see it in Canyon, Texas. It's quite large and very well done.

10/28/2025

Today in History
Statue of Liberty 139th Anniversary
Dedicated October 28, 1886

Today marks the 139th dedication anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. It was a gift from France originally conceived by historian/politician Édouard René de Laboulaye in hopes it would become the representation of democracy for France as well as the United States. The Statue of Liberty was originally created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of America’s independence. Construction challenges delayed the dedication until 1886.

7 surprising facts about the Statue of Liberty:
🇺🇸The official name is Liberty Enlightening the World.
🇺🇸The statue is made of copper and started out shiny like a newly minted penny
🇺🇸It took 30 years for the exterior surface to oxidize to the patina green
🇺🇸In a strong wind the statue may move 5 inches at the torch
🇺🇸She was shipped in 350 pieces and reassembled in New York
🇺🇸The original torch was replaced in 1986 due to weather damage
🇫🇷The statue was funded by French citizens including schoolchildren, not the government

09/11/2025

A little history for us:

Camp Supply trail map showing the route of the trail through the Native American lands, forts, and the site of the last buffalo hunt of the Pawnees

07/02/2025

John Henry “Doc” Holliday wasn’t always meant to live the life of a gunslinger. He was born in Georgia in 1851 and studied to become a dentist. His life seemed headed toward calm respectability. But when he was diagnosed with tuberculosis in his twenties—a deadly disease at the time—he moved west in hopes that the dry air might help him live longer. It didn’t cure him, but it changed everything. In the wild towns of the West, Doc Holliday found a new life, filled with gambling, danger, and gunfights. He became known for his quick draw, sharp tongue, and close friendship with lawman Wyatt Earp. The two stood side by side in famous shootouts, including the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.

Through all the chaos, one person stayed close to Doc: Big Nose Kate. Her real name was Mary Katharine Haroney, and she was no ordinary woman. Born in Hungary, she spoke several languages, was well-educated, and fiercely independent. Their relationship was stormy but strong. They argued, separated, and reunited many times, but they always seemed drawn back to each other. Kate even helped Doc escape jail once by setting a fire as a distraction. Their bond wasn’t gentle or perfect—but it was real.

Doc died young, at only 36, in a Colorado sanitarium. Kate lived for many more years and later told the world their story the way she remembered it. They weren’t polished heroes or legends made for children’s books. They were two tough, complicated people who lived hard and held onto each other in a world full of violence and change.

06/20/2025

Mobeetie, Texas

Mobeetie, Texas—once known as the “Mother City of the Texas Panhandle”—is a small town with a wild past rooted deep in frontier history. Originally established in the 1870s as a buffalo hunting camp near Fort Elliott, the town quickly grew into a rowdy hub for soldiers, cowboys, and outlaws. Its original name, “Sweetwater,” was changed to “Mobeetie,” a Native American word believed to mean “buffalo dung,” after postal confusion with another Texas town. During its heyday, Mobeetie boasted saloons, general stores, and even the Panhandle’s first courthouse and school. But as the railroad shifted routes and Fort Elliott closed, the town declined. Today, Mobeetie is quiet and sparsely populated, yet its rich legacy is preserved through a local museum and remaining historic buildings, echoing tales of lawmen, legends, and the untamed spirit of the Old West.

06/09/2025