Day 3: Pantex & A Short Trip Through Palo Dura Canyon and Back to Lubbock

The beginning of our third day on the road found us leaving Pampa, Texas driving west on US60 to Panhandle, Tx, county seat for Carson County.

The Carson County courthouse is a 1950 Moderne-style courthouse with Art Deco carvings.  There is a relief over the entrance doors depicting Carson County’s economy.  Leaving town we passed an old railroad station that has been converted into Panhandle City Hall.  I’m glad to see the folks using these old historic buildings after restoration.

We drove west on US60 and passed corn field after corn field with an occasional cotton field.  All of a sudden the landscape on the north side of the highway changed to a huge plant larger than most Panhandle cities.  We were intrigued so I turned and headed to it.  We noticed some signs on the fence that got my attention;  “Use of Deadly Force Authorized”  We noticed a work crew taking soil samples and wondered about that.  We came to the entrance where cars were lined up to go through a checkpoint and then I looked at the sign and realized what it was.  You do the google search yourself.  The name of the plant is PANTEX.  There were also hundreds of storage igloos to the south and west between the plant and US60.  I wanted to drive up to the gate and tell the armed guards that I was a 46350 in the USAF in the 60’s and I would really like a tour of the plant. Naw! We just didn’t have the time.

Prohibited Items   ​The following items are NEVER allowedANYWHERE on-site at Pantex, unless prior authorization has been received from the Safeguards & Security Division. Alcohol Ammunition Arrows Blackjacks Chemical dispensing devices for pepper spray, mace, etc. Controlled Substances Compound bows Crossbows Drug paraphernalia Drugs (prescriptions are allowed as long as they are prescribed for the employee who is using them--Medical must be notified of medication use) Explosives Explosive devices Fertilizer (Bulk) Firearms Items that could be used to manufacture explosives Incendiary devices Knives with blade length exceeding 5 1/2 inches Knuckles Nightsticks Nun chucks Stun guns Swords Technical Surveillance Equipment (i.e. any equipment specifically designed to clandestinely collect information) Zip guns

Controlled Items   ​The following items are allowed on-site at Pantex but MUST remain in personal vehicles in the Property Protection Area. Cameras - At no time are pictures to be taken anytime on plant site with any type of personal equipment Computers not owned by Pantex (Exception: given on a case-by-case basis by the ISSM or his designate) Laptops/notebooks Smartphones/PDAs (i.e. iPhones) Media players (i.e. iPods) Tablets, pads and slates (i.e. iPads) Game devices (i.e. PSPs) Any other device with a processor and storage Computers Components Cellular wireless cards Wireless cards (Exception: wireless cards used for pool laptops in transit between 16-19 and your car) Bluetooth cards, devices or adapters Any other computer component or peripheral Global Positioning System (GPS) - (e.g. portable transmit/receive) Golf clubs On-Star Personal software Radio frequency (RF) devices (Exception: key fobs are allowed except in Nuclear Explosive Areas) Recording devices (optical, video, audio or data) Telephones (all types including cellular and satellite) Exception: Government-owned cellular telephones XM or Sirius radio receivers with recording capabilities Any privately owned device, electronic or optical, capable of recording, processing, storing or transferring audio, computer data, video or photos

They were serious about security.

 We passed by the east of Amarillo and took the highway leading to Palo Duro Canyon State Park.  We got there, paid the entrance fee and drove into, or I should say drove down and into the park.  Palo Duro is approximately 120 miles long, 600-800 feet deep and is the second largest canyon in the US.  The rocks expose a geologic story, layer by layer revealing a panoramic view of magnificent color. 

There was a significant decisive battle at Palo Duro Canyon during the Indian Wars of 1874-1875 against the Southern Plains Indians, specifically the Comanche.  The US Cavalry, led by Col. Randal Mackenzie, 4^th US Cavalry descended a narrow zigzag trail down the south wall into the canyon and attached the first of five encampments of Kiowa, Comanche and Cheyenne at dawn on September 24, 1874.  The Cavalry burned teepees and winter food stores.  The Indian horse herd of 1400 was captured and driven to Tule Canyon.  Mackenzie ordered 1100 of the horses shot the next day.  Facing the coming winter without food or horses meant starvation.  This forced the Indians to return on foot to the reservation in Fort Sill, Ok.  The traditional way of life for the plains Indians was gone forever.  Leader of the Comanche, Quanah Parker, will be examined later when we get to the town named for him.

We got back on the courthouse trail, this time on US287, and headed to Claude, county seat for Armstrong County.  The county was obviously named for someone named Armstrong.  However, no one knows who this is.  It was not recorded in any county record.  The best guess is that it honors some settlers to the area with that last name.

Clarendon, county seat of Donley County.  This is perhaps the best looking courthouse in all of the Panhandle.  It was built in 1894 in the Romanesque Revival style with brick and stone.  It has been restored through the Texas Historical Commission, Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program.

The Donley County Courthouse has a monument to the Ten Commandments also but here you can read what else is inscribed on the block of granite.

It is now the oldest functioning courthouse in the Texas Panhandle. The structure is asymmetrical (no two sides of the building are alike), which is an unusual feature for this type of building in Texas during that time.

Courtroom, Donley County Courthouse

Damage from a tornado in the 1930s resulted in the removal of the original third floor and tower. Prior to renovation, the courthouse had serious problems with water infiltration and bats infesting the attic due to a deteriorating metal cornice.

The project included reconstruction of the third floor and was a dramatic transformation. It was completed in July 2003.

- See more at: http://www.thc.state.tx.us/preserve/projects-and-programs/texas-historic-courthouse-preservation/restored-courthouses/donley#sthash.MfZbYGWZ.dpuf

We continued south on US287 to Wellington, and the Collingsworth County courthouse.  This is a 1931 Texas Renaissance style courthouse made of brick and stone accents.

We then turned south on US83 and headed to Childress, county seat by the same name.  The Chilldress courthouse is a 1939 Moderne-style courthouse designed by Towns & Funk of Amarillo.  I thought the tile American flag was the one thing that cried out for a photo.

From Childress we drove to Quanah, county seat of Hardeman County. The courthouse is a 1908 Beaux-Arts style built of brick with a dome.  It is an impressive hall of justice.  The town of Quanah was named Quanah Parker, last chief of the Comanche tribe.  Quanah was the chief when the Comanche were defeated at Palo Duro Canyon. Quanah Parker (died 1911) was a leader of the Comanche people during the difficult transition period from free-ranging life on the southern plains to the settled ways of reservation life. He became an influential negotiator with government agents, a prosperous cattle-rancher, a vocal advocate of formal education for Native children, and a devout member of the Peyote Cult.

From Quanah we continued south on US287 to Vernon, county seat for Wilbarger County.  The Wilbarger County courthouse is an impressive three story 1928 Classical Revival designed by the firm of Voelcker and Dixon and built of steel, concrete and stone. 

Wilbarger is one of the few counties with a Confederate Soldier Memorial.

Wilbarger WW1 Memorial

The Foard County Courthouse has an impressive Veterans Memorial with soldier and sailor.

We turned back west on US70 to Crowell, county seat of Foard County.  The courthouse was built in 1910 in the  Texas Renaissance of brick and stone with classical details.  In 1942 a tornado ripped the dome and porticoes from the building and they were not replaced.  I thought the Veterans Memorial was very impressive.

Our next town was Paducah, Cottle County seat.  The courthouse was built in 1930 in the Moderne-style of brick with Art-Deco and Classical details.  The corners have NRA eagles.  Cottle County was named for George Washington Cottle, an Alamo defender.

Motley County Courthosue

We continued west to Matador, Motley County seat and Floydata, Floyd County seat in that order. As so ended our third day of travel.  We drove on to Lubbock and spent the night in a very nice hotel Mary Alice found for us.

PS:  Pantex is a Department of Energy facility for the production of nuclear weapons, which I worked on while in the United States Air Force. I am very familar with Pantex and what they do there.