Capt. Randolph Marcy's Exploration Route through Collingsworth County
Wellington, Collingsworth County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1852, Capt. R.B. Marcy led a survey expedition along the Red River to document the river's channel and related streams. The team, which included Capt. G.B. McLellan of the Corps of Engineers, entered the Texas panhandle June 10, 1852 and arrived in what is now Collingsworth County on July 7. Traveling eastward through the southern part of the county, the team identified the sources and route of the Red River. The team left Texas north of Dodson and returned to Fort Arbuckle in present Oklahoma. Their survey later proved important in settling a boundary dispute between Texas and Oklahoma. (2006)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1852 Capt. Randolph B. Marcy led a U.S. survey expedition up the Red River to chart its channel and tributaries, accompanied by Capt. George B. McClellan of the Corps of Engineers. Entering the Texas Panhandle in June, the team crossed present Collingsworth County in July, tracing the river's sources before leaving Texas for Fort Arbuckle in what is now Oklahoma.
Why it matters
Marcy's survey was a milestone in mapping the American West, and its findings later helped resolve the Texas–Oklahoma boundary dispute — a reminder that scientific exploration shaped the very borders of states.
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Related people
- · Randolph B. Marcy
- · George B. McClellan
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Methodist Church of Wellington
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Organized in 1890 by the Rev. J. H. Linderman and a handful of charter members, this Wellington congregation took root in a raw Panhandle county where the first worship services shared a small wooden building that also served as the first courthouse. The faithful met in a schoolhouse through the 1890s until their first sanctuary was finished in 1899, replaced by a larger one in 1913 as the congregation grew. By 1984 it stood as the only Methodist church in the county.
Methodism in Collingsworth
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In the late 1800s and early 1900s, most Collingsworth County communities were small settlements clustered around area ranches, and Methodist congregations sprang up among them under circuit-riding ministers. Worshipers gathered wherever they could—private homes, dugouts, schoolhouses, brush arbors, and shared Union churches. Over time the smaller groups disbanded and folded into larger ones, until by 1984 all had affiliated with the Wellington church.
Collingsworth County
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Collingsworth County was carved from the sprawling Young and Bexar territories in 1876 and formally organized in 1890 with Wellington as its seat. It honors James Collinsworth, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, a soldier at San Jacinto, secretary of state under President Burnet, and the Republic's first chief justice. The county thus links the far Texas Panhandle to the founding figures of the Republic.
Rocking Chair "Ranche" (1883-1893)
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