Town of Claude
Claude, Armstrong County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Founded when Fort Worth & Denver Railroad built into area (1887). Claude Ayers, engineer on first passenger train through here, suggested town be named for him -- and citizens agreed. Jerry Cavanaugh, first resident, gave land for town. Post office was granted in 1888, with E.H. Trice, postmaster. Claude won a close race for county seat, 1890. Tie-breaking vote was cast by famous rancher Chas. Goodnight. Churches were established in 1890 and a school built in 1891. Noted Panhandle historian Laura V. Hamner was an early teacher. Town was incorporated in 1909. (1971)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Claude sprang up in 1887 as the Fort Worth & Denver Railroad pushed across the Panhandle, and it took its name from Claude Ayers, the engineer of the first passenger train through town. First resident Jerry Cavanaugh donated the townsite, and in an 1890 county-seat contest the deciding vote was famously cast by legendary rancher Charles Goodnight. Churches, a school, and the incorporation of the town soon followed, and noted Panhandle historian Laura V. Hamner taught among its early teachers.
Why it matters
Claude's founding — railroad, rancher's vote, and all — distills the story of how the Texas Panhandle was settled and organized in the closing years of the open range.
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Related people
- · Claude Ayers
- · Jerry Cavanaugh
- · E.H. Trice
- · Charles Goodnight
- · Laura V. Hamner
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Armstrong County
Claude, TX
Carved out of the Texas Panhandle in 1876 and named for a family of pioneer Armstrongs, this county was cattle country from the start—the sprawling JA Ranch was founded the very same year. When the railroad arrived in 1887 it opened the plains to farmers, and the county formally organized in 1890, raising its stately courthouse in 1912.
Claude Monroe Ayers
Claude, TX
In 1887 the Fort Worth & Denver City Railway pushed across the Texas Panhandle, and the man at the throttle of the first passenger train to reach this spot was engineer Claude Monroe Ayers. The new townsite that grew up along the tracks took his first name, as railroad settlements across the West so often borrowed the names of the men who built and ran them. Ayers lived until 1915, his brief moment on the frontier line permanently stamped on the map.
Town of Washburn
Claude, TX
Laid out in 1887 by R.E. Montgomery, a son-in-law of railroad builder Gen. G.M. Dodge, Washburn briefly served as the terminus of the Fort Worth & Denver City line and became a junction connecting it to the Santa Fe. The Panhandle town boasted the plains' first newspaper, along with hotels, saloons, and stores, before it dwindled as rail patterns shifted. A handful of civic founders, including a judge and banker, are remembered as its town faded.
Groom
Groom, TX
Groom sprang up in 1902 when the Rock Island Railroad pushed west across the Texas Panhandle and landowner W. S. Wilkerson founded a townsite along the tracks. It took its name from Col. B. B. Groom, an 1880s cattle-company agent remembered as the first to attempt power farming on the High Plains. The town became the hub of a rich farming and ranching country.