A Pictorial History Of Amarillo From The 1930’s

So I've made no secret about how I like to look into the history of the city I live in. As I was doing more looking, I stumbled upon something truly amazing.

Back in the early 1930's, someone printed up a magazine/book that was a pictorial of what Amarillo was...and the photos are just amazing.

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For a whopping 50 cents (which is the equivalent of $8 today), you could purchase this and get a feel for what Amarillo is if you were deciding to visit or move into the city.

The first thing you see when you open the magazine/book is what appears to be a selling point of the city. "AMARILLO - THE CITY OF BEAUTY, PROSPERITY AND OPPORTUNITY". Definitely feels to me they were really trying to sell the perfect life on potential residents.

The next page would seemingly confirm that. It gives you a look at what some of the homes in Amarillo look like, and they definitely focused on some of the bigger, more extravagant looking houses. Even now some of those homes would draw people in, but back in 1931 I'd imagine these homes were the epitome of "we made it".

Back in the day, country clubs were a BIG status icon. People would spend evenings at "the club" with high status people. Dinners and events at the country club weren't an uncommon thing, and membership into the club was for the elite. This is how cities could draw in businesspeople that could further the development of the city.

It wasn't ALL about driving people to move here however. Here's a pic of The Capitol Hotel, which they dubbed "Finest Hotel Of Its Size In America". IN AMERICA! That's a big statement to be making, and the fact that it resided here in Amarillo gave the city an edge over some of the other major cities already established when it came to tourism. Again, it was intended to bring big money to the city and drive the economy.

In staying with the elite and finest of America theology, it wouldn't be complete without showing where to find the finest jewelry in Amarillo. The Hurst Jewelry Company is prominently placed here for those looking to do some high end shopping to flaunt their status.

Take a look at the gallery below. It's the entire magazine/book for you to peruse. It truly is amazing to see just how far our city has come and what its selling points were 90 years ago.