From Pioneer’s Vision To State Highway: Unraveling The Evolution Of Highway 207

One of the most scenic drives in the Texas panhandle also happens to have one of the most incredible stories. Many of us have traveled along this stretch of highway, but I'm not sure how many of us know the incredible work that went into making it a reality.

The Incredible History Of Highway 207

It would be an oversimplification of the facts to say that an early pioneer in the area got tired of having to go around the canyon, and decided to build a road. But honestly, that's where the story of Highway 207 begins.

William Hamblen had a dream of being able to follow a road and cross the canyon, and it turned into a lifelong quest.

The Early Roads Crossing The Canyon

According to a documentary about Hamblen and his fight to get a road built that crossed the canyon, the idea was to go from Wayside, Texas to Claude, Texas without going around the canyon. The first road shaved quite a bit off the time it took to go from one to the other.

The interesting thing is that when you're traveling on Highway 207, you're not traveling on that first road.

Becoming A State Highway

Eventually, there was a need to get a road from Post, Texas up north to Borger, thanks to the oil and gas industry. This is where a portion of Hamblen's road would become a state highway.

Supposedly, the decision to go further south of Hamblen's original road was made over bridges. Hamblen's way needed two bridges. The other way only needed one.

Stolen Historical Markers And A Memorial

Eventually, historical markers would be placed telling the story of Hamblin and his family, even marking the site of the dugout the family had originally called home. Then, for reasons beyond rational thought, someone stole one of the historical markers.

The most tragic part of it all was that these markers weren't replaced for free. A lof of fundraising would have to happen before the stolen marker could be replaced. The marker now is encased in concrete, and honestly, it looks better than the original. Things have a funny way of working out.

You can watch the short documentary above. It's fascinating that something that we take for granted, like a highway, can have such a fascinating history.