Fun Fact; First National Monument In Texas Is In The Panhandle

There's a lot of history in the Texas panhandle. From the first tree to half buried cars, we've got it all. Fun fact; that includes the first national monument in Texas.

The Story Starts Thousands Of Years Ago

You have to go back quite a ways to get to the start of the story behind Texas' first national monument; heavy emphasis on the national. There are a lot of monuments in Texas, but this one is a U.S. national monument.

You have to go back to when people were going to the red bluffs around the Canadian River. They went there looking for flint. The Antelope Creek people got a lot of use out of the flint in the area.

Ring A Bell Yet?

It should. The area is now protected by the U.S. National Park Service. I'm sure you've seen the signs if you've ever decided to spend a day at the lake. That's because Lake Meredith is managed alongside the area that is home to the first U.S. monument in the state of Texas.

Alibates Flint Quarries

Would be the right answer if you've been guessing. Originally it was called Alibates Flint Quarries and Texas Panhandle Pueblo Culture National Monument. What is it with us giving everything an incredibly long title in the panhandle?

That was the title given in 1965 on Aug 31. The designation would later be changed on Nov 10, 1978. I'm no expert, but I like to believe it's because they had a difficult time fitting all of those words on a sign.

No matter the reason, the fact is that the first national monument in the state of Texas resides in the panhandle.

P.S. You'll Need A Reservation If You Want To Check It Out

If you decide one day that you just want to get up and go check out the quarries, you might be out of luck. During the winter season, tours are reservation only. Follow this link to their website for more info.

The Legendary Stories Behind These Six Weird Texas Town Names

It's no secret that Texas is home to some pretty strange town names. While the names of these places are strange enough on their own, sometimes the story behind the name is even stranger.

Teeny Tiny Towns of the Texas Panhandle

Don't blink! You just might miss these TINY towns that are dotted around the Texas Panhandle.

Some of these are unincorporated communities and some of these are just plain ol' small!

Either way, these teensy weensy tiny towns and their populations will make you say "wow" (and maybe even squint and say "that's all!?"). Check them out:

Can You Guess These Towns From Their Satellite Photos?

I'm always down for a good brain challenge. This one however got the best of me.

It's always a fun time looking up address or cities and seeing them from a satellite point of view. You start pointing out landmarks and things you recognize.

One thing you don't account for however is something looking bigger or smaller than you seemed to think it was. So we started grabbing a bunch of these satellite pictures of cities and towns around Amarillo.

As we looked at them, we thought to ourselves, "how fun would this be to actually have to GUESS what these places are?". So away we went.

Go ahead and try to see how many you can guess correctly!