So What Exactly is Casey Jones Doing In Downtown Amarillo?

Amarillo certainly has some interesting public art, Between the works of Stanley Marsh 3. Murals throughout downtown, there's certainly plenty to take in. Sculpture is no exception as there's an excellent tribute to Rick Husband at the Civic Center.

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There's certainly no doubting Rick Husband's place in Amarillo and he is certainly a very big part of the story of the Golden Spread. But a few blocks away at the intersection of 10th and Fillmore lies another figure. Tucked away at the entrance to the Golden Spread Electric Cooperative office building with no major plaque or explanation standing at just a hair under 7 feet tall is Casey Jones in all his glory:

The statue which actually isn't unique to Amarillo was originally designed by Mark Lundeen and is simply titled "Mighty Casey" a quick google search will show ours has a little more tarnish than most of the others.

Mudville was down two in the ninth...

The legend of Casey at the Bat goes back to the late 1800s when it was originally published in a San Francisco paper and in a nut shell here's how it goes. The Mudville team was down two runs in the 9th with their last out, Mighty Casey Stepped up to the plate and took his first strike... which "Wasnt His Style." the second offering Casey simply ignored... and the third... well.. Ill give you the last verse of the poem

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;the band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,and somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; but there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out.

 

It's canon in the heart of many baseball players, no one wants to be that guy in the ninth. It doesn't explain Casey's presence in the Yellow city and it doesn't have to. He's here... simply watching the city move around him... watching and waiting for that next at bat ready to redeem himself and the town of mudville.