Lions Club

Deaf Smith County, Texas

Old House 173

Bootleg, Texas

Farm Truck

Old House 172

Deaf Smith County, Texas

Old House 170

Bippus, Texas

Bootleg, Texas

Grain Elevator near Bootleg

(TSHA) Bootleg (Bootleg Corner) is in southwestern Deaf Smith County. 

There are two stories about the origin of its name. One associates the name with Moonshine Sheep Camp, where a moonshine still was once located; the campground was for cowboys and others traveling from La Plata to Endee, New Mexico. 

Another story has it that the community was named for a "bootleg school"–a small school building that was moved to various locations by agents selling land for the Capitol Syndicate so that prospective customers would believe there was a school near the land they were buying. Continued

Country Churches: Bippus

Bippus, Texas

Palo Duro Wildorado Cemetery

 Early settlers to this area included the J.C. Womble family, which came in January 1892. The next year, the community obtained land on which to build a schoolhouse, known as the Union School. In May 1893, George D. Whitfield, a young cowboy, was buried in what was the schoolyard. His is the first marked burial, although two earlier graves were known to exist at the time.

In 1901, residents organized the Palo Duro Missionary Baptist Church and held services in the schoolhouse. They moved across the road in 1905. In May 1910, the school moved approximately two miles north, and the property reverted back to its original owner. The land with the gravesites was deeded to the community in 1914 for use as a cemetery.

During the mid-20th century, area residents bought additional land and added a well and fence. As the burial site of numerous area residents, as well as men and women veterans of the military, the cemetery serves as a link to the area's rich history.

Hereford Homesteaders

Photograph of early settlers of Hereford, Texas. (Portal to Texas History)

Glenrio: State Line Motel

The motel behind the bar needn't be ornate.

Glenrio: Broyles Mobil Gas Station

Route 66, The Road Segments: Glenrio to San Jon

(NPS) ... Extending from the Texas border at Glenrio to two miles east of San Jon, this 14.6 mile segment of Route 66 runs almost two miles south of Interstate 40 through the sites of the early homestead towns that lined the now abandoned Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. This departure from the interstate enhances the feeling of cross-country travel in rural eastern New Mexico, especially with the vistas across the slightly rolling semi-arid rangeland, the barbed wire fencing paralleling the road, and the remains of the railroad grade with its wood trestle bridges. While the segment has little elevation change, several small streams near Endee mark a visible change in the area’s topography. These streams made the area attractive to homesteaders but posed challenges for early road builders who used several stream crossings to pass through the area.
When the road became part of Route 66 in 1930, road builders realigned it to eliminate stream crossings and run parallel to the railroad lying to the south. Engineers raised the grade and added several concrete culverts, often marked by short guardrails consisting of wood posts and connecting steel cables. Notable along this segment are four creosote-treated beam bridges east of Endee built during the 1930 alignment. These structures characterize bridge building over many of the flood plains and shallow riverbeds of the State in the 1920s and early 1930s. The cross sections of the early roadbed and the bridges remain largely unaltered.
When the road was turned over to Quay County, it was given a gravel surface that enhanced its historic feeling and recalled the era of Route 66 that preceded its paving in the 1930s. This segment served as Route 66 until 1952. Link

Deaf Smith

(Wikipedia) Erastus "Deaf" Smith (April 19, 1787 – November 30, 1837) was an American frontiersman noted for his part in the Texas Revolution and the Army of the Republic of Texas. He fought at the Grass Fight and the Battle of San Jacinto. After the war, Deaf Smith led a company of Texas Rangers. His name was generally pronounced /ˈdiːf/ DEEF.
... Deaf Smith County, Texas is named in his honor, which unlike his nickname, is pronounced by most residents as /ˈdɛf/ DEFF. Continued

State Line Bar and Motel, Glenrio, NM

Art Moderne in Glenrio, Texas

(NPS) ... A new cluster of businesses were built during the 1950s. Two of them, a Texaco Gas Station and a nearby diner, are of particular interest today. Both were designed with Art Moderne influence. Look for the curved vertical panels on top of the drive-thru bay of the station and for curved concrete corner walls and a curved metal canopy on the diner. Continued

Texas Longhorn Motel: Glenrio, Texas

Texas Longhorn Motel 2017

Texas Longhorn Motel 2004

Glenrio is not aging well. As you can see from the above two pictures, the Texas Longhorn Motel has lost more of its sign, a lot of shingles on the roof, and the roofing on the foyer. There's also more graffiti and a lot more No Trespassing signs, which seem to be largely ineffectual. It's still a charming little Route 66 ghost town, but if you have it on your bucket list, you'd best go sooner than later.