Scurry County Historical Commission

Good Marker Monday. This morning we are at the courthouse grounds where Doug Scott cut back some tree limbs that were covering this marker then he restored it. Thank you Doug Scott If you notice that this marker has two dates. The original marker was placed on the Sante Fe Depot in 1976. There is a picture of it on the wall of the depot 👇 below. It was stolen shortly after it was placed. In 1999 it was reordered and placed on the courthouse grounds.
The Santa Fe system made two starts to furnish rail transportation to the State of Texas. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway chartered, by business magnates of Galveston in 1873, had built into Temple by 1880, and made an extension from that point out to San Angelo by way of Brownwood and Coleman in 1885. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe acquired the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe in 1886, and under a Texas charter entered the Amarillo area with its lines in 1888-89.
The Santa Fe began surveying the Scurry County area in 1906 when its total population was only 4,158.
Hermleigh was established in 1907 to be on Scurry County's first railroad, the Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific, which reached Snyder in 1908. The RS&P never reached its goal of the Pacific, the full extent of its track was only 50 miles.
In 1910, the Santa Fe rails reached Lubbock.
On Nov 6, 1911, the postmistress in Snyder, Mrs. Kate Nelson, received official notice that the Santa Fe would put through mail service with two trains heading north east and west each day.
The Santa Fe Railroad was of tremendous importance to Scurry County. It carried to them manufactured goods. It shipped their products to distant markets. During the oil boom days of the 1950s, it hauled many tons of oilfield equipment.
Information from the Historical Markers In Scurry County.

Unfortunately we weren't able to save our depot from demolition in 2017. Many tried.

Do you know how this buffalo statue got to Snyder? Funds were raised in 1966, chairman "Brud" Boren established the Order of the White Buffalo " with charter membership for donations of any amount from a nickel and more. School children were interested and donated towards the White Buffalo. They gathered just enough funds, $475, to buy this white buffalo. However, they had no funds to transport it from California. Brud Boren and S. D. Hays drove a pickup truck to Alpine, California to transport it to Snyder. "They said it was worth their expense on the return to watch the amazement on people's faces when they saw the white buffalo going down the highway riding high in the pickup.". (Page 235, From Buffalo....To Oil, History of Scurry County Texas compiled by Hooper Shelton,). The story continues with these two men telling of their journey, sleeping in bedrolls close to the pickup and accidentally locking their clothes in the pickup. It sounded like quite the adventure to bring this statue to Snyder. This white buffalo was in the 4th of July parade in the park in 1967. Wouldn't it be fun to have this white buffalo in the 4th of July parade this year?

Three markers done today around the square and one a block off the square. Getting the Scurry County Historical Markers looking good for our Scurry County 150! on Aug 21st. Thank you Doug Scott and Burns for getting these markers in top shape.

Another marker at the square ✅ done, thank you Doug Scott . Preserving our history and preparing for our Scurry County 150 celebration. There are a lot of stories on these markers around the square.

We need your help. Look through your old pictures and see if you have a picture of the previous gazebo, like the one in this picture. We are looking for a picture with better details. Please send in the comments if you have a better picture.

Marker Monday takes us to the courthouse grounds. Commissioner Doug Scott just recently restored this marker for our upcoming Scurry County 150 celebration, which is Aug. 21st.

Following the Civil War, there was a great colonization push toward the west, with frequent conflicts between the Indians and the settlers. In the 1870s the Indian raids caused so much terror that at last the word was sent out to bring the Indians to reservations to end the border strife. Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie was ordered to the area. With a Cavalry force of 600 to 800 men, his route began at Fort Griffin, across the Fresh Water Fork of the Brazos River to the Plains; and from Fort Concho on the Concho River near the present day San Angelo to Camp Colorado, northward to Deep Creek, passing across where the Snyder courthouse now stands and thence northward to the great Palo Duro Canyon.
Tons of supplies were freighted by teams across the country to his forces. The so-called Concho-Fresh Water route that came through Snyder appears to have been a wagon supply road. Parts of this old trail were shown on maps prepared by Capt. Randolph B. Marcy as early as 1854. In the 1870s, it became the Mackenzie Trail and was so marked by early-day surveyors in land deeds and patents. Abstracts of the original townsite of Snyder trace "from four pits and a mound" at the back of "Snyder's store" and cross the Mackenzie Trail twice before returning to the spot,. The trail makes a route across the Snyder square. Mackenzie Mountain in Kent County was named for Col. Mackenzie as were Mackenzie State Park in Lubbock and Mackenzie Peak in Dickens County.
The above information was research by Gerry Burton and R. J. Walker. Volumes have been written about Co. Mackenzie's military career. This information from Historical Markers In Scurry County.

Another marker done down at the courthouse. Thank you Doug Scott. The Canyon Reef marker was being rubbed by the tree and there was rust on the frame and pole. The smaller marker about the law men also had a rusty pole. Doug treated the rust and painted the poles then restored both of the markers. Preserving our History. Be sure to attend the Scurry County 150 celebration on August 21st. We are working on having the markers around the square looking good.

Flag Day - put out your flags today. Scurry County is celebrating with 150 flags on the courthouse lawn. It is also the US Army's 251st birthday.