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By Joel Salcido
 This photo feature on Quitaque (pronounced kitty-quay), a Panhandle town about 40 miles east of I-27, between Amarillo and Lubbock, is the fifth in a series I’ve done for TH. I picked Quitaque because it’s a remote pinprick of a town in the middle of the vast Panhandle, and I thought it would be interesting to reveal the humanity of the place. After all, the bountiful rewards of living in or visiting a small town revolve mostly around the people you meet. They tend to be independent and opinionated.
If you pay attention, a rustic sign will eventually welcome you to Quitaque, population 400, give or take a few. The sign even tells you the local pronunciation: kitty-quay.
Main-Street Quitaque is ghostly. The storefronts—most of which date to the 1950s—on Texas 86 are mostly abandoned now. What’s really interesting, though, is that some of the display windows encase quirky museum-like exhibits, courtesy of the local women’s club, such as taxidermied coyotes and pyramids of high school trophies. However sleepy, Quitaque remains the unspoiled gateway to about 15,000 acres of stunning red sandstone and siltstone vistas that make up Caprock Canyons State Park. The park’s unusual, 64-mile trailway traces a former rail line from South Plains (on the western end) to Estelline (on the eastern end) and attracts hikers, bikers, and horseback-riders. The park brings yet another cycle of life to Quitaque.
But there are plenty of personalities here already.
Ranching is still at the heart of Quitaque, and it’s not uncommon to see three generations of cowboys corralled up at the Valley Farm Store for a round of morning coffee and tall tales. Elder statesman Earl Patrick, perhaps Quitaque’s best-known yarn-spinner, holds court here on a regular basis. Catch him in a good mood, and he’ll likely brag about the accomplishments of his cousin C.L. Hawkins, who takes care of the majestic Texas State Bison Herd at Caprock Canyons State Park. Now numbering more than 60, these bison descended from the half-dozen bison bred by Charles Goodnight, perhaps the most famous rancher in Texas history, who in the 1870s brought cattle to the area and named the fledgling community Quitaque. According to one story, he believed “Quitaque” was the Comanche word for “end of the trail.”
Spend some time getting to know this tiny Panhandle town. Not only is it the gateway to the stunning panoramas and adventures of the Caprock canyons, but it’s also a window to a hardscrabble world where a handshake seals deals, a tall tale becomes reality, and hard work and ingenuity mean that life goes on.
See the full article in the March 2009 issue. Subscribe Order back issues |
