4/19/07
On Coronado's Route and a Commerce Crossroads...Friona, Texas
By Darla Bracken fridarla19@yahoo.com
“For five days I went wherever they [the playas] led me, until we reached some plains as bare of landmarks as if we were surrounded by the sea. There are many excellent pastures with fine grass.” Francisco de Vazquez Coronado, October 20, 1541, “El Llano Estacado Exploration and Imagination on the High Plains of Texas and New Mexico”, 1536-1860 c. 1997
When Coronado crossed the Llano Estacado on his journey north to Quivira, 1536-1542, perhaps it was he who named the little arroyo “Frio” on the grassy plains. The water being cold may have surprised him. For all the explorers, animals, Indians, and settlers who may have ventured through this unsettled area, water would always have been a welcome sight. And all would have been awed if they had known that the gigantic “underground river”, the Ogallala aquifer, lay beneath their feet.
Water was certainly a factor when the XIT Ranch was established in 1882 when Parmer County was the only county out of the ten counties to be entirely included within the Ranch. Windmills first brought the pure water up from beneath the prairie grasslands to water the thousands and thousands of XIT cattle. Investors from as far away as Scotland joined the Farwell Brothers from Chicago in the amazing adventure. Three million acres of land were traded in exchange for the building of the state capitol building in Austin. Cattle were king and the railroads allowed for the necessary shipping to market and bringing in commerce. But by 1902, the investors, after enduring blizzards and drought, were ready to sell off the lands. Enter the Capitol Freehold Land & Investment Co. or the ‘Syndicate’ as they were known. Real estate agents were hired by the company to dispose of the land. Large acreage sales [50,000 & up] were made first and then began to individuals who came in on the railroad excursion trains to view the land. When the sales were final, families—animals, equipment and worldly possessions all—came in by train.
In November 1906 George G. Wright of Kansas City, Missouri registered the surveyed sight of 368.2 acres as the Original Town site of Friona, Texas at the Deaf Smith County Courthouse in Hereford. He built an attractive bungalow style office for his headquarters and it was the first thing a prospective land buyer saw when they arrived in Friona. It became quite a showplace and still has an irresistible charm even today. Soon folks from Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas and Missouri came to see the new land. Also, in 1906 residents organized the Congregational Church, which became the community’s gathering place as well as the first church. The beautiful Victorian frame structure was a welcoming landmark in early Friona until it was hit by lightning and burned in 1921. On March 16, 1907, the Post Office was established with Sarah D. Olson as the first postmistress. The Friona Sentinel was established in 1907 as Friona’s first newspaper.
By 1908 the Friona State Bank was chartered and today remains as one of Friona’s oldest businesses. Their attractive brick building at 5th and Main was also an icon for many years. Also, in 1908 the first school building, a small wooden frame structure, was built and Miss Roxie Witherspoon conducted the first classes. By 1916 Friona’s first elevator was constructed by another longtime business now known as Friona Wheat Growers. The first structure was not as immense as our elevators today, but it would have had as great an impact as far as getting the harvested grain secured, was concerned. The Friona Hotel, a mercantile store, a livery and blacksmith shop would have just about rounded out the little town.
Following another ‘boom’ in the mid 1920s, Friona had a cotton gin by 1927 and was incorporated in 1928 with Uncle John White serving as the first mayor. Mr. White also has the honor of establishing the Friona Star in 1925, now Friona’s news standard for 80 plus years, as he had prior newspaper experience from his home in Illinois. J.A. Blackwell and Jessie Osborn served as the first commissioners. Also, appointed by the new City Commission were City Attorney A.D. Smith; a Fire Marshall; a City Marshall, Charlie Jones; Water Commissioner, B. Short; Street Commissioner, Fred White; City Judge, F.W. Reeve and City Clerk, J.J. Horton.
Parmer County Community Hospital was chartered October 4, 1945 and is currently in the process of constructing a new hospital. City of Friona Ambulance Service with EMT began in 1976 with Rex Williams as the first driver. The Friona Public Library, with over 34,000 volumes, is open to all Texas residents, and was organized in June of 1963. The Library is a member of the Texas Panhandle Library System and participates in the Harrington Library Consortium.
Diligent efforts led by Friona State Bank Board Chairman, A.L. Black, to bring commerce to the plains, resulted in Missouri Beef Packers in 1963, now Cargill Meat Solutions. A few years later Friona Industries, capitalizing on the area industries—grain production, cattle feeding, veterinary supplies, trucking, grain elevator storage, custom construction welding and feed mill production—was formed. Hi-Pro Feeds, Inc. of Friona, Texas now affiliated with Unifeed, remains one of the region’s largest, in state of the art feed mill production. This quest for economic development continues today with the area dairy industry and the J.D. Heiskell & Company. Friona Community Center provides space for the Parmer County Livestock shows each year and the Arts & Crafts Bazaar in November. Friona Maize Days has been celebrated in September, each year, since 1957.
Historical markers within the city include the Friona marker replaced during the Centennial in 2006 (after the 1995 tornado carried it to parts unknown); the first church, now Parmer County Historical Museum, the Women’s Federated Clubhouse at 9th and Pierce and, most recently, Friona Schools, the first in the state to integrate, dedicated February 2007. “Frio de Vaca”, a 2006 Centennial City Art Project, now helps celebrate the legacy of the longhorn in our area.
