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Don’t Mess with Texas on Route 66

Don’t Mess with Texas on Route 66

Shamrock

From Oklahoma City, we took Interstate 40 (old 66) to Shamrock, Texas. Located in the eastern part of the Texas panhandle, Shamrock is the first Route 66 town coming from the Oklahoma. Shamrock got its name from an Irish immigrant, George Nickel, who settled in the area and wanted to open a post office there. He chose the name Shamrock for good luck. Learn more about Shamrock’s history through the Texas State Historical Association.

With a population of about 2000 folks, Shamrock is a small, rural and surprisingly unsleepy town. And by unsleepy, I mean, there was a decent amount of activity (dare I say bustling?)  going on in this lil place.

Quick Tips

1. Walk around town and search for Route 66 attractions and other treasures like the 175 foot tall water tower built in 1915, the Magnolia Station at the Pioneer West Museum, beautifully restored art deco buildings, and attention-grabbing murals.

2. And don’t forget to get a peck of good luck at the Blarney Stone in Elmore Park! It is a real-life, genuine, authentic fragment of the actual stone from Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland. Go out there and kiss yourself some Blarney!

3. I don’t have a good lodging recommendation. We stayed at the Econolodge, and it was edging toward dismal. Sometimes finding dog-friendly lodging that isn’t along the freeway can be a challenge in a small town. The location was fine, but for $71.00 we got a room that was missing the smoke detector (this gave my imagination a nighttime run for her money when I should have been sleeping), a fridge that was lined with what seemed to be cat hair, and some scumudgeon on the carpet that I would rather not discuss. This should have been a $30.00/night room.

 Quick Tips

Check out the following links (PDF’s) to learn more about the Texan Route 66 attractions.

Route 66 Association of Texas –Eastern Texas
Route 66 Association of Texas – Central Texas
Route 66 Association of Texas – Western Texas

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You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.
~Davy Crockett

Always marry a woman from Texas. No matter how tough things get, she’s seen tougher.
~Dan Rather

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Our Journey West Across the US

Post #1: Macon Music in Georgia
Post #2: Boy from Tupelo, Mississippi
Post #3: Two Must-Sees in Memphis Tennessee
Post #4: Mosey Through the Arkansas Ozarks
Post #5: Gettin’ Our Kicks on Route 66 from Missouri to Sapulpa, Oklahoma
Post #6: More Route 66 Kicks from Sapulpa to Oklahoma City
This is Post #7: Don’t Mess with Texas on Route 66
Post #8: Route 66 Texas Panhandle
Post #9: Bound for Tucumcari, New Mexico
Post #10: Santa Fe’ed Your Soul
Post #11: The Winds of Taos
Post #12: The Good, the Bad, and the Heinous of New Mexico
Post #13: Dusky, Durable Durango
Post #14: Cliff Dwellings of Mesa Verde Colorado
Post #15: Moab Rocks
Post #16: No Clever Title for Richfield, Utah
Post #17: Leavening Las Vegas

 

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