Goodnight is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Armstrong County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The community is part of the

Amarillo Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat, seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County. It is the List of cities in Texas by population, 14th-most populous city in Texas and th ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. In 2000, the population was 18.Goodnight, Texas
in the Handbook of Texas Online

History

Goodnight was named for pioneer rancher

Charles Goodnight Charles Goodnight (March 5, 1836 – December 12, 1929), also known as Charlie Goodnight, was a rancher in the American West. In 1955, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Early ...

, who settled on a

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

near the community after selling it to the JA Ranch in 1887. The ranch was the first building in the community and remained in the community in 1890, along with a buffalo herd he had on the ranch to help preserve the species. He was the dominant force in the community until he died in December 1929. The

Fort Worth and Denver Railway The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road", was a class I American railroad company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound influence on the early settlement and economic development ...

built a station at that same spot, with John Dorterer as the station agent and CM McCurdy as a section foreman. A post office was established at Goodnight in November 1888 and remained in operation until 1969, with Sam Dyer as postmaster. R.A. Hathorn, who served as the

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

at the JA Ranch, opened his shop that same year. A newspaper called the ''Goodnight News'' was first published in 1890 and merged with the ''Claude Argus'' to become the ''Claude News''. Goodnight

Baptist Church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

was chartered in 1904. The community had nine businesses and 300 residents in 1940. The community's business district declined with the emergence of

Claude Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...

as the county's business center and improved transportation and communication facilities. Its population plunged from 200 in 1944 to 25 in 1969. It continued to decline even when the 1963 film

Hud Hud or HUD may refer to: Entertainment * ''Hud'' (1963 film), a 1963 film starring Paul Newman * ''Hud'' (1986 film), a 1986 Norwegian film * ''HUD'' (TV program), or ''Heads Up Daily'', a Canadian e-sports television program Places * Hud, Fa ...

was filmed in the area. The Goodnight Ranch facilities, a church, and a cemetery remained there in 1984, along with a population of only 18 in 2000. A folk-rock band called

Goodnight, Texas Goodnight is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Armstrong County, Texas, Armstrong County, Texas, United States. The community is part of the Amarillo, Texas, Amarillo Amarillo metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. In ...

was named after the town of Goodnight, located directly between their hometowns of

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange, Durham and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 census, making Chapel Hill the 17th-largest municipality in the state. Chapel Hill, Durham, and the state ca ...

, and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The band has performed in town 3 times as of 2017.Goodnight, Texas Bio
Biography of Goodnight, Texas: Tallest Man Records The

Charles and Mary Ann (Molly) Goodnight Ranch House The Charles and Mary Ann (Molly) Goodnight Ranch House, near Goodnight, Texas, was built in 1888. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. It is located in Armstrong County, Texas at US 287 and 5000 Block County Road 25 ...

is currently listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. With historic photos and seven photos from 2007.

Geography

Goodnight is located on U.S. Highway 287 at the edge of the

Llano Estacado The Llano Estacado (), sometimes translated into English as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. One of the largest mesas or tablelands on the North A ...

, southeast of

and southeast of

in northeastern Armstrong County.

Education

Goodnight's first school was established in 1891, with Goodnight College operating from 1898 through 1917. The school was run in cooperation with the local Baptist church. Today, the community is served by the

Clarendon Independent School District Clarendon Independent School District is a public school district based in Clarendon, Texas, United States. Located in Donley County, portions of the district extend into Briscoe and Armstrong Counties. In addition to Clarendon, the district al ...

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Amarillo metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in Armstrong County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas