Washburn 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 ...

. According to the

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

, the community had an estimated population of 120 in 2000. Washburn is part of the Amarillo

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 ...

History

Washburn was part of the

JA Ranch The JA Ranch is a historic cattle ranch in the Palo Duro Canyon in Armstrong County, Texas. Founded in 1876 by Charles Goodnight and John George Adair, it is the oldest cattle ranching operation in the Texas Panhandle. Its headquarters area was d ...

from 1876 until its division in 1887. Robert E. Montgomery, who owned section 98, established this townsite at the ending point of 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 ...

in August of that same year. It was named after railroad official D.W. Washburn, who was also friends with, and a son-in-law of,

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

President

Grenville M. Dodge Grenville Mellen Dodge (April 12, 1831 – January 3, 1916) was a Union Army officer on the frontier and a pioneering figure in military intelligence during the Civil War, who served as Ulysses S. Grant's intelligence chief in the Western Thea ...

. Two water wells, a double pump station, a coal chute, a section house, a depot, and stock pens were all established in the community along the Denver Road. Another railroad track was built to

Panhandle A salient (also known as a panhandle or bootheel) is an elongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state. While similar to a peninsula in shape, a salient is most often not surrounded by water on ...

in 1888 to connect it to the Southern Kansas Railway. Washburn grew to have

tent A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using gu ...

s, dugouts, and board shacks and was a base of operations for settlers, ranchers, and other nearby communities. A post office was established at Washburn in March 1888 and remained in operation until 1956, with James Logue as postmaster, as well as

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in the community. He established a bank in 1908, which joined the bank in Claude in 1911. It had its newspaper titled the ''Armstrong County Record'', as well as three

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

s and a building supply house in 1890 and lost its position as the county seat to nearby

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 ...

in a close, contested election. This, along with the failure of other railroad tracks, tap line abandonment, and Amarillo emerging as a major city, caused the community's decline as people moved out and businesses failed, but the community's spirit remained alive. Telephone service arrived in 1896 from Amarillo. A

Methodist church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

was built in the community in 1907. A

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 then established in 1963. Its population was 25 from the 1930s to the 1950s and grew to 100 in 1964. It went down to 70 from 1974 to the 1980s. Washburn had a hotel, a

grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

, and a business in 1984. Some residents commute to Amarillo for work. Its population was 104 in 1990 and grew to 120 in 2000. Today, the community has a grain elevator in operation. It also had a general store, a lumber yard and two saloons. H.E. White owned the store, lumber yard, and elevators in the community. James Logue also donated land for a cemetery in the community. The Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway also served the community.

Geography

Washburn is located along

U.S. Highway 287 U.S. Route 287 (US 287) is a north–south (physically northwest–southeast) United States highway. At long, it is the second longest three-digit U.S. Route, behind US 281. It serves as the major truck route between Fort Worth and Ama ...

in northwestern Armstrong County, approximately 20 miles east of Amarillo.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 116 people, 70 households, and 63 families residing in the CDP.

Education

A combination school/church building was built at Washburn in 1889. A community center was built in Washburn to modernize school campuses, improve education, and sponsor cultural events around 1920. Today, the community is served by the

Claude Independent School District Claude Independent School District is a public school district based in Claude, Texas ( USA). In 2009, the school district was rated " recognized" by the Texas Education Agency. Schools In the 2012-2013 school year, the district had students i ...

References

External links

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