Parmer County: High Plains and Ranching History

Parmer County lies in the High Plains of Texas. Flat expanses, sandy, clayey, and silty soils, and cultivated fields shape the landscape. Along with native grasses, the area produces corn, sugar beets, potatoes, sorghum, cotton, wheat, hay, and soybeans. Running Water Draw crosses the county from northwest to southeast as an intermittent stream. Here, the landscape and its uses go hand in hand: the broad plain is both farmland and part of a story shaped by ranches, railroads, and settlements.

High Plains and Ranching History

All of Parmer County lay within the lands granted to the XIT Ranch. This connection to ranching history extends beyond individual communities. Friona was founded in 1898 as a freight and loading station on the Pecos Valley and Northern Texas Railway. The early land-development trains to Friona carried 250 to 500 people each. Another chapter in railroad history followed in 1913, when the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway built a branch line from Farwell to Lubbock. For road travel, U.S. Highway 60 connects Farwell with Amarillo via Bovina, Friona, Hereford, and Canyon. The historic rail connections and the named highway route tell different chapters of the region’s development.

Bovina and Farwell: Places with Their Own History

Bovina began as the XIT Ranch’s Hay Hook Line Camp and is located in western Parmer County between two branches of Running Water Draw. In 1898, train crews called the railroad section near Bovina “Bull Town” because cattle were often on the tracks there. Around the turn of the 20th century, Bovina was one of the largest livestock shipping points in the United States. The nickname links the history of cattle ranching with the railroad: it refers to the animals that were on the tracks.

Farwell’s history also includes government and community institutions. The county seat was moved from Parmerton Hill to Farwell on December 10, 1907; in 1917, county officials moved into the Farwell courthouse. A stone church built in 1907 also served as a public school until 1910. These two timelines offer insight into the town’s different functions: Farwell became the county seat, while the church was also used for school lessons.

Church and Museum History in Friona

The Parmer County Museum grew out of the “First Church in Friona,” dedicated on May 23, 1909. After the original wooden church burned down, a mud chapel was built at the museum site in 1921. A historic memorial stone was placed at the former church site in 1975. The museum presents the origins of Parmer County and its condition at the beginning of 1876. A museum presentation in 2009 featured exhibits from founding families as well as historical materials from the county’s schools.

The Pioneer Heritage Chapel & Museum building houses the museum in the basement and the chapel on the first floor. If you plan to visit, check the current opening arrangements beforehand.

Festival and City Park in Friona

The Cheeseburger Festival takes place on the third Saturday in July and was first held in 2005. It showcases the region’s beef, dairy, and grain industries around Friona. If you’d like to plan your trip around the festival, check the dates for the relevant year. This gives you a specific reason to plan your timing, while the town’s and ranching history also offer reasons to visit independently of the event date.

Friona’s city park has a pavilion and a playground; check the facilities before your visit. Together with the museum’s history and the July festival, this gives visitors several ways to experience Friona during a stay in the county: history, a recurring event, and a city park with named facilities.

Discover more destinations: Friona, Medina County, Brazoria, Blanco County, Uvalde County, Callahan County, Rusk, Goliad County.

For the main travel overview: Texas.