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LUBBOCK |
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LUBBOCK , the largest city in the Panhandle, has long been the
center of its commerce and transportation, roughly one hundred miles
northwest of Abilene and the same distance south of Amarillo. At first
this was cattle-grazing land, but the discovery of copious underground
water made agriculture profitable.
The prosperity of the city was built on cotton. In recent years, while
farmers have been perpetually plagued by economic struggles, the town's
economy now also relies on manufacturing and retail outlets; you may,
however, still see solitary cottonfields standing defiantly on the
outskirts, where farmers have refused to sell out.
With its fields, farms, lumpen bungalows and faceless block buildings,
Lubbock is relentlessly ordinary-looking, its muted downtown area dotted
with fading 1950s shopfronts. Which is not to say that it's dull; though
Southern Baptism has left its mark, Lubbock has a uniquely Texan sense
of fun, clearly evident in its love of music, rodeos, and having a good
time
The Town
Downtown Lubbock, and the university, are on the northern side of town.
Few buildings of interest survive, thanks to the construction boom of
the 1950s and a tornado in 1970. However, you can get a stimulating
overview of local history at the university's Ranching Heritage Center ,
Fourth Street and Indiana Avenue (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm; free).
Over thirty original ranch buildings, from simple cowboy huts to grand
overseers' houses, are set in a harsh landscape spiked with cactuses and
mesquite. There's an excellent museum on pioneer and cowboy history, and
demonstrations on making lye soap, sourdough and quilts. The adjacent
Texas Tech Museum (Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat 10am-5pm, Thurs 10am-8.30pm, Sun
1-5pm; free) has further Southwestern displays and Buddy Holly
memorabilia.
Nearby, the Lubbock Lake Landmark State Historical Park archeological
site (Tues-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm; free; ) has yielded an impressive
array of artifacts spanning 12,000 years, although to the untrained eye
it resembles little more than a dry gravelly site buzzing with gigantic
Texan insects. As indeed does Prairie Dog Town , in Mackenzie State Park,
where six hundred of the cuddly little rodents are attempting to
repopulate the world and gain their revenge for the attempts of
government officials and irate ranchers in the 1930s to poison them into
extinction.
Three miles east of the Loop on Farm Road 1585, the Llano Estacado
winery started as the hobby of two university professors. It might look
incongruous, set amid scrubby pastureland and cottonfields, but its
success has led Lubbock to pin great hopes on the potential of wine to
revitalize and diversify its flagging economy. Visitors are given a
guided tour and free tasting (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; tel
806/745-2258, ).
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Vacation Rentals in Lubbock |
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from $42.18
USD