Canadian, Texas

Everything Canadian is known for

5 songs mention this city 0 artists from here

Music in Canadian

Songs About Canadian

canadian river waltx
R.W. Hampton
83%
canadian, texas
david hanners
83%
Canadian; Texas
David Hanners
71%
Texas Oil Field
Woody Guthrie
6%
"and Canadian"
Cross Canadian Ragweed band
cwrc
3%
"TITLE: Cross Canadian Ragweed band"

Artists From Canadian

No artists from Canadian in the database yet.

Rivers & Roads in Song near Canadian

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Canadian.

Canadian River 7 songs

History of Canadian

The Bridge Two Floods Couldn't Beat RoadyGoat

Two bridges stood at this crossing before this one, in 1888 and 1889, and the river took both of them out in floods. So in 1915 voters approved something sturdier, and by 1916 the Canton Bridge Company had it built: seventeen steel spans, pin-connected the way trusses were built before welding took over, each one 155 feet long and 27 feet high, resting on concrete piers with steel footings driven 65 feet into the riverbed. Total length, 2,635 feet. Then in 1923 high water widened the river channel again, so the county brought in the Austin Bridge Company to add four more matching spans, stretching the whole bridge to 3,255 feet. That made it the longest pin-connected bridge in Texas, and it held the title of the state's longest metal truss bridge until the Rainbow Bridge went up between Orange and Port Arthur in 1938. Cars don't cross it anymore -- it's a pedestrian bridge now -- but the steel is the same steel from over a century ago.

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The First Rodeo in Texas RoadyGoat

Right here in Canadian, on the Fourth of July, eighteen eighty-eight, a piece of Texas identity took root. A group of cowboys from the Laurel Leaf Ranch, which spread across the country just east of town, had an idea. This was one of the big English and Scottish-owned outfits of the Panhandle, run by the Texas Land and Cattle Company out of Dundee, Scotland, and it carried the Laurel Leaf and Horseshoe brands. These were working cowboys, and they wanted a chance to show what they could do. So they organized a public contest, with steer roping as the main event, and folded it into the town's annual Cowboys' Reunion. Word spread, and folks from town came out to watch these hands prove their mettle against the clock and the livestock. That gritty, hometown competition grew into one of the very first commercial rodeos in all of Texas. Canadian can't claim to be the birthplace of the sport, that honor goes to Pecos and its Fourth of July contest back in eighteen eighty-three, but this dusty little town near the river helped write the earliest chapters of Texas rodeo, and it's been a rodeo town ever since.

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Temple Houston: The Flamboyant Frontier Lawyer RoadyGoat

Imagine the old Hemphill County Courthouse in the 1890s. A trial is underway, and the defense attorney is Temple Lea Houston, son of Texas icon Sam Houston. He really did practice here in Canadian, taking cases and doing legal work for the Santa Fe Railway. He stood before juries not in a plain suit but in flamboyant frontier dress, auburn hair down to his shoulders, a pearl-handled Colt he called 'Old Betsy' on his hip. Houston was a legal genius known for theatrical style and poetic arguments. His most famous case came after he moved north to Woodward in Oklahoma Territory: in 1899 he defended Minnie Stacey, a woman charged with prostitution, and his 'Soiled Dove Plea' won her acquittal in about ten minutes. He was a character straight out of a novel — a brilliant orator, a dead shot, a state senator — all before his death at forty-five in 1905. He is buried up in Woodward, not here, but Canadian is one of the towns where folks actually watched him work.

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McGee, Thomas T.

1887

Thomas T. McGee, first sheriff of Hemphill County, was born on September 13, 1849, in West Virginia. In 1877, after working as a cowboy for a time in Colorado, he accompanied Henry W. (Hank) Cresswell 's Bar CC herd to its new location in Ochiltree County. He was listed as a resident of Roberts County in the 1880 census. Later he worked for the Moody-Andrews Cattle Company ( PO Ranch ) and helped drive herds to Dodge City for several ranches, including Nick T. Eaton 's U Bar U. In December 1883 he registered his own Quarter Circle C brand at Mobeetie. About 1886 he bought William Young's interest in the PO Ranch and became foreman of it. During his tenure as foreman McGee was elected the first sheriff of Hemphill County when the county was organized in 1887. With his deputy sheriff, Vastine Stickley, as a partner, McGee operated a wagonyard and livery stable in the town of Canadian until 1893. On June 5, 1889, he married Mary Blandy Taylor at the home of her uncle, George T. Lynn, in Kansas City. In the fall of 1894 George Isaacs sent five envelopes reported to contain a total of $25,000 from Kansas City to his home base in Canadian. After the train pulled into Canadian on the evening of November 24, the money was transferred to the Wells Fargo safe in the railroad station. Moments later gunfire erupted outside the station. Sheriff McGee, who had just stepped out onto the platform, was fatally wounded and died later that night. When the envelopes were opened they were found to contain a total of only $500 in small bills. The obvious scheme of Isaacs to swindle Wells Fargo of thousands of dollars had miscarried. Isaacs was subsequently charged with McGee's murder, convicted in 1895 on a change of venue to Quanah in Hardeman County, and sentenced to life imprisonment at Huntsville. He later was reported to have escaped and fled to Mexico, then to Arizona, although some sources indicate that he was released. Three men accused of being his accomplices-Jim Harbolt, Dan McKenzie, and Tulsa Jack, a member of the Doolin Gang-were later apprehended by deputy marshals and returned for trial to Canadian. After her husband's death, Mary McGee reportedly had difficulty in settling his estate, since he did most of his banking in Kansas City. She served as a nurse's aid in England during World War I and remained there until her death. Her ashes were returned to Canadian for burial beside her husband.

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Studer, Julius Caesar

1888

Julius Caesar Studer, rancher, the son of Ben and Elsie Studer, was born on May 24, 1863, in Kastenholtz, Switzerland. In 1867 the Studers immigrated to America and settled in a Swiss colony near Tracy City, Tennessee. There Studer hired out as a farmhand at the age of ten, and at thirteen he apprenticed himself to a carriage maker in Grundy County. In 1885, shortly before his nineteenth birthday, he moved to Kiowa, Kansas, where he worked as a railroad machinist and blacksmith. The following year, after learning that the Southern Kansas (Panhandle and Santa Fe) Railway was to be built through that area, he filed on a 640-acre claim in Lipscomb County, Texas. Studer sold this claim in 1887 and moved to the new rail town of Canadian, where he opened a blacksmith shop. There he manufactured gun parts, bridle bits, and spurs and also purchased a livery stable and feed store. In addition, he bought eight sections of ranchland northeast of town from Sam Pollard and became the first rancher to place registered bulls, which he imported from Burlingame, Kansas, with his entire herd of range cattle. For a brand, Studer used the Anvil, after the symbol of his trade. On July 4, 1888, his Anvil Park Ranch became the first site of the annual Texas Cowboy Reunion , one of America's oldest professional rodeos. Studer married Ella Gallaher, sister of Fort Worth rancher Will Gallaher, on June 28, 1890. They had five sons and a daughter; their second son, Floyd V. Studer , became famous as an amateur archeologist. At various times J. C. Studer was engaged in the operation of a packing plant, meat market, feedstore, and lumberyard. He furnished the lumber for building the towns of Briscoe and Allison, supplied meat for Miami and Pampa, and operated the ice plant in Canadian for fifteen years. In 1912 he established a new market and bakery and reorganized his ranching enterprise as J. C. Studer and Sons. When asked why he had so many different kinds of businesses, he replied, "I have so many different kinds of sons." For over twenty years the Studers themselves provided the stock and managed the annual rodeo at Anvil Park Ranch. In 1915 Studer retired from management of his various businesses to devote full time to his ranch, but he again took over briefly in 1917–18, when his sons entered the service in World War I . Afterward, he continued breeding Herefords and managing his ranch for the remainder of his life. He was a founder and charter member of the Panhandle and Southwest Livestock Association, which later merged with the Cattle Raisers Association of Texas. Studer was also active in community and church work, and bought and sold several town lots in Canadian. In 1950 he sold 5,000 acres of the Anvil Park Ranch to the Texas Game and Fish Commission for the Gene Howe Wildlife Management Area. Studer died in 1953 at the age of ninety and was buried in Canadian.

Tsha Handbook →

W. C. T. U. Building

1902

Only structure in the nation built, owned and still operated by a local chapter of Women's Christian Temperance Union. Built 1911, with financing and upkeep from annual bazaars held since 1906. Also, used by public library and civic groups. Determined to abolish liquor by local option election, the chapter organized in 1902. Won first election a year later. Meetings have been held every Wednesday since founding. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965

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Tom T. McGee

1887

(Sept. 13, 1849 - Nov. 24, 1894) Came to Canadian about 1884. Was foreman on PO Ranch prior to election as first sheriff of Hemphill County, 1887 - year city of Canadian was founded. Nov. 23, 1894, in gun fight with 6 men attacking large shipment of money at Wells, Fargo & Co., he was mortally wounded, and he died the next day. His widow went to England as a volunteer civilian worker in World War I; died there. Ashes were returned here for burial. Recorded - 1967

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Robert R. Young

1897

(February 14, 1897 - January 25, 1958) A leader in America's finance and transportation. Born here, in house built by lawyer Temple Houston, son of Republic of Texas President Sam Houston. His grandfather was traildriver, pioneer rancher; his father, president of the first bank in Canadian. Educated at Old Canadian Academy, Culver Military Academy (where he won highest honors), University of Virginia. Married, 1916, Anita O'Keeffe, sister of the famous painter Georgia O'Keeffe. Had a daughter. One of close friends was King Edward VIII of England. Assistant to treasurer of General Motors, 1920s. Made fortune in stock market in 1929. After years on Wall Street, won acclaim of financial world in a proxy battle to gain control of and modernize New York Central Railroad. In this fight, enlisted aid of Texas friends Clint Murchison and Sid Richardson. Until 1939, retained banking interests in Canadian. Was a lifelong member of Presbyterian church here. Remembered native state with gifts of rare papers to University of Texas. Restored an historic local burial ground, naming it "Edith Ford Cemetery," to honor an aunt who reared him after early death of his mother. Maintained close ties (in visits, hunting trips, correspondence) with people known in boyhood. (1967)

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Canadian, TX

1887

Canadian, on U.S. highways 60 and 83 in western Hemphill County, has been the county seat since its founding in 1887. In the spring of that year E. P. Purcell and O. H. Nelson, who headed the Kansas Railway Townsite Company, laid out the 240-acre townsite, which is on the south bank of the Canadian River near its junction with Red Deer Creek. By summer the Southern Kansas Railway had completed a bridge across the river from the settlement of Clear Creek, or Hogtown. As a result, residents of Hogtown moved their homes and businesses to Canadian. Soon the temporary tent city gave way to more permanent structures, as the townsite company's advertisements attracted more prospective settlers and businesses. Nelson Peet established the first hotel, the Log Cabin, and a post office was opened in August. On July 4, 1888, Canadian's reputation as a rodeo ( see RODEOS ) town began when the annual Cowboys' Reunion staged a commercial rodeo, one of the first in Texas. The event has been an annual custom ever since. Baptists, Methodists, the Christian Church, the Church of Christ, and other Christian communions soon established churches in Canadian. By 1900 the incorporated town was a major shipping center with railroad division headquarters and roundhouses, cotton gins, elevators, banks, a public school, and a private academy, as well as various stores and other small businesses. Canadian also had as many as thirteen saloons before the county voted to go dry in 1903. Since then, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union has had an active chapter in Canadian; the old WCTU building also houses the city library. Canadian has had seven newspapers: the Free Press (1887-88), the Crescent (1888-93), the Record (1893-), the Enterprise (1891-1912), the Advertiser (which later became the Hemphill County News , 1938-71), the Sand Burr (1933-49), and the short-lived Monday Morning News (1916). Among the prominent businessmen and civic leaders, some of whose descendants still make Canadian their home, were George and John J. Gerlach , Harvey E. Hoover , Edward H. Brainard , and Nahim Abraham , who immigrated from Lebanon. Temple Lea Houston lived for a time in Canadian, as did the colorful rancher and lawman George W. Arrington . In the early 1950s Canadian lost its railroad roundhouses and division headquarters as a result of reorganization by the Santa Fe. Nevertheless, it continued to thrive on ranching and farming, as well as oil and gas production. The population increased from 2,671 in 1950 to 3,491 in 1980. In 1990 it was 2,417, and in 2000 it was 2,233. In addition to the annual rodeo, the annual Midsummer Music Festival in August and the Autumn Foliage Tour in October attract visitors. The River Valley Pioneer Museum is in Canadian. Lake Marvin and the Gene Howe Wildlife Management area are located east of town.

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Things to Do in Canadian

historical 0.3 mi away
The Battle of Adobe Walls

In 1874 twenty-eight buffalo hunters held off seven hundred Comanche and Kiowa warriors near Canadian. A young Quanah Parker led the charge but Billy Dixon…
historical 0.2 mi away
The Fourth of July Rodeo Since 1888

Canadian has held a Fourth of July rodeo every year since 1888 making it one of the oldest continuous rodeos in Texas. Cowboys were roping and riding here…
quirky 0.3 mi away
The Pronghorn Highway

The grasslands around Canadian host one of the densest pronghorn antelope populations in Texas. Drive the highways at dawn and you will see hundreds of them…
historical 0.3 mi away
The Last Stop Before No Man's Land

Before barbed wire Canadian was the last supply stop on the Western Trail before cattle herds crossed into Indian Territory. Drovers would stock up on whiskey…
historical 0.3 mi away
The Canadian River Wagon Bridge

When Canadian built its wagon bridge across the river in 1916 it was the longest bridge in Texas at nearly half a mile. Cowboys and cattle had drowned for…
quirky 8.2 mi away
The Panhandle's Secret Fall Colors

Every October Canadian turns into something nobody expects in the Texas Panhandle -- a fall foliage destination. The Canadian River breaks carved cottonwood…
quirky 0.2 mi away
The Tiny Town With a River Walk

Canadian built itself a proper river walk along the Canadian River that would make San Antonio blush for a town this small. Walking trails wind through…
quirky 0.2 mi away
The Wildflower Capital Nobody Knows

The river breaks around Canadian explode with wildflowers every spring in colors that rival the Hill Country. Indian paintbrush and bluebonnets carpet the…
day trip
BIG BALLS in this Cowtown - Canadian, TX. 🐄 Eating Calf Fries!

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Sports in Canadian

🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 3A · Football · 2020

Canadian Wildcats — 2020 UIL 3A Division 2 Football State Champions

Most recent: 35-34 over Franklin · 2020 3A Division 2 final

In the Texas Panhandle, Canadian High School stands as a beacon for Class 3A football. The Wildcats have established a reputation for competitive play within their division, drawing support from across the community. Their consistent presence in the state playoffs reflects a program dedicated to athletic excellence year after year.

The pinnacle of their achievements came in 2020 when Canadian High School secured the 3A Division 2 state championship. This significant victory underscores the team's hard work and the vibrant sports culture in Canadian, Texas, where high school football is a cherished local tradition.

State titles
2020
Most recent
2020, 35-34
Class
3A
The moment

In 2020, Canadian High School won the 3A Division 2 state championship by defeating Franklin 35-34.

Sources: UIL State Championship Archives · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)
🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 3A · Girls Basketball · 2017

Canadian Wildcats — 2017 UIL 3A Girls Basketball State Champions

Most recent: 2017 3A

In the heart of the Texas Panhandle, Canadian High School stands as a point of pride for its community, particularly when it comes to girls' basketball. Competing in Class 3A, the Lady Cats have established a strong presence on the court, reflecting the dedication and spirit found in this part of the state.

The program reached its pinnacle in 2017, securing a UIL Class 3A State Championship. This achievement highlights a period of significant success for Canadian's girls' basketball, bringing state-level recognition back to the home of the Wildcats.

State titles
2017
Most recent
2017
Class
3A
The moment

The 2017 UIL Class 3A State Championship marked a significant high point for Canadian High School girls' basketball.

Sources: UIL State Championship Archives · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)

Everything Near Canadian

81 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

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