CHANNING, TEXAS

Channing, Texas, county seat of Hartley, County, is a town rich in the history of the west.  The town was both central to the development of ranching in the Texas Panhandle and an important shipping point for cattle.  Today the community relies on those same roots of farming and ranching to support its diverse elements. 

Channing derived its original name, Rivers, from George Channing Rivers, a paymaster for the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway built in 1888, and the name was changed to Channing later that year when another town by that name was discovered. The town developed because of its location on the railroad but it owes its existence directly to its association with the British land company XIT. Channing served for years as the company headquarters for the XIT Ranch.

The XIT Ranch in the late 1800s owned over 3 million acres of land in 10 Texas counties. The land was granted by the State of Texas to the Capital Syndicate who contracted to build the state capitol. At its peak, the XIT Ranch ran 150,000 cattle with 8 major ranch divisions.  The XIT was responsible for fencing 800 miles of fence and windmill crews drilled and constructed windmills across the entire ranch area. Channing became the primary shipping point for cattle because of its convenient location on the railway.  The XIT Ranch still held as much as 400,000 acres of land as late as 1929.

Willis D. Twichell platted Channing's business district in 1891, with the general headquarters of the XIT at the center. Albert G. Boyce, the ranch's general manager and a prominent early citizen, built the first house in the town. Boyce's "Poor Farm," the Rita Blanca Division headquarters, was less than two miles south of town. When Tascosa, a major town south of Channing, was abandoned after the turn of the century, several of its businesses were moved to Channing. By 1900 Channing had two lumberyards, two general stores, a school, and a grocery store, which also housed the post office. Although the town initially had several saloons, these were later voted out. Two elections, one in November 1896 and the other in May 1903, were required for Channing to replace Hartley as county seat. The original frame courthouse was moved to Channing on wheels by a group of XIT cowboys and was transformed into a hotel when the brick courthouse was built in 1906. Two years later, the local women's club established a public library, one of the earliest in the Panhandle.

The XIT, which conducted much of its business from Channing, was the town's chief customer until liquidation of the ranch in 1911. For a time thereafter, the real estate business thrived from the sale of XIT lands. Among the prominent citizens were the brothers James and William Powell of England, who were the first to breed Hereford cattle in the Panhandle. With A. G. Boyce, the Powells established the Channing Methodist Church. Walter Farwell, one of the family of XIT financiers, built his spacious summer home just outside Channing. His tree-lined driveway and his wife Mildred's southern hospitality became legendary. In addition, Farwell had on his estate a dam and artificial lake and a polo field on which he trained cow horses for the game.

On September 6, 1931, a fire destroyed seven buildings in the business district. Nevertheless, by 1940 Channing had a population of 475 with a high school, three churches, and five businesses, including a plant for grinding volcanic cinders and a cinder-block plant. Channing was incorporated in 1960 and grew as a shipping point and trade center for grains, feed, and livestock. By 1984, mainly because of the accessibility of Dalhart and Amarillo by U.S. highways 87 and 385, the population had decreased to 304. Six businesses were in operation. In 1990 the population was 277.

Today Channing is once again building on the roots of the past to plan for the future. The Channing Mercantile Store, once a prominent fixture on main street, is back but located on the main highway through town.    From the Mercantile, customers are not only able to access traditional services such as food, gas and other products but also find state of the art technology allowing them immediate access over the internet to modern online banking services at the Bank of Commerce.