The Panhandle's first railroad, the Southern Kansas Railway of Texas, was constructed in 1886. Reaching Amarillo in 1889, the railway pulled cars filled with immigrant families and their belongings. The settlers were farmers from the east and south who came west to find water and cheap land. George Tyng, an adventurous fortune seeker, began leasing ranch land in 1887. A rail station was constructed, and Tyng eventually settled on the name "Pampa," a South American word that means "plains." Tyng was fond of saying that someday Pampa would be the "Queen City of the Plains."
Author Anne Jordan Davidson was born and raised in Pampa. After leaving West Texas A&M University, she married and raised three children before moving back to the area and becoming director of Pampa's White Deer Land Museum in 1990. Coauthor Deborah Chambers, originally from Houston, is the director's assistant, the records clerk, and tour guide for the museum. Raising her family in Pampa and the White Deer area, Chambers has worked at the museum for more than 11 years. This book offers readers a rare glimpse at Pampa's past through vintage images provided by the White Deer Land Museum.