“We talked of the end of the world, and then, we’d sing a song and then sing it again.” ~ Woody Guthrie
If you lived in the Panhandle town of Pampa on April 14, 1935, you would have witnessed a sunny, blue-sky Sunday swallowed up by a ferocious storm of biblical proportions. Towering two miles high, the black blizzard engulfed the ranchland in an inky darkness, its 60-mile-per-hour winds roiling with 300,000 tons of topsoil. For this was no cloud — it was a dust storm, and the very earth that Pampa’s farmers depended on for survival now rose up to choke them.
The terrifying wall of dirt and debris had crept down America’s High Plains, blistering skin, suffocating animals, and burying homes up to their roofs. Crops and fields were destroyed. The swirling squall shoved its way into homes and lungs; it ruined tractors and cars. People caught out in their yards had to crawl on hands and knees to find their front doors. Many thought it was the end of the world. But it was Black Sunday — the worst storm of the Dust Bowl, a decade-long drought that devastated farmers and shaped the face of America long after.
But within the darkness of so much suffering, light found a way through. Black Sunday finally compelled the federal government to address the Dust Bowl crisis, and within two weeks, new legislation laid out plans for soil conservation and farmer-relief programs. The Dust Bowl prompted hundreds of thousands of people to migrate from the Great Plains to California and sparked a shift in literary, artistic, and musical culture. John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath, Dorothea Lange photographed the resilient “Okies,” and in Pampa, a young man named Woody Guthrie would transform the trauma of the Dust Bowl into folk music loved by millions.
Famously described as Bob Dylan’s “hero,” Guthrie’s songs like “This Land Is Your Land” have seeped into America’s collective consciousness. He moved to Pampa from Oklahoma in 1929 when he was 17, arriving just as “Million Dollar Row” was being constructed on Russell Street: City Hall, Gray County Courthouse, and Pampa Central Fire Station. These opulent beaux arts buildings showcased Pampa’s newfound wealth from the 1920s Panhandle oil boom, and they still evoke elegance and grandeur today.
Guthrie spent the next eight years in Pampa, forming his identity and learning to write songs. He found his first guitar in the back room of Harris Drug Store, where he also worked as a soda jerk (and sold bootleg whiskey from under the counter). It’s now home to the Woody Guthrie Folk Music Center and a come-as-you-are jam session on Friday evenings. Across town, there’s a 150-foot-long sculpture of the sheet music for “This Land Is Your Land,” a popular photo op for folk music pilgrims.
While Guthrie’s left-leaning humanist views weren’t always appreciated in his hometown, his music sparked a folk music revival and inspired everyone from Johnny Cash and Pete Seeger to Bruce Springsteen and U2. His workingman songs were a balm for hard times, creating hope and resilience amidst massive economic and social upheaval — giving us an enduring reminder that no matter how dark the storm, the light will come again.
“Life has got a habit of not standing hitched. You got to ride it like you find it. You got to change with it. ~ Woody Guthrie
Explore Pampa
Savor: You can’t miss the flashing neon red “CAFÉ” sign at Coney Island Café, a true Texas legend. Open since 1933, it’s the oldest restaurant in the Panhandle. Guthrie wrote his song “All Alone on Saturday Night” about mopping and washing dishes there, and Bob Wills and Van Cliburn also stopped by. Order a classic Coney dog (with chili, mustard, and onions) and some scratch-made egg custard pie. Enjoy a different kind of pie at 19:30 Pizzeria, which opened in January with artisan pizzas like hot honey pepperoni and garlic burrata. If Pampa’s ranching heritage inspires a desire for beef, Texas Rose Steakhouse cooks everything on a live-fire mesquite grill.
Shop: Pampa’s gift stores and fashion boutiques congregate along N. Cuyler Street, including one of the newest: Jade + Co Boutique & Creamery. Owned by two former teachers, the shop sells Consuela bags and Oliver + Co. fragrances — and the build-your-own sundae bar adds a sweet twist to retail therapy. Another newcomer is It’s About Time, a poke-around store featuring 20-plus vendors of antiques, handmade jewelry, and eclectica. A few blocks away, the Garden Owl greenhouse is worth a stroll for the effervescent flowers and foliage, and you can pick up colorful garden gifts like windchimes and welcome mats.
Enjoy: Explore Panhandle history at the White Deer Land Museum, a well-designed treasure trove with pioneer toys, Red River War relics, and period reproductions of a schoolroom, country store, and homestead. The museum is housed in the restored 1916 office of the White Deer Land Company, which existed before the town of Pampa and covered 857,000 acres of ranchland. Head to Freedom Museum USA to check out military memorabilia indoors and out, including a World War II-era B-25 bomber, an F-105 Thunderchief fighter jet, and an M60 tank from Operation Desert Storm.
Snooze: You’ll find some interesting rentals on Airbnb and Vrbo, like a five-bedroom villa with a theater room, indoor pool, and wood-burning pizza oven. For a luxe log cabin experience, Cabin on the Plains has a cozy indoor fireplace and an air-controlled king bed (and horses are welcome). Harold’s farmhouse is another peaceful country retreat with a wraparound porch, an antique bathtub, and a beautiful backyard. Pampa’s best hotel is Wyndham’s La Quinta Inn & Suites.
How to Get There: Drive north from Fort Worth on I-35 and exit to U.S. 287-N, about 9 miles from downtown. Stay on Highway 287 for 270 miles, passing through Wichita Falls and Childress. When you reach Clarendon, turn right onto State Highway 70 N. In 20 miles, Highway 70 will merge with Interstate 40 for a few miles. Hop on I-40 heading west, then exit in 3.5 miles to get back on Highway 70. Continue north for 24 miles, and you’ll arrive in Pampa. The 325-mile trip takes about 5 hours.