A banner spans the Bankhead Hwy, now Main St, in 1938, welcoming Smiley Burnette and Roy Rogers to Garland as they promoted their new movie "Under Western Stars." Today Dos Banderas and Vetoni's restaurants can be found on the left side.
Source: Garland Landmark Society website
|
In January, 2009, Jerry Flook and Robert Smith appeared before the Garland Community Arts Commission seeking permission to place an official Texas Historical Monument on the Downtown square commemorating the Bankhead Highway. The commission approved the request and forwarded it to the Council where it received final approval.
Since then, Rep Carol Kent, who represents part of west Garland and north Dallas, was successful introducing legislation during the last session designating the Bankhead Hwy as an historic Texas highway. "The Bankhead is a vital part of our state's history, and it is in danger of being forgotten," said Rep. Kent. "With the passage this law, we can celebrate this part of our Texas heritage, and also promote the Bankhead as a tool for economic development in towns and cities across our state."
The historical monument will be dedicated Saturday, 10:30 am, at the corner of Main and Sixth Street in Downtown Garland. Everyone is invited to be there for the decication very nearly 90 years after the second transcontinental motor convoy left Washington DC and wound its way across the country to San Diego. Scheduled to attend and participate in the dedication ceremony are: Rep Carol Kent, District 102; Don Baynham, Dallas County Historical Commissioner; Garland Mayor Ronald E. Jones; Robert A. Smith, marker sponsor; Jerry M. Flook, historical researcher; and the Color Guard from Boy Scout Troop 57.
Baynham, Jones, and Smith are District 1 residents, as is Tom Cooper, Troop 57 Scout Master!
Mr Flook's research is posted on this site and is regularly accessed by Internet users from across the country.
|
|
Update: New marker set on south side of square.
Bankhead Highway in Garland
The early 20th Century development of the automobile led to major changes in road systems throughout the U.S. The 1916 Federal Aid Road Act, which supplied matching funds to states for the upgrade of roads, was sponsored by Alabama Senator John H. Bankhead and required that states establish a highway department in order to receive federal disbursements; the Act lead to the creation of the Texas Highway Department in 1917. The Bankhead Highway, America's second east-to-west transcontinental highway, was soon routed from Washington, D.C., to San Diego.
The Bankhead Highway's rout through Texas included the major cities of Texarkana, Dallas, Fort Worth and El Paso and passed through the Dallas County town of Garland. In 1919, Texas Bankhead Highway Association Secretary Arthur P. Dyer noted that Garland was the only town on the Texas route which had voluntarily organized and gone to work without asking for outside help. The people of Garland took advantage of the highway's potential for economic impact. Auto repair shops, restaurants and service stations were built along Main Street—the highway's route through Garland—which was soon paved and curbed. Although the Bankhead Highway was officially designated as Texas Highway 1 in 1917, it also retained the official Bankhead name until 1926, when it became part of the U.S. Highway 67. However, the old name remained attached to the Garland segment until the early 1950's.
The road's importance diminished beginning in the 1950's as most drivers opted to use the wider, safer and faster new Interstate system, but the Bankhead Highway is remembered for its significant place in the history of scores of Texas towns such as Garland. (2009)
|
Saturday: Historic Marker to Be Dedicated -
Categories: Transportation, Parks & Recreation -
Douglas
@ 02:08:25 pm
