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WHERE IS McLEAN, TEXAS?
McLean is located 75 miles east of Amarillo, Texas in the Texas Panhandle. Located on I-40 and Old Route 66, use Exits 141, 142, and 143 to arrive in the "Heart Of Old Route 66."
WHEN WAS McLEAN ESTABLISHED?
The town was first established as cattle loading pens on the Rock Island Railroad about 1900. The rangeland site was donated by English rancher Alfred Rowe who later died on the Titanic. The town was named after W. P. McLean, a Texas Railroad Commissioner at the time.
McLEAN HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS
McLean began to grow when Congress commissioned Highway 66 in 1926. By 1948, the town sported 16 service stations, six motels, and numerous cafes. Oklahoma based Phillips Petroleum Company built its first Texas service station in McLean in 1927.
In 1942, a site northeast of town was chosen as the location of the McLean Enemy Alien Interment Camp. German prisoners of war taken in the North African Campaign began arriving at the camp in early 1943, eventually housing over 3,000. The camp closed in 1945
The area boomed with the discovery of oil, and again each time the highways were rebuilt. Through the years, agriculture has remained the most stable source of area income.
A downturn in the economy occurred in the 1980's when the Rock Island Railroad declared bankruptcy and the new I-40 alignment by-passed the downtown district. The population dropped to 850 where it held until 1990 when revival efforts of Route 66 began.
McLEAN IS BOOMING AGAIN
The Route 66 revival efforts brought on renovations of several vintage Route 66 sites as new business surged. Several new establishments were built along the service roads of I-40. An empty former brassiere factory building became the home of the Devil's Rope Museum, the largest historical barbed wire museum in the world. McLean became the permanent home of The Texas Old Route 66 Association, which established the first Route 66 Museum on the Mother Road, with its offices in the new museum complex.
NEW INDUSTRY AND CONSTRUCTION
A large retirement center was built to serve the senior citizens of the area, and a new post office arose on the site of the old railroad depot. Extensive school renovations were carried out ending with a new gymnasium being constructed.
New industry in the form of Wood Group Turbine Components purchased a large site and built a huge office/warehouse/shop complex just off eastbound Route 66. Several new families moved into the city boosting the growing population.
MAKE McLEAN YOUR NEXT DESTINATION.
While in McLean, stay at the newly renovated, vintage Route 66 motels, The Cactus Inn or the Texas Motel. Park your R.V. at the Windmill R.V. Park, or the Country Corner R.V. Park. Eat at the world famous Red River Steak House. Dine with real Texas cowboys in an Old West/Route 66 atmosphere. In addition, let our sixty-three businesses serve your needs.
THINGS TO SEE WHILE IN McLEAN
Stop by the restored Phillips 66 Service Station on westbound Route 66. Stroll through the unique downtown district and see the old Avalon Movie Theater. Drop into the McLean/Alanreed Area Museum and see local history pass before your eyes. Learn all about the McLean POW Camp and the impact it had on the town. Visit the actual campsite with its Texas Historical Marker just north of town.
Don't miss the Devil's Rope Museum complex at 100 Kingsley Street, between the east and west bound segments of Old Route 66. Join over 60,000 previous visitors to learn and enjoy the history of barbed wire and the Old West.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS, PLEASE CALL
The Devil's Rope Museum |
(806) 779-2225 |
The Texas Old Route 66 Association |
(806) 779-2225 |
The McLean/Alanreed Area Museum |
(806) 779-2731 |
The City of McLean |
(806) 779-2481 |
The Cactus Inn Motel |
(806) 779-2346 |
The Alanreed Motel |
(806) 779-2202 |
The Red River Steakhouse |
(806) 779-8940 |
The Windmill R.V. Park |
(806) 779-2662 |
Country Corner R.V. Park |
(806) 779-2391 |
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