Childress was established in 1876 and offically organized on April 11, 1887 and was given the name Childress for an attorney, George C Childress who authored the Texas Declaration of Independence. In 1887 Childress boasted a population of 300 people. About this time the Fort Worth and Denver Railway extended its transportation rail service and shipping lines through Childress. On July 5 1901 the railroad roundhouse in Clarendon, 60 miles North was a mass of flaems and the facility burned to total destruction. The citizens of Childress diligently put together a proposal to the Denver Lines. A deed to a strip of land valued at $600.00 was delivered to the FW&D Railway Co. officials, giving the railway the right of way of 150 ft. wide north of their track and 50 ft. south. The land was designated for use as a railroad yard, giving plenty of room for building the division headquarters. Eventually after months of planning, and debates the contracts and proposals were in agreement and Childress became a railway division headquarters for the train crews. So began the growth of Childress. By 1925 there were 800 men working at the railway shops. In 1905 Walter P.Chrysler opened his dealership and mechanic shop in Childress. Mr. Chrysler was the builder of the Chrysler Motor Corporation. Cotton Farming was and still remains the primary farming operation for the county. In 1893 Childress County established its first cotton gin During World War II Childress had a very well recognized and busy Childress Army Airfield. The Childress AAF Bombardier School was dedicated February 14, 1943. It served as the training school for those in the first stages of learning about piloting airplanes, providing approximately 75 planes logged for takeoff and landing maneuvers as well as cadet combat maneuvers on the edge of the Caprock, northwest of Matador. The training allowed flying over six counties, 5700 square miles of target ranges for bombardier training, including night bombing training. The airfield closed in 1945. Today, Childress is a community of 686l people. Childress is located 110 miles NW of Wichita Falls and 110 miles SE of Amarillo. Childress is a Hunters Haven. Many hunters return each year to hunt deer, quail, dove, and wild hogs. Baylor Lake is located 9 miles NW of Childress and is a very popular Bass Fishing lake. The City also boasts a beautiful city park (Fairpark) with a lake, picnic area, playground, walking trails and the city pool. In the downtown area is Gazebo Park. Gazebo Park is maintained by the Childress Women`s Council. Engine 501 is located in R. Wright Armstrong park also downtown. Engine 501 was donated to the city by Fort Worth and Denver Railroad in 1959.
When in Childress you may even find some very nice stores to shop in as well as meet some very friendly people. Childress is also noted for the abundance of wildlife in Childress and is popular with hunters for the hunting possibilities. A list of hunting leases are available on page 5 of this website.
If you need any information please feel free to contact the Chamber by phone 940-937-2567 or email c_commerce@att.net and we will do our best to assist you.
Childress Chamber of Commerce
"Our goals are for the progress of our members and to better the quality of the comunity."
237 Commerce St. P.O. Box 35 Childress, TX 79201
Phone 940-937-2567 Fax 940-937-8836
Hours: 9 a.m. to 12p.m. 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mon. - Fri.
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Area Attractions
