Tex Randall
A Long, Tall Texan Welcomes Visitors to Canyon
At 47 feet in height and weighing seven tons, Tex Randall is the second-tallest cowboy icon in the Lone Star State (those of you who’ve visited the State Fair of Texas probably know who stands taller). Tex has stood at the intersection of US Highway 60 and 15th Street in Canyon, Texas, since 1959, when local merchant William “Harry” Wheeler constructed him to attract canyon-bound tourists to his Corral Curio Shop.
Today, after decades of deterioration in the West Texas wind and weather, Tex has a new lease on life as wel- come ambassador to Canyon and Randall County. Named a local Historic Heritage asset by the Texas Historical Commission in 2002, Tex has been the focus of an enthu- siastic fundraising campaign to repair his structure, restore his clothing to its original design and spotlight him with a splendidly landscaped plaza that any steel-and-concrete cowpoke would be proud to call home.
Today Tex is honored by a state historical marker that describes his original creation: “For 10 months, Wheeler worked with six-inch wire mesh, rebar and concrete. A friend helped weld the pipe and rebar to the frame. The concrete cowboy was covered with burlap to protect it from the elements. Levi Strauss made the pants and Amarillo awning made the shirt, a surface total of 1,440 square feet. Dressing the statue was completed by hand-stitching the clothes in back with sailboat thread, and the shirt was decorated with sheet aluminum buttons covered with vinyl. In true Texas style, the cowboy was adorned with a Stetson-style hat.”
LONG TALL TEXAN Tex Randall gets a step by step facelift after half a century of weathering, thanks to efforts of Canyon’s Save Tex
Randall project, headed by Evelyn Ecker of Canyon Main Street/EDC.
New Home–based artist Rhonda Timmons worked for several weeks in 2016 to recreate, in paint, Tex’s original duds. The restored Tex Randall was “unveiled” at a fall 2016 ceremony, and now, surrounded by new lighting and benefiting from a brand-new parking lot and walking path, the roadside icon is once again a popular tourist attraction. One striking detail is different: Tex’s boots are styled with the spirit logo of West Texas A&M University, a nod to alumni and students and a clever fundrais- ing ploy. Buffs fans can purchase boots styled like Tex’s at West Texas Western Stores at west- ernhats.com. In an appropriately smaller size, of course.
