Field Guides
Archer City, Texas
(Archer COUNTY)
Rugged ranchland where cattle heritage meets oil country scenery.
Highlights
The phrase “rural Texas” evokes images of dusty plains complete with rolling tumbleweeds. Families scratch out a hard-fought living from the land, either the cattle that live on it or the oil and gas below. It’s a tough place with tough people.
If you are familiar with that picture, there is a good chance that Archer (the city and county) contributed to your familiarity. Archer is that place we just described, but more importantly, Archer City produced Texas’ greatest homegrown writer, Larry McMurtry. McMurtry’s prolific and successful portfolio told Texas’ story to the world. From the works set in McMurtry’s hometown of Archer City or nearby communities, we learned about the tough people inhabiting a tough land. Archer City is not a vacation destination but it is an important part of Texas history, literally and in literature.
The Story Behind Archer County’s Greatest Writer
In this special episode of the Texas Ten Podcast, Steve and M’Lissa Howen sit down with George Getschow, Director of the Larry McMurtry Literary Center, to explore the legacy of one of Texas’s greatest literary voices.
George shares his journey as a writer, educator, and advocate for storytelling, while offering insight into McMurtry’s impact on literature, film, and Texas culture. From Lonesome Dove to the future of the written word, this conversation is a celebration of words, place, and purpose.
A must-watch for fans of Texas storytelling, Western literature, and the enduring power of the written word.
The Archer County Courthouse
The Courthouse is an impressive product of Texas’ courthouse restoration project. A beautiful Romanesque structure designed by the same architect who designed Fort Worth’s city hall, it completed restoration in 2004 and has historical details that take us back to how it looked in 1926
Things To See And Do
Most famous among Larry McMurtry’s works is The Last Picture Show, a book and movie set in either Thalia (the book) or Anarene (the movie). Both towns are meant to be McMurty’s Archer City. We had a local tell us that the producers of the movie switched from Thalia ( a real Texas town slightly west of Archer City, which is the book’s setting) to “Anarene” so they could make use of the Archer City High School Band, which sported a large “A” on its uniforms. The events unfold around the shuttering of the town’s movie theater and the Royal Theater reproduction on the town square is visited by cinephiles, book lovers, and hard-core Texans. It means something.
The town square is still as McMurtry wrote it. The cafe is no longer next to the theater, but in its place sits a seriously impressive classic car and nostalgia collection. Unfortunately, the collection is only open for special events at this point. The cafe, now known as Murns, is not far from the theater.
The third floor of the courthouse features a prominent balcony. From that balcony, teenagers threw eggs at parade participants celebrating “Anarene’s” centennial in Texasville, the sequel to The Last Picture Show. The courthouse has a significant history outside the movies, as it was one of the political launchpads for Texas governor, attorney general, and KKK fighter Jimmy Allred.
For a long time, visitors could interact with McMurtry through his immense book collection in his bookstore, “Booked Up.” After the writer died in 2021, the physical store closed, but the shop retains an online presence. Chip Gaines of “Fixer Upper” fame bought the property, and there is some hope for renovation.
Ten minutes due east on State Hwy. 25 is the charming town of Windthorst, settled by German immigrants in the late 1800’s. St. Mary’s Catholic Church is the town’s center. The church is beautiful and imposing, but make a special note of the grotto out front, which dates back to WWII. 67 men from the area served overseas in the conflict. Rather heroically, the grotto was built with funds the men deducted from their pay and sent back home. As veterans, the men claimed they always felt protected, even in combat, by their town’s grotto and prayers.
Several lakes are nearby for fishing: Kickapoo, Arrowhead, and Wichita. Bass, catfish, and crappie are most common. Only Kickapoo is entirely in Archer County. Most of Arrowhead and Wichita are in Wichita County. Arrowhead has a state park and, therefore, the most facilities. Wichita is closer to a population center and tends to be more crowded.
Archer County is a popular hunting destination for a variety of animals: Deer, quail, dove, turkey, and hogs are the most common targets. The area does have the occasional mountain lion and cougar.
Food, Drinks, and Music (Eat Local!)
Hope you enjoy cafe food.
In Archer City, Murn’s and Lucky’s both give you a chance to recreate Duane’s and Sonny’s adventures (or at least their diet )in the Last Picture Show. Murn’s once operated in the original cafe location but moved to a nearby location. Lucky’s is not on the square but has longer hours. Both are as Texas as Texas gets.
Murn’s Cafe
107 N. Center St.
Archer City, TX 76351
(940) 574-2233
Closed Sunday
Monday-Thursday 5:00 am-2:00 pm
Friday 5:00 am-2:00 pm and 5:00 pm- 5:00 pm-9:00 pm
Saturday 6:00 am-2:00 pm
Lucky’s Cafe
513 S. Center St.
Archer CIty, TX 76531
(940) 574-4431
Daily 7:00 am -8:30 pm
The Windthorst General Store has been there forever. Texas Ten stopped by and enjoyed some German sausage. Other menu options are available. For lunch in Windthorst, try Zeke’s Barbecue.
Windthorst General Store
14494 FM 174
Windthorst, TX 76389
(940) 423-6205
Monday-Saturday 8:00 am-6:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Zeke’s
1900 US HWY 281 South
Windthorst, TX 76389
(940) 423-6888
Closed Saturday-Monday
Tuesday-Friday 11:00 am-2:00 pm.
Where To Drop A Dime (Shop Local!)
In Archer City, the Dusty Cowboy gives you that authentic West shopping experience. If you can buy roping gear in a store, it is the real deal. In Windthorst, nose around the general store even if you are not having lunch.
Special Places to Lay Your Head (Stay Local!)
The Spur Hotel is the type of place one of McMurtry’s cowboys would have appreciated at the end of a cattle drive—simple, comfortable, and Texan.
For the Professional Traveller (Campgrounds and RV Parks)
Nothing in Archer County. The closest is in Wichita County.
Special Events
The busiest weekend of the year is the Archer County Rodeo, usually in June.
Fore! (Golf Courses)
Archer City Country Club is a nine-hole track open to the public. A nice touch is the ladders that allow the chagrined golfer to scale barbed wire fences in search of errant tee shots.
Getting to Archer County
Archer County is in far North Texas, one county away from the Oklahoma border and near the state’s center, moving East to West. The county seat sits 3 hours and 15 minutes of drive time north by west from the state’s geographic center in Brady, Texas. Windshield time from other cities can be found here. Farm-to-Market Roads 25 and 79 intersect in Archer City, but they are smaller roads. The nearest major highways are State Highway 281, running south of Wichita Falls, and State Highway 277, running west southwest from Wichita Falls.
The nearest major airports are Dallas Fort Worth and Love Field, both more than a two-hour drive away. Smaller craft can fly to Wichita Falls and Kickapoo airports at least a twenty-minute drive from Archer City.
History
The first inhabitants of this area were a mixture of several Texas natives. Apaches, Wichitas, Tawkonis, Kichais, Caddoes, Comanches, and Kiowas shared the land peacefully. They camped and hunted this region, encountering some Spaniards and Anglos in the 18th century, along with French traders who set up two small posts near the west-central part of the county known then as “Little Arizona.” It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that trouble started between the US Government and these native people. Several unsuccessful attempts to clear the area of natives occurred during the battle of Stone Houses in 1837 and later with Kiowa leader Kicking Bird leading the charge in the battle of the Little Wichita River in 1870.
On January 22, 1858, before settlers arrived, the Archer County boundary was set and named in honor of the Republic of Texas Commissioner and Secretary of War, Branch Tanner Archer.
By 1875, the U.S. Army had driven all natives off the land, and it was deemed “open to settlement.” Not until 1874, after observing that the “buffalo here were fat,” did the first Anglo, Dr. R. O. Prideaux, come to settle in the southeastern section of the county. By 1879, small cattle ranchers began to arrive, and by 1880, despite opposition from more prominent Longhorn Cattle ranchers, Archer City was established as the county seat.
Along with buffalo hunters, cowboys effectively eliminated the great herds of buffalo and antelope that roamed this area. Stray animals were driven back to their territories until barbed wire was introduced in the 1880s, ushering in a new era of large cattle ranches such as the O.X. Ranch, Figure, and the 99 Ranch. In addition to large cattle ranches, sheep, oats, corn, and cotton, farmers began moving into the county, building dugouts, board, and stone houses.
In July of 1880, a one-story box house was given to the county by Dr. C.B. Hutto, making this the first courthouse. Many early county officials were Republicans from the old Union states like Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana. As the county grew, more Democrats began voting for them simply “on the basis of ability.” Nevertheless, in every major presidential election from 1900 – 1968, Archer County voted Democratic. This changed in 1972 with Richard Nixon and, with few exceptions (Jimmy Carter in 1976), voting has remained predominantly Republican.
The mid-1880s proved devastating for the newly arrived settlers. Bitter cold winters, blizzards, and summer droughts lead to the destruction of livestock, crops, and, ultimately, ranches and farms. By 1887, the population in the county had dropped dramatically. Growth resumed, however, with the Witchita Valley Railroad crossing through Archer County. The railroad’s presence encouraged immigration to the area, and though ranching continued to decline, cereal crops and cotton replaced the ranching industry as major cash crops. By 1920, the “wheat culture” reigned in this region.
Today, there are 3,221 in Archer County with 19% of the population holding a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Close to 75% of the population is white, with Hispanics making up the second-largest racial population in the county.
American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and Pulitzer Prize winner Larry McMurtry is from Archer City. His stories are set either in the Old West or contemporary Texas. He is most famous for such works as Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show, and Terms of Endearment, which were later adapted from novels into screenplays. In 2014, McMurtry received the National Humanities Medal.
Primary Sources: