Dalhart’s sights are in town, while the grasslands lie north-west. Allow half a day.
1 XIT Ranch sites
The ranch ran for about 30 years and then sold off in pieces. The XIT Museum in Dalhart tells its story, and an old ranch office survives in Channing, about 30 miles south.
Practical: Museum hours vary. Check before you travel.
2 Empty Saddle Monument
A bronze saddle on a stone base, in honour of a cowboy’s wish that his horse should ride in the reunion parade with an empty saddle.
Practical: Free. In town, near the highway junction.
3 Rita Blanca National Grassland
Federal land on the Texas–Oklahoma line, restored after Dust Bowl damage. It is a good place to drive slowly, see the sky and look for pronghorn.
Practical: Free. Gravel roads; carry water and a full tank.
4 Pronghorn watching
These fast, elegant animals graze on the shortgrass here. Look for small groups beside the roads at dawn and dusk.
Practical: Use binoculars and do not leave public land.
5 Hartley County Courthouse
A striking red-brick courthouse from 1906 in Channing, a small town that also holds the old XIT general office.
Practical: View from outside.
