Shamrock, Texas

Located in south-central Wheeler County, Shamrock was the largest town in the county in the late 19th century. George and Dora Nickel consented to keep the first post office in their dugout there in 1890. The mail was to be carried once a week from Mobeetie, Texas. The neighbors decided to let George name the office. His Irish-American mother had told him always to depend on a shamrock to bring him good luck, so holding true to his Irish descent, he suggested "Shamrock" for the name of the office. When a mysterious fire destroyed his dugout, however, George Nickel's post office never opened. Mary Ruth Jones became Shamrock's first postmistress, running the Shamrock post office out of the Jones family home.

In 1902, the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway set up a station in the town, calling it "Wheeler" like the county, but later changing it back to the original name of Shamrock in 1903, which prompted the reopening of the Shamrock post office. By 1907, the town was competing with the towns of Story and Benonine as trade centers.[7]

The town continued its growth as other businesses moved into the city, including the county newspaper, which moved from Story and renamed itself from the Wheeler County Texan to the Shamrock Texan, several banks, and Shamrock Cotton Oil Mill. In 1911, E. L. Woodley became the mayor of the newly incorporated city. In 1926, the discovery of oil and the operation of natural gas wells by Shamrock Gas Company helped spur the city's continuing growth. A decline in the oil industry caused the population to drop in the 1940s, but it rebounded in the next decade with the improvement of Route 66. By the 1980s, the town was home to an established modern school system, a chemical plant, oil and gas processing plants, and a hospital.[7]

At its peak in 1930, Shamrock had a population of 3,778. Despite some rebounds, the city population continues to fluctuate. According to the 2000 census, the city population has dropped to its lowest recorded point with 2,029 residents.[7] Despite this, Shamrock is the second-largest Texas city on Route 66, after Amarillo.

Shamrock holds an annual Saint Patrick's Day observance. Astronaut Alan Bean, a native of nearby Wheeler, visited the community on March 13 as the kickoff for the 2015 ceremony. He became the fourth man to walk on the Moon, a feat that he once described as "almost like I couldn't believe it myself."

Shamrock is located at 35°13′2″N 100°14′50″W (35.217116, −100.247171).[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²), all of it land.

As of the census[3] of 2000, 2,029 people, 852 households, and 550 families resided in the city. The population density was 979.7 people per square mile (378.5/km²). The 1,072 housing units averaged 517.6 per square mile (200.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.26% White, 4.83% African American, 1.38% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 5.91% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 13.41% of the population.

Of the 852 households, 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were not families. About 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city, the population was distributed as 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,776, and for a family was $33,542. Males had a median income of $24,688 versus $16,944 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,724. About 22.7% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.

• At the end of the film Cast Away, Chuck Nolan (Tom Hanks) is seen on US Route 83 near Interstate 40, the real-life location of Shamrock.
• In the movie Cars, Ramone's House of Body Art is based on the U-Drop-Inn in Shamrock.
• In season two, episode one of Magnum, P.I., character Billy Joe Little says his sister, Carol Ann, for whom he is looking, and he are from Shamrock.
• Some parts of the movie Abilene, later named Shadows of the Past, were filmed in the Shamrock area. Ernest Borgnine played the character Hotis Brown.
• In the pilot episode of The X-Files, Special Agent Fox Mulder notes similarities in the death of Karen Swenson and others from across the country, including one death in Shamrock

The City of Shamrock is served by the Shamrock Independent School District and home to the Shamrock High School Irish.

Emory (Trip) Bellard III, former Army West Point football wide receiver, MIT graduate and financial planner

• Phil Cates, former state representative for District 66, resided in Shamrock from 1975 to 1979
• Richard P. Crandall, American nuclear physicist; author of They All Told the Truth: The Anti-Gravity Papers[23]
• Gene Price, songwriter, musician and vocalist; longtime songwriting associate of Buck Owens
• Eugene Worley, reared in Shamrock; U.S. representative from Texas's 18th congressional district from 1941 to 1950
• Holice Turnbow, artist and quilter
• Bill Mack, singer and songwriter

• Shamrock, Texas from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Shamrock EDC website