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State Highway 23 (Texas)
Encyclopedia
State Highway 23 or SH 23 is a state highway
in the U.S. state
of Texas
maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
. The highway, located in eastern Lipscomb County in the Texas Panhandle
, begins at northwest of Canadian
and extends northward through the town of Booker
to the Oklahoma
state line. The highway's route designation is numerically continuous with subsequent routes in Oklahoma and Kansas
and, together with Oklahoma State Highway 23 and Kansas Highway 23, forms part of a single route from US 83 in Texas to near Selden, Kansas
.
The route number was one of the original highways proposed by the state highway department in 1917, and was used over various shifting alignments in central and north central Texas in the 1920s and 1930s. The current highway was originally built as part of Texas' system of Farm to Market Roads in 1949. The state began signing the route as SH 23 in 1959, although the highway officially retained its Farm to Market designation until 1990. SH 23 intersects one other state highway, , at Booker.
SH 23 was one of the original 26 state highways proposed in 1917, with a route from Brady
to Olney
. The route was relocated westward from Junction
to Seymour
between 1922 and 1926. By 1928, the route was extended northward to Vernon
. The route was shortened with its southern terminus moved northward to Ballinger
by 1933. The route followed between Ballinger and Coleman
, and from Rising Star
to its new northern terminus where US 283 crossed the Red River toward Altus, Oklahoma
. By 1936, the route was redirected further south along US 283 to Brownwood
and then back to Brady, replacing Texas State Highway 129 from Rising Star to Brownwood. By 1939, the route had been decommissioned, being absorbed by the current , , , and US 283.
SH 23A was an alternate route of SH 23 between Albany
and Cross Plains
created between 1919 and 1922. The alternate route was the eastern path through Cisco
while the main route was the western path through Baird
. By 1926, the eastern route had been reassigned as the main route of SH 23 while the western route became the alternate. The alternate route was removed by 1928.
in 1954, while FM 1265 was extended an additional 12 miles (19.3 km) southward. The connecting route SH 117 at Booker was renamed SH 15 in 1955 matching the numbering of its adjoining Oklahoma route. FM 1265 was completed in 1956 when it was extended the remaining distance to US 83.
In 1959, the portion of OK 15 between Texas and Kansas was renamed OK 23 conforming with the connecting Kansas highway. That same year, TxDOT began signing FM 1265 as SH 23, although the road officially retained the FM 1265 designation. was branched off in 1972 and completed in 1978 connecting the highway to Lipscomb
. In 1990, the highway was officially designated SH 23, and FM 1265 was decommissioned.
south of Elmwood, Oklahoma
. The highway becomes OK 23 at the state line.
The highway encounters mostly modest hills for most of its route allowing the highway to generally follow long, straight stretches before emerging onto a flat plain south of Booker to the state line.
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
Texas Department of Transportation
The Texas Department of Transportation is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Texas. Its stated mission is to "work cooperatively to provide safe, effective and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state...
. The highway, located in eastern Lipscomb County in the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
, begins at northwest of Canadian
Canadian, Texas
Canadian is the county seat of Hemphill County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,233 at the 2000 census. It is named for the Canadian River, a tributary of the nearby Arkansas River. Canadian is sometimes called "the oasis of the Texas Panhandle."-History:The trails along the river are...
and extends northward through the town of Booker
Booker, Texas
Booker is a town in Lipscomb and Ochiltree Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and named for B.F. Booker, a civil engineer for the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway. The population was 1,315 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
to the Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
state line. The highway's route designation is numerically continuous with subsequent routes in Oklahoma and Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and, together with Oklahoma State Highway 23 and Kansas Highway 23, forms part of a single route from US 83 in Texas to near Selden, Kansas
Selden, Kansas
Selden is a city in Sheridan County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 219.-Geography:Selden is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 201...
.
The route number was one of the original highways proposed by the state highway department in 1917, and was used over various shifting alignments in central and north central Texas in the 1920s and 1930s. The current highway was originally built as part of Texas' system of Farm to Market Roads in 1949. The state began signing the route as SH 23 in 1959, although the highway officially retained its Farm to Market designation until 1990. SH 23 intersects one other state highway, , at Booker.
Former routes
Brady, Texas
Brady is a city in McCulloch County, Texas, United States. Brady refers to itself as "The Heart of Texas", as it is the closest city to the geographical center of the state. The population was 5,523 at the 2000 census...
to Olney
Olney, Texas
Olney is a city in Young County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,236 in 2008.-Geography:Olney is located at ....
. The route was relocated westward from Junction
Junction, Texas
Junction is a city in and the county seat of Kimble County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,618 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
to Seymour
Seymour, Texas
Seymour is a city in and the county seat of Baylor County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,740 as of the 2010 Census.-Geography:Seymour is located at ....
between 1922 and 1926. By 1928, the route was extended northward to Vernon
Vernon, Texas
Vernon is a city in Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 11,660; it was 11,077 in the 2005 census estimate. Vernon is the county seat of Wilbarger County....
. The route was shortened with its southern terminus moved northward to Ballinger
Ballinger, Texas
Ballinger is a small town in the heart of Texas. Ballinger holds itself as county seat of Runnels County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,243 at the 2000 census...
by 1933. The route followed between Ballinger and Coleman
Coleman, Texas
Coleman is a city in Coleman County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,127 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Coleman County.-Geography:Coleman is located at ....
, and from Rising Star
Rising Star, Texas
Rising Star is a town in Eastland County, Texas, United States. The population was recorded by the 2000 Census as 835.-Geography:Rising Star is located at ....
to its new northern terminus where US 283 crossed the Red River toward Altus, Oklahoma
Altus, Oklahoma
Altus is a city in Jackson County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 19,813 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jackson County....
. By 1936, the route was redirected further south along US 283 to Brownwood
Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,813 at the 2000 census.-History:The original site of the Brown County seat of Brownwood was on the east of Pecan Bayou. A dispute arose over land and water rights, and the settlers were forced...
and then back to Brady, replacing Texas State Highway 129 from Rising Star to Brownwood. By 1939, the route had been decommissioned, being absorbed by the current , , , and US 283.
Albany, Texas
Albany is a city in Shackelford County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,034 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Shackelford County.-History:...
and Cross Plains
Cross Plains, Texas
Cross Plains is a town in Callahan County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,068 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Cross Plains is located at ....
created between 1919 and 1922. The alternate route was the eastern path through Cisco
Cisco, Texas
Cisco is a city in Eastland County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,851 at the 2000 census.-History:Conrad Hilton started the Hilton Hotel chain with a single hotel bought in Cisco. Hilton came to Cisco to buy a bank, but the bank cost too much; so he purchased the Mobley Hotel in 1919...
while the main route was the western path through Baird
Baird, Texas
Baird is a city in Callahan County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,623 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Callahan County. The city is named after Matthew Baird, the owner and director of the Texas & Pacific Railway. The railway depot is now the visitor center and a...
. By 1926, the eastern route had been reassigned as the main route of SH 23 while the western route became the alternate. The alternate route was removed by 1928.
Current route
The current route was originally designated Farm to Market Road 1265 in 1949. That road began as a 5.7 miles (9.2 km) route extending southward from the state line through Booker. That route, along with what was then passing through Booker connected two discontinuous portions of OK 15. was extended to FM 1265 connecting the road to PerrytonPerryton, Texas
Perryton is a city in Ochiltree County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,774 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ochiltree County.-Geography:Perryton is located at ....
in 1954, while FM 1265 was extended an additional 12 miles (19.3 km) southward. The connecting route SH 117 at Booker was renamed SH 15 in 1955 matching the numbering of its adjoining Oklahoma route. FM 1265 was completed in 1956 when it was extended the remaining distance to US 83.
In 1959, the portion of OK 15 between Texas and Kansas was renamed OK 23 conforming with the connecting Kansas highway. That same year, TxDOT began signing FM 1265 as SH 23, although the road officially retained the FM 1265 designation. was branched off in 1972 and completed in 1978 connecting the highway to Lipscomb
Lipscomb, Texas
Lipscomb is a census-designated place in Lipscomb County, Texas, United States. The population was 44 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lipscomb County.-Geography:Lipscomb is located at ....
. In 1990, the highway was officially designated SH 23, and FM 1265 was decommissioned.
Route description
SH 23 begins at its southern terminus at US 83 in southwestern Lipscomb County northwest of Canadian. The 28.7 miles (46.2 km) highway intersects RM 3260 branching off to the east toward Lipscomb, and then in the northeastern portion of the county FM 377 branches off to the west toward Perryton. In Booker, the only town along the highway, SH 23 intersects SH 15. The highway then proceeds to the north crossing the Oklahoma state line into Beaver County, OklahomaBeaver County, Oklahoma
Beaver County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,636. The county seat is Beaver....
south of Elmwood, Oklahoma
Elmwood, Oklahoma
Elmwood is a small unincorporated community located at the junction of US Highway 270 and US Highway 412 in Beaver County, Oklahoma, United States. The Post Office was opened January 26, 1888.-Sources:...
. The highway becomes OK 23 at the state line.
The highway encounters mostly modest hills for most of its route allowing the highway to generally follow long, straight stretches before emerging onto a flat plain south of Booker to the state line.