Route 66 & Barbed Wire Museum Populate A Town Steeped In Cultural & Wartime Lore In McLean, Texas
According to a 2010 census, the town of McLean had a population of just 778. This may be a true small American town in the heart of Texas, but that doesn't keep it from having a huge footprint in history. Located in Gray County, in the northern part of the state, it is now mostly a farming and ranching community, but has had its fair share of brushes with history.
McLean resident Delbert Trew, founder and current supervisor of the Devil's Rope Museum and the Texas Route 66 Museum out of McLean, notes "the best thing about our community is the history. History happened right through McLean." Trew came to McLean in 1945 when his father bought a ranch. He worked the ranch alongside his father and has seen his fair share of the town's extraordinary history.
McLean's history dates back to 1901 when Alfred Rowe donated land near a railroad cattle loading stop for the establishment of a town site. This was along the Rock Island Railroad at the time. Shortly thereafter, this would tragically be the last McLean heard of Rowe who would later perish in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.
The town itself was named for Judge William McLean of the Texas Legislature and Railroad Commission and was incorporated in 1909. The town grew rapidly and quickly became a center for agriculture with stores, banks, and even a newspaper cropping up.
In the 1920s, McLean experienced a true economic boom when U.S. Route 66 was built through the town. McLean became a center for livestock and agriculture and even profited from an oil boom around the same time. The road became the hub of the town attracting tourists, ranchers, and farmers with the town continuing to grow in size and development.
McLean's matchless history doesn't stop there. In 1942, a prisoner of war camp was built east-northeast of the town housing close to 3,000 German prisoners of war. The camp was operational until 1945 with the ending of World War II.
"They chose cotton fields and built temporary buildings and fences. One day the train stopped and 1,500 German prisoners were unloaded onto Main Street, still in their German uniforms, and marched to the prisoner of war camp. Later, another 1500 arrived and they were held until 1945" recalls Trew.
Times for McLean became tough in the 1980s when Interstate 40 replaced the old U.S. Route 66, but bypassed the town of McLean. This forced many businesses to close and some residents to move out of town.
Now tourists and visitors come to McLean for a taste of nostalgia of a true small American town, to trace the old U.S. Route 66, and to visit extraordinary places such as the Devil's Rope Museum and the Texas Route 66 Museum.
Trew is one of the founders and current supervisor of the two museums that will be celebrating twenty five years in business this spring. A 14,000 square foot building houses the two museums, as well as, a community meeting space where barbed wire auctions, dances, functions, shows, presentations, and business meeting are held. The Devil's Rope Museum opened in 1991 and showcases anything and everything related to barbed wire.
"The museum shows various types of barbed wire with over 2,000 types of wire. We collect all barbed wire, advertisements, barbed wire art, and patents. We'll collect and display basically anything to do with barbed wire" notes Trew.
Trew's love of barbed wire traces back to his childhood. "I was born in the Depression to a farmer and a rancher. We always had cattle so we always had barbed wire. Part of my job was to repair the barbed wire. It fascinated me; all the designs of barbed wire and the tools" said Trew.
The Texas Route 66 museum opened the following year in 1992 under Trew's tutelage. "While forming Devil's Rope we had a little extra space and we learned Texas Old U.S. Route 66 did not have an association, so we formed one. This is the first museum ever for the Texas Old U.S. Route 66" says Trew.
Just like McLean, the building that houses all things barbed wire has its own special history. In 1950, the Sears Roebuck and Company made a deal to build a brassiere factory in the very same building. "One hundred women worked for twenty years making brassieres and undergarments. The building then sat empty for another twenty years until we put in the museum" recalls Trew.
McLean holds its small town charm and historical significance close to its heart. Tourists and visitors may come to trace the old U.S. Route 66 or visit unique finds such as Devil's Rope, but "we're real country type people and we're a very close group" says Delbert. RV adventurers take note of this truly one of a kind place.
Jamie Chase Galvin
With an undergraduate degree in English and a masters in Counseling Psychology, Jamie works as an academic advisor and has also written for various publications including Sterling Meetinghouse. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and her very talkative 4-year-old daughter
Stay Close By At:
West 40 RV Park, just 15 miles away in Shamrock, Texas with an availability of 36 sites with WiFi, pull through campsites, laundry and pets allowed.