We were intrigued by these obelisks we found in a few of the towns we visited in the Panhandle. We saw the obelisks in Farwell, Dimmitt and Tulia. The following, taken from Wikipedia, is an overview of what the Ozark Trail was and why the markers were erected:
“The Ozark Trails Association were a group of private citizens that tried to encourage local municipalities to build and maintain road systems in the Ozarks in the early 20th century. It was established in 1913.[2][3] They erected large obelisks marking the various roads and indicated distances to various towns and communities. Twenty-one were constructed and of those only 7 still remain in existence, at Stroud, Oklahoma, Farwell, Dimmitt, Wellington, and Tulia, Texas. The Ozark Trail ran through southwest Missouri and across Oklahoma, the Texas panhandle, and on into New Mexico.[4] Much of this route became the famed U.S. Route 66. The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1925, which finally incorporated the Deep South into the Federal roads program, made the group’s basic functions obsolete and it disbanded.”