Canyon | Hiking, Camping & Wildlife

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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you鈥檝e submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="http://www.canyontx.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Official Site of the City of Canyon, Texas, United States</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/canyon/346098" target="_blank" rel="noopener">canyon - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/canyon/273497" target="_blank" rel="noopener">canyon - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written and fact-checked by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Canyon-Texas/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref266478"></span>Canyon</strong>, city, seat (1889) of Randall county, northern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Texas-state" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Texas</a>, U.S., in the Texas Panhandle, 16 miles (26 km) south of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Amarillo" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Amarillo</a>, at a point where the Palo Duro and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tierra-Blanca" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Tierra Blanca</a> creeks meet to form the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. The site originated in 1878 as headquarters for the T-Anchor Ranch; with the arrival of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Pecos-Texas" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Pecos</a> and Northern Texas Railway in 1898, it emerged as an important regional shipping centre for cattle and agricultural produce. Although still a ranching and farming centre, the major economic influence is West <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Texas-AandM-University" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Texas A&M University</a>, which was established there as a college in 1910.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Of note within the city is the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum (1921) on the university campus. Canyon is also a gateway to the scenic Palo Duro Canyon State Park, 12 miles (19 km) east; with an area of 16,402 acres (6,638 hectares), it is the largest state park in Texas, extending across the tabletop expanse of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/High-Plains" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">High Plains</a> of the Panhandle. Palo Duro Canyon (about 120 miles [200 km] long) was carved by the main channel of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Red-River" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Red River</a>, aided by rains and wind erosion; it has ravines that plunge 1,000 feet (300 metres), exposing multicoloured rock <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="strata" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/strata" data-type="EB">strata</a> covering 300 million years of four geologic ages. The canyon was the scene of the last great Indian battle in Texas (1874) when U.S. cavalry under Colonel R.S. Mackenzie routed a camp of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Comanche-people" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Comanches</a> who had left their reservations. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Goodnight" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Charles Goodnight</a>, the famed Texas cattleman, later established his Old Home Ranch nearby. The Canyon Pioneer Amphitheatre, within the park, is the setting each summer for <em>Texas</em>, a musical drama by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Green" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Paul Green</a>. Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Six Gun Territory (a replica of a frontier town) are additional local attractions. Inc. 1906. Pop. (2000) 12,875; (2010) 13,303.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Amy-Tikkanen/6393">Amy Tikkanen</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":93345,"pageLength":302,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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