Borger's Marvelous Growth


From The Hutchinson County Herald, April 29, 1926.

$75,000 Hotel to be Erected in Borger at once
M’Millen and Associates will erect structure which would help Borger Housing Problem

     Borger will get a $75,000 hotel. This is the information which was given out in Borger this week. R. F. McMillen and associates of Kansas City, Mo., will erect a commodious hotel, one which is expected to add to the growth of Borger and to help housing conditions.

     This hotel will be built across the street from the present site of the Borger Townsite Co. and will be one block south of the new bank. The building will be 100 by 120 feet and will be either two or three stories. It is felt that there is little doubt that the hotel will have three stories.

     It is understood that a lease has been taken on the hotel and that construction will start within a short time. With the rapid growth of Borger, it is thought that it will be only a short time until the entire section reserved for brick structures will be built up.

Waterworks Will be Giving Service in Just Few Days

The Borger Waterworks Co., which will be owned by the townsite company, expects to be in operation in a short time.

     Rapid progress is being made by the workmen on the water works system. Three blocks on Main Street will have water at once. That means the alleys on three blocks on both sides of main will be piped, enabling six business blocks to get water.

     Some water is already being furnished to building firms. The company has a tower and will pump water into it, assuring good pressure.

City Started only 7 Weeks Ago: Thousands are already making homes at Townsite

     Borger’s growth is one of the marvels of city building. It was only a few weeks ago that Borger was part of the great North-Plains of Texas. Today it is a city of thousands of people.

     The opening lot sale in Borger began March 8. The growth in seven weeks is hard to believe.

     Today Borger has several dozen restaurants, numerous grocery stores scores of rooming houses and many hotels. There are many good garages and filling stations going up.

     Building is going on in every block in the business section. Many residences are going up and today Borger is one of the busiest places in all of the middlewest.

     A. P. Borger and associates formed the Borger Townsite Co. It was not considered a sure proposition to start a new town three months ago, but these men had the courage to back their proposition.

     Stage lines run hourly into Borger from Panhandle and Amarillo carrying oil field workers and visitors. Hundreds visit Borger daily, and Sunday is a busy day because of the thousands of tourists who come hundreds of miles to see the oilfield.

     Borger is being made into a modern city with lights, gas, and water. There is a restricted business section which enables brick buildings to be erected. A restricted residence section assures one of having good homes around him.

     And this week a new business enterprise is announced for the oil field in the Hutchinson County Herald, which will cover Whittenberg, Dixon Creek, Pantex and Plemons news, as well as the oil camps.

Post Office Will Open Monday, Says Postmaster Brain

     The Borger Post Office will open for business Monday, according to present plans of Postmaster L. E. Brain., who formerly was mayor of Panhandle. Fixtures from the old Panhandle Post Office have already been taken to Borger and are ready to be put up.

     The post office will occupy the present site of the Gorger (sic) Townsite Co., which will move in a short time to the new bank and almost completed.

     Boxes were being rented this week. As Borger has a number of persons who had boxes at Panhandle, they are asked to turn in the keys to the office at Borger or to Postmaster J. A. Weaver of Panhandle, who will be glad to forward them to Mr. Brain.

It is probable that Mr. Brain will move to Borger.
Gas Lines Being Laid in Borger; Service Assured

     Borger Gas & Electric Co. plans to be in operation in a sort time. Ditches have been made for gas mains, which will be ample to serve a city of many thousands.

     Four and six inch mains are being laid. The business district will be taken of first, and in a short time. In the meantime gas (lights) also have gas.

     Machinery has been ordered for the electric light plant, which it is believed will be in operation in a short time. In the meantime gas lights are being used by many firms, which are fortunate to have gas.

     The Borger Gas & Electric Co. is owned by the Gibson Oil Corporation, which it is believed assures the city of being amply cared for.

Many Sidewalks Being Laid This Week in Borger

     Many sidewalks are being laid this week in the business section of Borger. These are wide sidewalks, double those usually found in residence sections and are the width usually found in typical business parts of cities.      With the development taking place in Borger, it is felt sure that there will be numerous stores with concrete sidewalks. “In fact, a store without a sidewalk will be handicapped in getting business.” One merchant said.

Grading starts on Santa Fe Line Out of Panhandle

     Grading has started on the proposed Santa Fe line out of Panhandle to the heart of the Carson-Hutchinson oil field. Several teams are at work.

     This line begins one mile east of Panhandle about the highway crossing and extends about 30 miles from this city.

Bell Telephone Company to Build Line Into Borger

     The Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. has practically promised to build lines into Borger, it was unofficially announced this week. Officials from Fort Worth have been in Borger and made a thorough investigation of the possibilities of the city. They were well pleased with the prospects and virtually assured Borger of immediate service through an emergency order.

     Several private telephone companies have had under consideration building into Borger. Had not the Bell interests decided to build, it is believed almost certain that a private firm would have built without delay.

Griffith Theater to Be Ready Soon

Griffith Bros. Large theatre, 50 by 130 feet will be ready by May 15 according to J. T. Porter, contractor. When the brick layers get out of the way, rapid progress can be made on the building, he said.

Many people doubt whether Mr. Porter can make such rapid progress, but he said it would surprise the public how fast he can finish the building, if one set of workmen does not have to wait for another to get out of the way.

Borger News Globe August 1926

300 jailed and "Ordered Out" in Borger Clean-Up Drive
Officers determined to Rid City of Undesirables; Swan Song is Sung for Underworld
Borger is undergoing a wholesale cleanup.
The habitues of the unwelcome night life, the bootlegger, hijacker, gambler, and dopehead are folding their tents and stealing away.

The law of Borger has had enough of it and are ridding the town of its disreputable citizenry in wholesale lots an officer of the force told the News Globe last night.

For the past three weeks the drive has been going slowly into motion in a real lawful manner and in the past four days the majority of the town's "red underworld" have sung the song of the swan and "pulled their freight in high."

The officials of Borger said the drive started in earnest last Saturday night when over a hundred undesirables, for the most part women, were rounded up and herded to the jail where they were chained up, the only means the town affords of caring for lawbreakers.

The jail overflowed and many were secured on the outside.

A number were fined and a greater number were given short notices of leave and lost no time in making themselves conspicuous by their absence.

The drive continued Sunday and up to last night approximately 200 to 300 more had been given a taste of jail and the order to "get."

Will Free City at Once
It is declared Borger in the next two weeks will be entirely free of the mob that gained for it, not so long back, the name of the worst town in America, the Sodom of the plains and many other sobriquets unbecoming to its future plans for growth and enlargement.

"It was a bad proposition at best, we did the best we could and decided the only way was to take the present action. " the officers said.

For once, since the installing of the police force in town, general sentiment is with them and a realization of what the force had to deal with, understood.

As the passing of the frontier, however, the passing of the town's picturesque life and the human element composing it will be mourned. No more can feature article writers paint in the lurid, glowing terms the stories they did a short time ago.

No more will the little city in the heart of the world's greatest oil fields echo in the still of the night to laughter of the descended daughters of Eve, the sound of gunshots, riffle of a cold deck, click of the ivory and the curses and blows of an alley brawl.

Borger is being cleaned up, to stay and according to the law "they don't mean maybe."