Just off Soncy on the outskirts of Amarillo lies a gem of nature conservation. Wildcat Bluff — so named by early cowboys taking note of the bobcats that frequented the area — is a 650 acre park consisting of seven miles of hiking trails, bringing the story of our natural landscape into focus for all to enjoy. Its history is intimately tied to the history of Amarillo and Bushland, and continues to be an important destination for people and animals alike.
The nature center lies on land that was once part of the Frying Pan Ranch, famous for the role it played in the early development of the Amarillo Metropolitan Area. In 1881, William Bush and Henry Sanborn (who would later play instrumental roles in the foundation of Bushland and Amarillo respectively) founded the ranch in part to allow for a place for their employer, Joseph Glidden, to test his new invention of barbed wire fences. Glidden identified a need for a new type of fence-making technique as ranchers and farmers worked to tame the sparse and treeless High Plains; the lack of resources and large land holdings in the area made traditional fence building methods unworkable. By the turn of the century, the ranch was fully under the ownership of the Bush family, and the town of Bushland was built on some of the former ranch site.
The part of the ranch that would become Wildcat Bluff would continue to host grazing cattle through the first half of the 20th century. West Amarillo Creek, a small tributary of the Canadian River, flowed freely through the ranchland until the water demand created by an increasingly invasive Mesquite tree population brought north with cattle migrations caused it to dry up. The creek was at one time an important destination for area residents looking for a respite from hot summer weather, anglers looking to enjoy a relaxing day fishing and a source of water for cattle. When the creek went dry in the early 1960s, a windmill-powered well was added to provide drinking water for cattle still grazing in the area.
Throughout the second half of the 1900s, the Amarillo metro saw steady population growth. New housing developments in the area began to encroach on the almost century old ranch. As the suburbs grew, one ranch stakeholder in particular saw a need for a space where people could access nature even as urban development progressed. In 1992, Caroline Bush-Emeny, daughter of William Bush, donated 650 acres of land to a new organization, the Wildcat bluff Native Habitat, with the stated goal of “preserving the natural areas of the land for aesthetic, scientific, and educational purposes and serve as a natural habitat for wild animals and plants”.
Today, Wildcat Bluff offers visitors the opportunity to explore the unique natural landscapes that we call home. Since 2021, Wildcat Bluff has worked under the auspices of the Don Harrington Discovery Center and offers guided hiking tours of their eight trails and a daily drop-off summer camp program for kids ages 3-11, among other activities. More information on these and other programs the nature center has to offer, as well as operating hours and info on closures, can be found on Wildcat Bluff’s website.
Wildcat Bluff is located at 2301 N Soncy, about 3 miles north of I-40. While you’re there, take a selfie (or a picture of the neat animals you may encounter), send them to me at ncrawford@hppr.org, and you just might see them on our Instagram and Facebook feeds!
