Dr. Gary Girod

The big draw in any settlement in No Man's Land was alcohol and moonshine. Virtually any place with more than two houses had a saloon or a general store where ranchers could spend their paychecks on booze. It's not hard to see why spirits became so popular; aside from working the fields or pasture lands, there was very little to do but drink, and get into fights.

Neutral Strip 1 - better known as "No man's land", existed in a legal limbo. Texas gave up the strip so that it could legally keep slavery, and neighboring territories such as Kansas, wanted to take the land for themselves. Cherokee, who had been forced off their land in Georgia, and traveled on the Trail of Tears, claimed the land should belong to them.

After the War of 1812, the United States recovered, even as the Mexican empire remained badly bloodied by its war of independence. But the Mexican government also had a new problem to deal with: mass numbers of American immigrants crossing over their northern border, into Texas.

Many countries laid claim to the middle of North America, despite having little presence there. Spain, France and Britain all had interests in the region.

Coronado was not the only explorer to head north looking for the Seven Cities of Gold. Visits from him and others made little impression on the land of the panhandle, but it did allow much of the area to be mapped for the first time.

While almost no white person set foot in the panhandle for three centuries, politicians, generals, and diplomats debated who the territory belonged to.

The first humans arrived in the Panhandle more than 10,000 years ago; evolving from small nomadic tribes to complex cultures adept at agriculture

Before humans walked the Panhandle dinosaurs and other creatures walked, or swam, through this land.

Dr. Rebekah Wagenbach invites you to explore Nowhere.