Via press release: COLORADO CITY AND BIG SPRING, TX — Communities within the southern portion of the Texas Plains Trail Region are preparing to welcome the Military Vehicle Preservation Association’s Bankhead Highway convoy as it passes through the region the morning of Thurs., Oct. 8, 2015. With as many as 65 privately owned Historic Military Vehicles (HMVs), the convoy will include motorcycles, jeeps and large cargo trucks ranging in age from the WWI era to those just released from armed forces inventories. The Military Vehicle Preservation Association will be conducting a 95th Anniversary Convoy that will retrace the original 1920 Transcontinental Motor Convoy route along the historical Bankhead Highway. Within the Plains Trail Region, the convoy will make stops in Colorado City and Big Spring.
Tuesday, 6 October in Eastland; Wednesday, 7 October has stops in Abilene and Sweetwater; Thursday, 8 October the convoy stops in Midland, and; View the convoy passing in Colorado City and Big Spring on the morning of the 8th. See full schedule here.
In 1920 the US Army conducted a motor convoy of various military vehicles across the country on the newly formed Bankhead Highway. The Army was determined to further their understanding of the practicality of motorized transport and its place in the US Army. The 1920 route began at the White House, in Washington, DC, and ended at Balboa Park, in San Diego, CA — some 3,300 miles and 116 days later. The Bankhead Highway, the nation’s first all-weather transcontinental highway, crossed the state of Texas from Texarkana to Garland, Fort Worth; on through Mineral Wells, Strawn, Ranger, Eastland, Cisco, Baird, Abilene, Sweetwater; and finally from Colorado City, Big Spring, and Midland to Van Horn and El Paso. In Texas, the Bankhead was originally Texas Highway 1, and was the precursor to Highway 80 and Interstate 20.
The Bankhead Highway, the nation’s first all-weather transcontinental highway, crossed the state of Texas from Texarkana to El Paso.
The Texas Historical Commission has recently completed a historical survey of the entire Bankhead Highway original routes, structures, and communities, providing a rich suite of resources here.
These convoys (the MVPA has conducted 3 previous large-scale HMV Convoys!) represent the ground forces legacy of the nation, showcasing America’s historic military vehicles of many types. Each day’s plans have been carefully prepared, including a detailed route map, stopping locations for morning and afternoon breaks as well as lunch and dinner stops and lodging plans for all of the BH’15 teams. The Convoy will have the support of local, county and state law enforcement agencies in many areas along the Convoy route.
Follow the Convoy on line with Facebook. Amateur (HAM) Radio operators can follow the Convoy at www.CONVOYONTHEAIR.org.
The Texas Plains Trail Region (TPTR), an award-winning heritage tourism initiative of the Texas Historical Commission, is a nonprofit organization committed to increasing heritage tourism to the 52 counties of the Texas Plains and Panhandle.
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