Alanreed, TX
Alanreed began in the 1880s as a farming community along the stage line from Mobeetie to Clarendon. In days gone by, it was called Prairie Dog Town (for a prairie dog town that was nearby), Spring Town or Spring Tank (for a large spring fed pond, which Texas ranchers would call a tank) and Gouge Eye (for a bar room fight). The name Alanreed is based on the contracting firm Alan and Reed, which laid out the tracks for the Oklahoma and Texas Railroad that once went through the site of the current town.
In the early 1900s, it was the largest town in the area. In 1920s, it became an oil town, but after the 1929 crash, most of the businesses closed.
There are some abandoned buildings on the way into the settlement, including a 1932 66 Super Station. The oldest cemetery on Route 66 is on the East side of town and the 1904 First Baptist Church is on the West side of town. In the village you will find a Visitors Center with a small motel. The Visitors Center is small, but has some interesting curios, and the folks who run it are exceedingly nice.
From Alanreed, follow 3rd St/Loop 271 - Go left onto S Frontage Rd - Get on I-40 at Exit 132 - At Exit 124/Hwy 70 S, cross I-40 - Take S Frontage Rd toward Groom (Be careful not to accidentally cross I-40; there is a sharp jog left to stay on the Frontage Rd before getting to Groom) - Go onto Bus 40 into Groom (Again, be sure not to go under I-40 and stay on the Frontage Rd)
From Alanreed, follow Loop 271/Third St to a Stop sign at the intersection with Hwy 291 - Go straight across Hwy 291 onto S Frontage Rd toward McLean - At the first Stop sign, go straight and continue on S Frontage Rd - At the second Stop sign (right after crossing under I-40), go left onto N Frontage Rd (It's going to feel like you should turn right here, but the correct turn is left) - At the next Stop sign, go right onto Bus 40, which becomes Railroad, and follow it into downtown McLean
View Route66mc.com - Alanreed to McLean in a larger map
