Bushland

History

Established as a station on the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway, Bushland was named for William Henry Bush, a Chicago native. In 1898, land owner Joseph Glidden (the inventor of barbed wire) transferred the Frying Pan Ranch to Mr. Bush, who was his son-in-law. The total cost was $68,000. Thereafter, Bush donated land for a town site and a railroad right-of-way. On July 3, 1908, the town was formally dedicated by Bush and his associate S.H. Smiser. At 1:00 AM on Wednesday, November 4, 2009, a gas line operated by El Paso Natural Gas Company malfunctioned, shooting flames 700 feet into the air. Three residents of the neighborhood were injured, and transported to Lubbock for health treatment.

Geography

Bushland is located at (35.1919978, -102.0646392), at an elevation of 3,825 feet. The community is situated along Interstate 40, approximately 14 miles west of Amarillo in southwestern Potter County. Bushland is the halfway point between Chicago and Los Angeles, 1,062 miles from either city. The two cities were the original endpoints of U.S. Route 66.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Great-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus mexicanus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  1,664
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,341
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  1,130
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  1,065
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  989
• White-winged Dove

  Zenaida asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  928
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  924
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  821

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2026-07-26
  13 km S of Claude, Texas
• M 2.5 — 2026-02-10
  8 km NE of Amarillo, Texas
• M 2.7 — 2026-01-12
  8 km NE of Amarillo, Texas
• M 2.8 — 2026-01-10
  15 km NE of Amarillo, Texas
• M 2.5 — 2025-12-09
  4 km E of Skellytown, Texas
• M 2.6 — 2025-05-21
  13 km NNE of Amarillo, Texas