The name Shamrock goes back to the Irish shepherd George Nickle, who wanted to build a coaching inn here in the 1890s, which was not possible because his house burned down. However, the name of the most well-known Irish symbol, the shamrock, remained.
So it is not surprising that since 1938, with the exception of the war years, St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated here in March every year. In 1902 a railway station was opened with the name "Wheeler", the name of the region. It was not renamed Shamrock until 1903, when a permanent coaching inn was finally established. In 1911 the settlement officially became a town with E.L. Woodley as first mayor. Natural gas and oil have been extracted in the area since 1926, which gave the city a significant boost, at least in the short term, as did the opening of Route 66. In 1930, Shamrock had the most residents, with over 3,700. When oil production was cut back in the 1940s, the city survived thanks to its location with amenities for those passing through, most notably the well-respected U-Drop Inn, until official U.S. Route 66 in Texas was abolished in 1984.
Tower Station / Subway Drop Inn in Shamrock
This beautiful Art Deco style building was completed in 1936. In the western part was the Tower Station (Conoco gas station), in the eastern part the U-Drop Inn (cafe). After Route 66 was abandoned, this building also fell into disrepair until 1997, when it was bought and donated to the city by the First National Bank of Shamrock, which in turn renovated the building and now operates a museum, visitor center, and gift shop here.