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Interstate 20 West - Ft. Worth to Eastland
| Interstate 20 west |
| This view looks westbound along IH 20 at Bankhead Drive in Weatherford. Bankhead Dr is actually the old route of US 80 and continues east to Fort Worth as the Bankhead Highway. The highway is one of America's old auto trails and originally ran from Washington DC to San Diego. Today few pieces remain, but one of the longest connects this area with Fort Worth. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| FM 2552 is the next exit, and is an example of TxDot's use of the Clearview font. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| This exit marks the southern end of FM 2552, which continues northward into downtown Weatherford. Many Parker County offices are located along the FM road, which is mostly 4 lanes. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| The next westbound exit is the last to serve downtown Weatherford, and is for numerous state highways including SH 171. The Cleburne Highway runs through hills south and east to Cleburne in Johnson County. FM 51 is an important FM road that goes both north and south to towns like Granbury and Gainesville at IH 35. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| The interstate becomes noticably less cramped after the SH 171 exit, and widens out to reveal farms and hills on the southern horizon. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| Old Dennis Road and Bowie Dr run southwest from Weatherford and just connect some of the town's suburban areas and farms with the interstate. This marks the end of the DFW area, from here on west it is strictly rural. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| An IH 20 westbound reassurance marker southwest of Weatherford. Texas covers their interstate medians with wildflower seeds each year, and this spring photo shows the beginnings of some indian paintbrush blooms. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
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| West of Weatherford, IH 20 has a Y-interchange with Spur 312, the old route of US 80, which joins it there. The land-to-sky ratio climbs ever higher, as the road enters the Brazos Valley. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| The next westbound exit is for FM 1189, which connects the towns of Brock, Millsap, and Dennis on the east bank of the Brazos. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| FM 113 runs north to Millsap from here. Millsap started in the 1870s as a stagecoach stop on the jaunt from Weatherford to Palo Pinto. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| As IH 20 continues to drop into the Brazos valley, views of the road ahead are more sweeping. When this photo was taken in early 2008, TxDot was working on repaving the interstate with new concrete. The current westbound section is complete here, while work continues on the other carriageway. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| As it leaves Parker County, IH 20 crosses over the Brazos River. This is one of Texas' most important rivers, along with Colorado, and drains much of the central part of the state. The Brazos is often mentioned in old prison songs, because it tends to run past most of the prisons in Texas. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| The last exit in Parker County is Gilbert Pit Road, a short local route named for an old quarry. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| IH 20's next entry is into Palo Pinto County. The county was established in 1856 and was known for Indian brutality to settlers until the Texas Rangers rounded them all up and put them on reservations in the 1870s. Today Palo Pinto County is a good place to relax, with a lot of lazy river tubing and hiking opportunities. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| Very soon after entering the county, the exit for US 281 is encountered. US 281 is a true cross country route, running from the International Peace Garden at the Canadian Border to the Mexican border at Brownsville. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| This looks westbound at an IH 20 reassurance marker in Palo Pinto County. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| IH 20 westbound at US 281. El Paso makes its first appearance here as a control point, even though IH 20 never gets that far (Midland would be a more appropriate choice). US 281 runs north into Mineral Wells, the largest city in the area. The town used to be known for its mineral baths and is home to a multi-story abandoned hotel built in the 1920s called the Baker. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| Eastland and El Paso are featured here on the mileage sign west of US 281, although it is likely that the majority of travelers along the interstate will be going to neither of those places! Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| FM 4 marks the next exit for Palo Pinto, which is the county seat. While only a blip in the road, it is the county seat by virtue of an old Texas law that states that the county seat must be placed within a certain number of miles from the geographical center of the county. Never mind that the population center of the county might be some 20 miles away. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| IH 20 westbound at FM 4. This exit also connects the towns of Lipan and Santo to the interstate. Santo used to be called Cresco, but a train dispatcher's confusing Cresco with Cosco caused a terrible rail accident and the town was renamed. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
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| Interstate 20 spends some 10 miles running through the southern end of the Palo Pinto Hills. The hills are the eroded eastern end of the great plains. The area is popular with DFW residents for its many recreational opportunities, but historically has been known as the last holdout of the area's Native American tribes and used to have a spooky reputation. Photos taken 04/18/08. |
| Gordon is the last town encountered in Palo Pinto County, and used to be known as the site of a large train robbery executed by the famous outlaw Rube Burrow. Today it is a sleepy community in the hills. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| IH 20 and SH 108 share an overlap here as the road enters Erath County. The county was named for George B. Erath, a surveyor. It is very important to pronounce the county's name correctly - it is "E'-rath" with a long and emphasized E, instead of "erruth". Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| SH 108 prepares to leave the interstate to continue northbound to Thurber and Mingus. Thurber is perhaps Texas' most famous ghost town. It's population once stood at 10,000 but the 2000 census put the number of citizens there at 8. The coal mining town was bypassed by the railroad and the coal eventually ran out. The history of Thurber is fascinating and many old buildings still remain and are visible from IH 20. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| IH 20 westbound at SH 108 north. 108 runs northward only a few more miles to Strawn. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| Here, IH 20 encounters the first views of the great plains beyond. The plains, which are uneroded, sit a few hundred feet higher than this vantage point. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| Ranger is the next major town along the route. This mileage sign is much more useful to most drivers here than the others that frequently appear with El Paso on them. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| IH 20 enters another small valley and there are some nice views of the roadway. It is at this point that the road enters Eastland County. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| Tudor Road is a short road the connects various ranches and farms with the interstate. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| An IH 20 reassurance marker just west of Tudor Road. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| The next exit is for SH 16, one of the state's most important state highways and the longest. The 541 mile long road runs throughout the central portion of the state but only serves one major city - San Antonio. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
| IH 20 westbound at SH 16. There arent any services at this exit, but Strawn is just up the road. The town, which is in Palo Pinto County, has been home to coal mines, natural gas wells, and three oil fields. Photo taken 04/18/08. |
Page Updated June 1, 2008.
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