After Russell Benedict returned to New York from his visit to inspect
White Deer Lands and adjacent territory in November, 1901, he worked out in his New York office a detailed plat of the townsite of Pampa. He sent the plat to George Tyng and requested Tyng to get James L. Gray of
Panhandle to make a survey of the site.
Gray certified his survey in February, 1902, and it was filed and recorded in Roberts County on April 14, 1902. (Gray County was attached to Roberts County on
that date.)
The town was laid out parallel to the railroad; therefore streets run northwest-southeast and avenues run northeast-southwest. However, streets are known as north-south and avenues as east-west.
The original site of 38 blocks was bounded by Atchison on the south, Wynne on the east, Browning on the north and West on the west.
From West Street going east, streets are named:
Gray - for Peter W. Gray, prominent Texas legislator
Somerville - for David Somerville, manager of the Matadors who were leasing from White Deer Lands
Frost - for an official in the New York law office attending
to White Deer Lands
Russell - for Russell Benedict, assistant to Foster in New York office
Cuyler (main Street) - for Cornelius C. Cuyler, trustee for White Deer Lands
Ballard - for an official in the New York office
Gillespie - for an early cattleman (? J.L. Gillespie of Carson County)
Houston - for Sam Houston, Texas hero
Starkweather - for the superintendent of the
Southern Kansas Railroad
Wynne - for J.S. Wynne, early pioneer who was a good friend of George Tyng
From the railroad going north, avenues are named:
Atchison - for a founder of the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe Railway Company
Foster - for Frederic de Peyster Foster, trustee for White Deer Lands
Kingsmill - for Andrew Kingsmill,, London banker who represented the bond holders of White Deer Lands
Francis
- for Francis Tyng, youngest of the three sons of George Tyng
Browning for J.N. Browning, District Judge
Street numbers begin at the intersection of Cuyler Street and Foster Avenue with even numbers on the right
and uneven numbers on the left. (Cuyler and Foster were trustees for the British bond holders because, at that time, aliens could not own land in Texas.)