Founded as a station on the Southern Kansas Railway, Pampa was selected as headquarters by the Francklyn Land and Cattle Company in 1887 and, at the railroad’s invitation, was named by company manager George Tyng for the region’s physical affinity to the pampas of Argentina. Pampa was platted and organized as a town in 1902. In 1926, when oil was discovered in the region, Pampa began its second career as a local headquarters for the oil boom. In response, the seat of Gray County was moved here from Lefors. Pampa also became the headquarters of architect William Raymond Kaufman. In addition to its historic ranching, oil, gas, and agricultural economy, Pampa today has a diversified industrial base including chemical plants and rail services.
“Million Dollar Row,” as Russell Street from W. Atchison Avenue to W. Francis Avenue was known, took shape during the oil boom. Its civic buildings represent in tangible terms Pampa’s conversion from a cattle town to a center for the oil industry. This narrow block set within the town grid forms an unusual civic axis.
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