Welcome to The Dirt. In every issue, our anonymous writer will give you the dirt on your burning questions about the Amarillo area. Got something you’re just dying to know? Drop us a line at info@brickandelm.com, and our intrepid writer will dig up the answer.
I saw this little memorial stone on Sixth Avenue and Polk Street. Do you know the story?
Our area is flush with whimsical waypoints, from big soda cups to historic courthouse plaques. Many are courtesy of businesses or famous artists or historical societies—but some are more personal.
The story of this particular little stone begins in the 1940s, when Carroll Eugene Kalka put a knee to the pavement and asked his sweetheart, Anna Marie Wink, to be his wife. The pair married in June 1948 and raised their family on The Little Red Ranch northeast of Amarillo, remaining together for 47 years.
Carroll passed away in 1995, but Anna Marie stayed with her family until July 2018.
At one point during those years, their son Jeff interviewed Anna Marie about her life, including asking about where exactly it was that Carroll proposed. She told
him it was the corner of Sixth Avenue and Polk Street—down the street from Amarillo National Bank, where Jeff had been working since the 1980s.
Jeff saw that spot and thought about his parents every time he drew near the ANB building. Then, in a moment of good humor and confidence, the universe offered him an opportunity when the building underwent renovations. Jeff asked his boss, ANB President William Ware, if there was any possibility of putting a commemorative token anywhere in the area “just because.”
Ware loved the idea. Jeff coordinated with the architect in charge of the renovations, and the marker was put in place around February 2018. It’s located adjacent to ANB’s parking lot across from The Barfield.
Readers, I love this story. Romance isn’t dead. Carroll and Anna Marie may not be with us anymore, but their memory still brings joy to their family. And the rest of Amarillo now has a chance to share in it with them!
So, next time you’re walking downtown, consider glancing at the ground. Reasons to smile are around every corner.
What is that weird, circular concrete slab around Bonham Street and Eighth Avenue?
Crop circle? Pantex UFO landing pad? At the least, it’s funky lookin’. Just past the intersection of S. Crockett St. and SW Eighth Avenue, astute drivers may notice a large concrete slab near the curbside. A little ways north of the slab you can see the Rock Island Rail Trail, and immediately south, across the street, is a building labeled Amarillo Water Works Pumping Station-1926.
These are artifacts of municipal history. A lot of Amarillo’s growth as a city depended on its function as a railroad thoroughfare, as well as its ability to develop utility systems for things like water and power. The early 1900s brought a swell of both municipal and corporate-funded construction for gas and water infrastructure. This included multiple water towers that supplied the city, as well as the steam-powered trains traveling through, which continued at sites around Amarillo at least through the 1980s.
That circle represents the concrete footings for a railroad water tower. It was connected to the 1926 pumping station, and likely also supplemented the Rock Island Line while it was still active. These days, Amarillo’s water system still has a base in the neighborhood—but it’s a bit further south, off Line Avenue. The concrete coaster remains.
