Editing Claude, Texas (section)

==History==

During the first half of the 16th century, [[Spain|Spanish]] [[conquistador]] [[Francisco Coronado]] and his party passed through Claude and Tule Canyon, a scenic wonder to the south of Claude off [[Texas State Highway 207]].

Claude was originally named '''Armstrong City''' after several area ranches named Armstrong.

The town name became Claude in 1887, named for Claude Ayers.  He was the [[railroad engineer|engineer]] of the first train of the [[Fort Worth and Denver Railway]] to travel through the area.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Archer |first1=Jeanne |last2=Taras |first2=Stephanie |title=Touching Lives: The Lasting Legacy of the Bivins Family |date=2009 |publisher=Tell Studios Inc. |isbn=9780974914862 |pages=19}}</ref>

When Armstrong County was formed in 1890, Claude and [[Washburn, Texas|Washburn]] competed to be the county seat. The tie-breaking vote for Claude was reportedly cast by legendary [[cattleman]] [[Charles Goodnight]], former co-owner of the nearby [[JA Ranch]]. The Armstrong County Courthouse in Claude dates to 1912.

W.S. Decker established a weekly newspaper, ''The Claude Argus'', which later merged with the ''Goodnight News'' to become ''The Claude News'' in 1890.

The Armstrong County Museum has local and [[Western (genre)|Western]]-themed exhibits. The film ''[[Hud (1963 film)|Hud]]'', starring [[Paul Newman]] and [[Patricia Neal]], was filmed there in 1962.