Have You Heard About The Giants That Lived In Palo Duro Canyon?

Here's another wild bit of Texas panhandle history for you. Someone recently asked me if I knew that giants once lived in Palo Duro Canyon. I laughed, and shrugged it off thinking that it was some kind of tall tale, no pun intended.

Have you heard about the giants that lived in Palo Duro Canyon?

It's True. Two Giants Lived In Palo Duro Canyon.

Well, it's somewhat true. For most of us people of average height, these two brothers would seem like giants, or your standard NBA player.

The Merry brothers stood at just about seven feet tall each. They towered over most other men. For a short time, they worked, and lived in Palo Duro Canyon.

The Legendary Merry Brothers Of The Texas Panhandle

Stories of buffalo hunting, bears, and traveling across the frontier fill the history surrounding the Merry brothers. One incredible feat accomplished by the giants of Palo Duro Canyon involved cutting thousands of fence posts.

The story goes that there was a guy who had a plan to rent out some panhandle land to cattle operations interested in the area. He would use that money to make improvements on the land, and then turn around and sell it.

One of the big problems he faced was getting the thousands of fence posts he would need. That was, until he employed the Merry brothers.

The Merry brothers cut thousands of fence posts out of timber from the canyon. A tough job, and one that supposedly "lesser men" would've had a hard time completing.

Supposedly, They Kept A Pet Rattlesnake

As most of us who have ever lived out in "the country" can tell you, rodents can become problematic to your domestic living situation if you don't have a plan in place to keep them at bay.

The Merry brothers supposedly kept a pet rattlesnake. Why? Well, if you think back to any time you've ever seen a snake eat, it was probably a rodent they were munching on.

Living in a dugout was probably tough enough without worrying about mice. I'm sure there wasn't an abundant source of house cats nearby, so the snake would have to work as a mouser.

As the saying goes, you learn something new everyday. It couldn't be more true in the Texas panhandle.