Mathew "Bones" Hooks

Mathew "Bones" Hooks. . Born in Robertson County to formerly enslaved persons Alex and Annie Hooks, Mathew "Bones" Hooks (1867-1951) was a famed black cowboy, Texas panhandle pioneer and Amarillo community leader. He began ranch work at age seven and developed a reputation for unusual skill taming wild horses. One day, a cowboy asked Hooks to hand him some dice, referring to the dice as "bones." Hooks misunderstood the cowboy’s request and said, "my name ain’t Bones". The name stuck. , In 1886, Hooks moved to Clarendon in Donley County. After noticing Clarendon did not have a church for African American residents, Hooks helped lead the charge to establish St. Stephen's Baptist Church. In 1894, Hooks began a tradition of presenting white flowers at funerals after a tragic trail accident involving a friend. The tradition expanded to giving white flowers to living people honoring achievements or good deeds. It is estimated he gave 500 white flowers in his lifetime. , In 1900, he moved with his wife, Anna, to Amarillo. In addition to his day job on the Santa Fe railroad, Hooks helped establish the North Heights area for the city’s black residents. In 1930, Hooks led the effort to build a park for North Heights residents. This park became the only park to which black Amarilloans had unlimited access. Officially it was named North Heights Park, but informally, it was known as Bones Hooks Park. The name was officially changed in 1982. Hooks also worked to establish a black high school and build Pioneer Hall, the central gathering space for North Heights residents. In 1934, he organized a boys' social club to provide recreational access for black youth. In his last years, he fought for equal medical access for black Amarilloans. Despite racial bigotry and injustice, Mathew "Bones" Hooks dedicated his life to building his community. In 2021 he was posthumously inducted in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.