Canadian 5.1

Canadian is a city in and the county seat of Hemphill County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,649 at the 2010 census. It is named for the Canadian River, a tributary of the nearby Arkansas River. Incorporated in 1908, Canadian is sometimes called "the oasis of the High Plains." Canadian is on the eastern side of the Texas Panhandle adjacent to Oklahoma.HistoryThe trails along the river are older than recorded history. Francisco Coronado came through the area in 1541 in a vain search for the Seven Cities of Cibola. In 1840, Josiah Gregg and thirty-four men from Missouri passed through Canadian with trading goods worth $25,000 while en route to Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1849, parties headed for the California gold rush passed through, led by Captain Randolph B. Marcy. In the 1870s and 1880, hunters, cattlemen, and settlers alike used the trails as the Panhandle was opened for civilization.