Lubbock, Texas - Prairie Dog Town

Hundreds of prairie dogs and a few burrowing owls enjoy being fed in McKenzie State Park. More than a million visitors, from all areas of the United States, come to Lubbock annually and make Prairie Dog Town a must "visit". Some visitors drive hundreds of miles out of their way just to see the "town." Pete the Prairie dog has even become somewhat of a symbol of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce. [Jon Dough, 09/29/2002]

In the west, prairie dogs used to be abundant in thousands of "prairie dog towns" that often spanned hundreds of acres and housed huge numbers of prairie dog inhabitants.

Most towns were destroyed as the prairie dogs were considered pests and exterminated. One such town does remain next to Mackenzie Park in Lubbock. The town is basically a large dirt field. It is fenced off with an approx. 2ft. high concrete wall and you can see the burrows of prairie dogs and see them running around. A sign stands in the middle which reads: "Prairie Dog Town, Population ?, Keep Out." [John Kyle, 05/04/2001]