• City of Lubbock
• Parks & Recreation
• Prairie Dog Town

Prairie Dog Town

Prairie Dog Town is located inside Mackenzie Park off of 4th Street and Interstate 27 overlooking Meadowbrook Golf Course.

Free and open to the public from dawn to dusk!

General Information

Of all Nature's wild creatures, none is more appealing and entertaining to watch than the Prairie Dog. Prairie Dog Town was established in Mackenzie Park in the early 1930’s by Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy N. Clapp. It was started with four dogs and two burrows and was the first protected prairie dog colony of its kind. In 1935, the colony was moved to it’s current location when Mackenzie Park became a state park. For his contribution to Lubbock and prairie dogs, Mr. Clapp was named Mayor of Prairie Dog Town in perpetuity.

Within its first five years at its new location, Prairie Dog Town became world famous and a favorite tourist attraction with its own Goodwill Ambassador, Prairie Dog Pete. To this day, Prairie Dog Town still captures the imagination of visitors as evidenced by the 2004 Lubbock Convention and Visitor’s Bureau tourism study. The survey showed Prairie Dog Town as the 5th most visited attraction in Lubbock by visitors from outside the city.

In 2004-2005, Prairie Dog Town underwent a major renovation with funding from Premier Golf, management company for the City of Lubbock’s 36-hole Meadowbrook Golf Course for the past eleven years. Enhancements to Prairie Dog Town included: a pavilion and viewing area, interpretive signage, sidewalks, a new parking area with a turnaround and bus parking, perimeter fencing, and ADA accessibility. In addition, irrigation was installed on the interior of the town in order to establish native grasses for the prairie dogs. With the renovations now completed, visitors will again be able to enjoy watching the prairie dogs and burrowing owls in their native habitat.

LINKS

• Biology Fact Sheet
• Prairie Dog Town Booklet Excerpt