When Route 66 barreled through Amarillo, Texas, the Big Texan Steak Ranch was one of the most popular restaurants catering to Mother Road travelers. It first stood along East Amarillo Boulevard when the steakhouse was built in 1960. It all began in 1959, when Bob Lee went seeking a large steak in the midst of "cow country.” To his surprise, Amarillo sported not a single cowboy steak house, which Lee soon began to rectify.