During the first half of the 16th century, Spanish conquistador Francisco Coronado and his party passed through Claude and Tule Canyon, a scenic wonder to the south of Claude off Texas State Highway 207.

He was the engineer of the first train of the Fort Worth and Denver Railway to travel through the area.

The tie-breaking vote for Claude was reportedly cast by legendary cattleman Charles Goodnight, former co-owner of the nearby JA Ranch.

Claude is located about 28 mi (45 km) east of Amarillo.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2), all land.

[6] As of the 2020 United States census, 1,186 people, 496 households, and 369 families resided in the city.

Additionally, the closing sunset scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) was shot in Claude.

The portion of the building that was restored currently houses the Claude Junior High School.