 Texas Rangers Company D3, 1888 In this part of Texas, in the late 1800’s, times were very hard. And, who are we to judge those who did their very best to keep food on the table when there was no money available. The people and the families of this era survived any way they could. That is just the way things were back then. Still, some of the ways of survival were on the edge of breaking the law, so enter the Texas Rangers, men who did their best to control the lawless ways of some.
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 Henry Robinson, Settler, Scout and Indian Fighter
By Linda Kirkpatrick Henry M. Robinson was born in England in 1811 and it seems that he came to the New World alone. In October 1834 he married Evaliza Christine “Cherokee” LaGrone. Their first child, Elizabeth, was born in Alabama. Their second child, John F. was born in 1837 in Sabine County, Texas. Of their nine children, the seventh child Andrew Henry, was born in Uvalde County, Texas November 24, 1850, to be followed by William Harrison and Ann. It seems that the family arrived in Texas in time to be part of the Texas Revolution. At the request of Houston, his friend, Henry did his part at Goliad and helped in the evacuation of Texas during the Runaway Scrape. He was rewarded a head right of 1180 acres.  Image courtesy of Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum ©2003. Photo by Mike Cox Christmas Soiree on the Nueces
By Linda Kirkpatrick It was back in 1888 in the town of Vance, Texas; the Taylor family was putting the finishing touches on the Christmas soiree that would be held at their house. These “get-togethers” were common practice and served as an important role of socialization for folks in those remote areas of Texas. At this same time the lawmen of the area were planning their own little get-together. Sheriff Ira Wheat, of Leakey, Texas, got word that two brothers were heading to the Christmas soiree on the Nueces. He sent word to his deputy, Will Terry, in Vance, Texas that the brothers were headed that way and they were wanted……dead or alive. Terry then gathered Texas Ranger Captain John Hughes, Captain Ira Aten and Ranger Bass Outlaw. He assigned a local posse that included Paul Jones, Dan Crier, Jim Rhodes, Henry Wells and about twelve or fifteen other men to serve as back up to the Rangers.  Posted on November 29, 2017 by Texas Association of REALTORS®Once a new law takes effect December 1, many Texans who live in areas outside of city limits—known as extraterritorial jurisdictions (ETJs)—will no longer have to worry about their property being forced into the city limits through annexation. Ask Lem: Can I Sell My Ranch Without Putting it on the Market?  It is a common question I get in my business, “Can I sell my ranch without putting it on the market?”
The short answer is yes. Many ranchers are very private by nature. They spend most of their time working, either on their land – because they own a “working ranch” with an agricultural operation in place – or working in their non-ag related business that funds their ranch property as a hobby and for recreation. Often ranch owners are successful executives and entrepreneurs who, when they finally get away from work, want to escape to the peace and serenity of their ranch. The prospect of strangers violating their private space and impinging on their time is one they would like to avoid if at all possible. Ask Lem: How Long Does a Ranch Sale Take  W.T. Waggoner, son of founder, Dan Waggoner It took just more than 18 months from listing to ownership transfer to sell the storied, 535,000-acre W.T. Waggoner Ranch.
Nearly 900 would-be buyers expressed an interest, despite the $725 million price tag. In the end, a half-dozen potential buyers paid $15 million in order to submit a bid, and in February 2016, billionaire Stan Kroenke – owner of the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Nuggets – claimed the prize. Many people believed that the historic estate founded Dan Waggoner in 1849 would never be sold – not just because of its size and price, but because some of the descendants of Dan – his great-grandson Buck in particular – swore to prevent a sale of the historic property. Selling the ranch, The Dallas Morning News observed, “was the deal that wouldn’t get done, couldn’t get done.”
The Best Little Stillhouse in Texas – Perhaps Anywhere
When most people think of great bourbon whiskey, they automatically think Kentucky: Pappy Van Winkle’s, Jim Beam, Blanton’s, Maker’s Mark, etc.
Well, we in Texas know better. Along U.S. Route 290, a little more than 10 miles west of Johnson City, is unincorporated Hye, Texas, and its largest nearby business and tourist attraction, Garrison Brothers Distillery. Founded in 2006, Garrison Brothers is the award-winning maker of fine Texas bourbon whiskey that can stand shot glass-to-shot glass with the best barrel-aged distilled spirits originating in the Blue Grass state or Tennessee. As proprietor Dan Garrison is proud to note, everything about his bourbon is pure Texas, from the organic corn, winter wheat and barley that comprise the sweet bourbon mash, to the pure nutrient-rich rainwater, captured on site, and filtered with an ultraviolet light purification system. “If we’re going to make bourbon from Texas, it damn well better be authentic,” Dan proclaims. [Hear my full RANCHCAST with LEM LEWIS interview featuring Dan Garrison. By clicking at the bottom of this article.] These Ranchers and Farmers May Bend, But They Won’t Break  The very heart and soul of America and what makes our country great has been on display in rural Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Colorado since early March of this year.
That’s when a massive series of wildfires swept through more than 1,000 square miles of ranchlands and farmlands, leaving devastation that to those on the ground must have appeared a lot like the blast of a nuclear bomb. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It was throwing fireballs. It was mean, ugly. It was loud,” Gena Kirk, owner of the Kirk Ranch in Clark County, Kansas, told Harvest Public Media. In Clark County alone, 85% of the land was scorched. The fire spread so rapidly, by some estimates consuming everything in its path at speeds of as much as 70 miles an hour, that ranchers had little opportunity to save any of their livestock and only by divine providence did all but seven people manage to save their own lives. If Money Were No Object….  Whether your ranch is 100 acres on the outskirts of Austin or 100,000 acres in the Texas Panhandle, chances are good you value the land and all the lifestyle blessings that it provides.
When it comes to the love of ranching, size truly doesn’t matter. Many of the ranch owners I know tell me the most important characteristic of their estate is not its number of acres; it is the heritage and the legacy they can pass forward to future generations. The H.W. Lewis Ranch, which has been in the Lewis family since the late 1920s, is about 5,000 acres – pretty much average in size by Texas standards. But the central role that the ranch has played in our extended family for nearly 90 years is HUGE. Our ranch isn’t the largest, it isn’t the most scenic, it doesn’t have the best hunting or wildlife, and its market value isn’t at the top of the charts in Texas. But me, my wife, my kids, my parents, and all my aunts, uncles, and cousins couldn’t love it more. What recently started me thinking about all of this is an article I read last month by Elizabeth Abrahamsen on the website, Wide Open Country, titled, “10 Biggest Ranches in Texas.” Jay and Janet Gubert Run a ‘Silicon Valley’ Tech Company From Their Ranch in Southeast Texas  It’s nearly 1,900 miles from Silicon Valley to rural East Bernard, Texas – population 2,272 …. not counting cattle.
Just a few miles from East Bernard is where you’ll find ranchers Jay and Janet Gubert, who like their neighbors, tend to the animals, pack hay, fix fences, and raise their children. Jay is a 3rd-generation Texan with a family history of hay farming and raising Brahma cattle. Janet, who was born in Pasadena, Texas, is a 4th generation rodeo participant, who grew up doing barrel racing, calf roping, and other rodeo events. There is something, however, about Jay and Janet that is more common to Northern California high-tech incubators than it is to residents of East Bernard, which sits at the intersection of Texas State Highway 60 and U.S. Highway 90 Alternate, about 125 miles to the southeast of Austin. Together, Janet and Jay own and are the top executives at VirtualTone – a cloud-based nationwide commercial business enterprise call center that offers communications solutions for business of all sizes – both urban and rural. VirtualTone handles more than two million calls a month, serving clients in a variety of industries, including insurance, legal, construction, government, and health care. |
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