The Story of this ranch belongs to all that have called this ground home. Old maps show an Indian trail that passed from San Saba to Field Creek on what is now known as the Wallace Creek Road, passing next to a spring on the south side of the ranch that flows into Cold Creek. If you search on the hillsides surrounding the spring they are littered with flint chips and some arrowheads. On the northern fence line an old supposed silver mine with a 30 foot shaft straight down solid rock was an original part of the ranch when it spanned 7,000 acres. The most open landscape on the ranch is locally known as “Potter Flats”, after a man that is buried on the ranch to our south. In the middle of the ranches Adams pasture you can still find an old salt shack that has survived fire and decay. The history of this ranch is diverse and rich. This land has its own story and has seen many landscapes, animals, people, and seasons pass through. A humbling reminder that today we are simply the ones here to care for the land and the animals to the best of our ability until the next chapter is written.

The Ranch is located above the Hickory Sands formation and is made up of mostly shallow gently sloping limestone soils on the north half, that transitions into predominantly sandstone with large cliff edges, and dramatic landscape on the south half. This diversity of soil and landscape allows for a verity of conservation practices to be used in different areas of the ranch. Cattle are one of our best management tools, allowing us to graze the land in a rotational manner in large pastures mimicking that of the buffalo. The cattle help to control weeds and invasive species of grass that were introduced when overgrazing practices damaged native grasses. When settlers first arrived around 1854 this was a rolling plain with oak trees, due to poor grazing practices and the lack of wildfire, nutrient rich native grass species such as broom sedge have been choked out. While curly mesquite and rescue grass have come into areas that are now being managed, there is still a struggle to fight back the invasive brush and weeds. Cedar, mesquite, prickly pear, and shin oak all overpower the native grasses, and fire is one of the best resources to control these invasive plants. We control burn our pastures with the hope of controlling overgrowth, putting nutrients back into the soil, and promoting the native eco system.

The mission of this ranch is to preserve the habitat, encouraging plants and animals that are native to thrive. To produce strong grasses that will support livestock with as few inputs as possible while managing our cattle herd with practices that promote these goals.