Today we went back in time at George Ranch where we experienced life of the first Anglo pioneers in the Brazos River area, back when Texas was still part of Mexico. We went to a stock farm camp out, witnessed the historic 1837 duel between Commander Albert Sidney Johnston and Junior Brigadier General Felix Huston (the Commander was shot in the hip, but survived). We attended the 1891 wedding of Elizabeth Ruth Jones to Charles McElroy. Ana was chosen to be part of the wedding party assisting the bride with her veil. After the wedding we danced and enjoyed a piece of the wedding cake and lemonade made in the 1860s Ryon Prairie home kitchen. We took the hay ride by the 1890s Davis Mansion which was very impressive and on our way spotted alligators basking in the sun by the river. We then headed to the cattle sorting pens where real life cowboys showed us how to lasso and brand cattle and we were impressed by the speed and agility of the quarter horses (called quarter horses because the breed are extremely fast sprinters, running up to 55 miles per hour … but only for a quarter of a mile). George Ranch was one of the first to export cattle up North so we also learnt about their involvement in building the early rail to the South and what they had to do to prepare the cattle for travel, including clipping the horns and putting them through arsenic baths to get rid of Southern ticks!
Tags: Cowboys, Early Texan Pioneers, George Ranch Historic Park, Tales of Texas, Texas history
Travelling with Ana 
February 27, 2016 at 5:15 pm |
Wow! You guys are learning sooooo much about Texas.
February 27, 2016 at 5:17 pm |
You’d have to keep your little finger crooked while drinking tea on that beautiful sofa. Did your Mum tell you about watching the lassoing in San Antonio when she was six?