Frijole Ranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Guadalupe Ranch
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Guadalupe Ranch house
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 Guadalupe Ranch
Location in Texas
Guadalupe Ranch
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Salt Flat, Texas |
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| Area | 9 acres (3.6 ha) |
| Built | 1876 |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000259 |
| Added to NRHP | November 21, 1978 |
The Frijole Ranch, also known as Guadalupe Ranch, Spring Hill Ranch, and the Rader-Smith Ranch, is a historic place located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in west Texas. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1978. This ranch helps us understand an important time when people were settling and ranching in the Guadalupe Mountains.
Contents
The Story of Frijole Ranch
Early Days and First Builders
The Frijole Ranch was built around 1876 by the Rader Brothers. It is located in the Guadalupe Mountains, right next to Frijole Spring. The ranch had seven buildings. These included the main ranch house, a bunkhouse for workers, a barn, and a school house. There was also a springhouse, a shed, and a double outhouse.
Most of the buildings were made from local stone. A stone wall surrounded all the buildings. This ranch is a great example of an early ranching operation in the Guadalupe Mountains. The ranch was built near several springs. These areas were used by Native Americans long before the ranch was built.
New Families and Ranch Life
The Rader brothers, who were the first settlers in this part of the mountains, left the area in the late 1880s. After them, the Herring family lived at the ranch for a while. This was between the late 1880s and 1895. Ida Herring, a daughter, married George W. Wolcott in 1888. The Wolcotts moved to Midland, Texas in 1895.
The Smith family moved into the ranch in 1906. They called it "Spring Hill Ranch." The Smiths made the ranch bigger and started a truck farm. This means they grew vegetables to sell. They added to the farm house and built the bunkhouse and school house. They also installed a special pump called a hydraulic ram to get water. For lights, they first used a carbide lamp system. Later, they switched to electric lights powered by a wind generator. The Smiths even ran a post office at the ranch from 1916 to 1942.
Becoming a National Park
In 1942, John Smith sold the ranch to Judge Jesse Coleman Hunter. Judge Hunter was from Van Horn, Texas. He paid $55,000 for the ranch. John Smith then moved to Hawley, Texas. Judge Hunter put together a very large property called the "Guadalupe Mountains Ranch." It was about 43,000 acres (17,400 hectares). One of the things they produced there was mohair wool.
The ranch house was home to the ranch foreman, Noel Kincaid, from 1942 to 1969. Judge Hunter had started suggesting the area become a national park back in 1925. His son, J.C. Junior, took over the ranch in 1945. He continued his father's work. He made the ranch even bigger, to about 67,213 acres (27,200 hectares). Finally, he sold the land to the National Park Service in 1966 for $1.5 million.
Frijole Ranch Today
After the land became part of the national park, the ranch buildings were used by the National Park Service. From 1969 to 1980, employees lived there. The buildings were also used for park services. From 1983 to 1991, the main house was a center for park operations.
The house was carefully fixed up in 1992. Today, it is a special place where visitors can learn about the ranch's history. It is known as the Frijole Ranch Cultural Museum.
See also
