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, is a historic place found in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in west Texas. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. This ranch shows an important time when people were settling and ranching in the Guadalupe Mountains.
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History of Frijole Ranch
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 has seven buildings: the main house, a bunkhouse, a barn, an outhouse, a springhouse, a shed, and a school house.
Most of the buildings are made from local stone. A stone wall surrounds all the buildings. This ranch is special because it is the most complete example of an early ranching operation in the Guadalupe Mountains. The ranch was built near several other springs. These areas were used by Native Americans long before the ranch was built.
Early Settlers and Families
The Rader brothers were the first settlers on the southeast side of these mountains. They left the area in the late 1880s. The Herring family from North Carolina lived at the ranch for a while, between the late 1880s and 1895. Ida Herring, a daughter, married George W. Wolcott in 1888. The Wolcotts moved away to Midland, Texas in 1895.
The Smith family moved into the ranch in 1906, after it had been empty for some time. They called it "Spring Hill Ranch." The Smiths made the ranch bigger and started a truck farm. A truck farm grows vegetables to sell in nearby towns. They expanded the main house and built the bunkhouse and school house.
Ranch Improvements
The Smiths also added new technology to the ranch. They installed a hydraulic ram, which is a pump that uses the force of flowing water to push water uphill without needing electricity. They also put in a carbide lamp system for lighting the house. Carbide lamps use a chemical reaction to create a bright flame. 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.
Transition to National Park Land
John Smith sold the ranch to Judge Jesse Coleman Hunter in 1942 for $55,000. Hunter was from Van Horn, Texas. 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) and produced things like mohair wool. Mohair comes from angora goats.
The ranch house was the home of the ranch foreman, Noel Kincaid, from 1942 to 1969. Judge Hunter had been suggesting that the region become a national park since 1925. His son, J.C. Hunter Junior, took over the ranch in 1945. He continued his father's work and made the ranch even bigger, to about 67,213 acres (27,200 hectares). Eventually, he sold the land to the National Park Service in 1966 for $1.5 million.
Frijole Ranch as a National Park Site
After the land became part of the national park, the ranch buildings were used by the National Park Service. From 1969 to 1980, they served as homes for park employees and utility buildings. From 1983 to 1991, the main house was a center for park operations.
In 1992, the house was carefully restored. Today, it is an interpretive center and museum. It is known as the Frijole Ranch Cultural Museum. Visitors can learn about the history of the ranch and the people who lived there.
See also
