Prairie Chapel Ranch facts for kids
Prairie Chapel Ranch is a large ranch covering about 1,583 acres (6.4 square kilometers) in McLennan County, Texas. It's located near Crawford, Texas, and about 25 miles (40 km) from Waco, Texas. George W. Bush bought this property in 1999. During his time as president, it was often called the "Western White House." President Bush enjoyed spending his vacations here and hosted important leaders from around the world. The ranch got its name from the Prairie Chapel School, which was built nearby. The land for the school was given by Heinrich Engelbrecht, a German immigrant from the 1800s, who also owned the land where the ranch now stands.
Contents
History of the Ranch
The Engelbrecht family, who first owned the land, raised turkeys and hogs. Their original ranch house is now called the "Governor's House." It's used for extra guests when the main house is full. The Bush family even stayed there while their new house was being built.
In 1999, before he became president, George W. Bush bought the land. He bought it from the Engelbrecht family for about $1.3 million. This was after he made a good profit from selling his share of the Texas Rangers baseball team.
Bush had some old hog barns removed to build his new house, a guest house, and a garage.
On May 10, 2008, the ranch was the special place for the wedding of Jenna Bush, President Bush's daughter. She married Henry Hager in a simple ceremony with about 200 friends and family.
The House and Its Surroundings
The Main House
David Heymann, an architecture professor, designed the main house. It has four bedrooms and is about 4,000 square feet (370 square meters). The house is made of honey-colored limestone found in the area. It also has a white metal roof. Heymann said they used less expensive, but beautiful, local stone for the house.
A wide limestone porch, about 10 feet (3 meters) wide, goes all the way around the house. Byron Bottoms Builder built the house. It wasn't finished until after Bush became president because they needed to add security features and meeting spaces.
Laura Bush, the former First Lady, said they wanted a single-level ranch house. This was so their older parents would be comfortable. They also wanted to grow old there themselves.
The house is designed to use the sun's energy. In winter, it lets in sunlight to warm the inside. It also uses geothermal heat pumps. These pumps circulate water through pipes buried 300 feet (91 meters) deep. This helps heat the house in winter and cool it in summer. A large underground tank, called a cistern, holds 25,000 US gallons (95 cubic meters) of rainwater from the roof. Wastewater from sinks and showers is also cleaned and sent to this cistern. This collected water is then used to water the plants around the house.
The house has one story and eight rooms. There are no stairs, making it easy to move around. Most rooms are one room wide, which helps with air flow. People often walk on the porch to get from one room to another.
Heymann, the designer, said each room connects to a different part of the outdoor landscape. For example, in the guest bathroom, you see an oak tree instead of a mirror when you look up from the sink. He also noted that a group of oak trees protects the house from the hot afternoon sun. The house also has views of hills and a lake.
Most rooms are small but have high ceilings. The living room and kitchen are larger. They are designed for entertaining guests and family gatherings. The living room has many glass doors that look out. The metal roof extends past the porch. This means you can sit on the patio and watch the rain without getting wet. A special gutter system around the house sends rainwater to the cistern for watering plants.
The geothermal system saves a lot of electricity. It uses about 25% of the power of regular heating and cooling systems. The water for the outdoor pool is also heated using this system. It worked so well that they didn't need to install solar panels.
Other Buildings
Besides the main house, there is a guest house and a garage. These are in separate buildings.
There's also a helicopter hangar. This space was sometimes used as an auditorium for press conferences.
In 2002, the ranch was set up for secure video calls. President Bush used this for his briefings from the CIA and other important communications.
Guests staying overnight can use the main house, the guest house, the original farmhouse, or a mobile home.
News reporters usually stayed in hotels in Waco, Texas. Press conferences not involving the president were held at Crawford Middle School, about 10 miles (16 km) from the ranch.
The Grounds
The ranch land includes seven canyons. It also has about 3 miles (5 km) of frontage along Rainey Creek and the Middle Bosque River. President Bush once mentioned that the cedar trees in the canyons would be good for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. However, these birds have not been seen on the ranch itself.
Bush also added an 11-acre (4.5-hectare) man-made pond. He stocked it with 600 largemouth bass and many bait fish. There are also bluegill and red ear sunfish. The pond is about 17 feet (5 meters) deep. In 2006, Bush joked that catching a 7.5-pound (3.4 kg) bass in his lake was the best moment of his presidency.
His daughters wanted a swimming pool, so Bush built one. He jokingly called it "the whining pool" because they kept asking for it. The pool helps cool off during hot Texas summers. It's heated by the same geothermal system that heats the house in winter.
Activities at the Ranch
A special souvenir from the ranch is a gray athletic shirt. It has a Texas star and says "The President's 100-Degree Club." To earn this shirt, a visitor had to run 3 miles (5 km) or bike 10 miles (16 km) when the temperature was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
When he was president, Bush used the ranch for vacations and meetings. He also entertained foreign leaders there. For meetings, the dress code was usually casual, with no ties. Guests often enjoyed Southwestern food. When not in meetings, Bush enjoyed mountain biking, jogging, fishing, bird hunting, and clearing brush.
Bush liked spending time away from the White House in Washington, D.C.. In 2001, he said it was important for a president to be in "the heartland of America."
Visits from World Leaders
Many important world leaders visited the ranch, including:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin in November 2001
- British Prime Minister Tony Blair in April 2002
- Saudi King Abdullah in April 2002 and April 2005
- Chinese President Jiāng Zémín in October 2002
- Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichirō in May 2003
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel in November 2007
- Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen in February 2008
Security Around the Ranch
During Bush's presidency, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had a permanent "no-fly zone" around the ranch. This area, called "Prohibited Area 49" (P-49), was about 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) wide. When President Bush was at the ranch, this zone expanded to 10 nautical miles (19 km), with some smaller restrictions up to 30 nautical miles (56 km). This was to keep the airspace safe. In June 2010, the size of P-49 was reduced to a 2 nautical mile (3.7 km) radius up to 2,000 feet (610 meters), and it is still in effect.
President Bush usually flew on Air Force One to TSTC Waco Airport. From there, he would take Marine One, a helicopter, to the ranch.
The Ranch's Future
After his presidency, George and Laura Bush bought a home in Dallas. Laura Bush said Dallas would be their main home. However, they still plan to spend weekends and holidays at the ranch. An official from the White House once said, "They'll have their place in Crawford. He just loves it."
Images for kids
-
George W. Bush with Colin Powell and Richard Armitage
-
President Bush escorting Hosni Mubarak from a helicopter at the ranch in 2004
-
The President with Dick Cheney, Robert Gates, Condoleezza Rice and Peter Pace in 2006 at the ranch
- July 1999: Locals Hope Bush will create a White House in Texas, from the Abilene Reporter-News
- December 2000: Home on the Range, from TIME magazine's Person of the Year story on Bush
- March 2001: Prohibited Area P-49 established by the FAA over the ranch
- August 2001: No grocery, $5 haircuts - and the Bush ranch, from the Christian Science Monitor
- August 25, 2001: President Gives Tour of Crawford Ranch
- December 2002: The Bush Ranch, from Cowboys & Indians magazine
- January 2, 2003: President's Remarks on Walking Tour of the Ranch, a White House press release
- July 29, 2005: Bush plans 50th ranch trip in five years, an Associated Press report published in USA Today.
- August 18, 2005: Can this bike ride be Bush's tour de force?, A report in The Times concerning the visit of Lance Armstrong to the ranch.
