The Last Frontier
Land of this stature is a rare find. Back in the day, neighboring ravines were nicknamed Dead Man’s Gulch and Crazy Canyon for good reason. Not far away, Judge Roy Bean dealt his wry brand of justice at the end of a six-shooter. Colorful, yes. But that was a single chapter in the land’s relatively recent past. The ranch’s roots go far deeper. Fern Cave was a Union bastion behind enemy lines at a time of secession and war between states. Fort Hudson, an outpost on the San Antonio to El Paso mail route, was situated on the ranch and the ruins of its pre-Civil War stockade are a haunting reminder of a time of war between cultures. Indeed, several recorded skirmishes occurred at “Camp Hudson” when raids throughout the area were commonplace. Over ten thousand years ago, before recorded history, people were drawn to the rock shelters and countless grottoes among the ranch’s canyons. They found a bountiful hunting ground and pure spring waters. And because only a few have had the enviable privilege to know and explore this area, to step foot here is to step back in time and encounter a history not widely known.
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Volume 59 Texas Farm&Ranch