Contemporary Ranches of Texas (M K BROWN RANGE LIFE SERIES)

Winner, Western Books Exhibition,The Rounce & Coffin Club

Ranching and Texas remain synonymous for people around the world, although our knowledge of ranch life more often comes from the movies than from herding cattle on the Panhandle Plains. Yet there still are Texans for whom ranching is a daily way of life, and this book tells their stories.

Through Lawrence Clayton's words and Wyman Meinzer's evocative black-and-white photographs, you will visit sixteen working ranches across Texas: Alta Vista, Canales, Catarina, O'Connor, and Ray in South Texas; R. A. Brown, Chimney Creek, Goodnight, J A, Moorhouse, Nail, and Renderbrook Spade in the Panhandle and Northwest Texas; and Henderson Cove, Hudspeth River, Long X, and Hoskins 101 in the Trans-Pecos. Many of these ranches trace their beginnings to the open range, and all of them are known today for running a quality "outfit."

Clayton recounts the history and current operation of each ranch, often drawing on stories handed down over generations. Quotes from ranch owners and employees give a feel for the challenges and rewards of modern-day ranching and also underscore how much ranching varies across the different regions of Texas. Meinzer's photographs capture the endless prairies and the weather-worn faces of the men and women who work the cattle, as well as the tools of their trade. For everyone fascinated by Texas ranching, this book offers enjoyable reading and viewing of this proud and increasingly rare way of life.

The late Lawrence Clayton was Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.

Wyman Meinzer, of Benjamin, is one of today’s foremost portrayers of the Texas landscape.