NOTE: the rare hawk Bud & I found can be seen on my bird photo blog this week. Link to site is above, by the picture.
Normally, I just drive by this...this day, I pulled off the highway on my return-to-home trip, and took a few photos:
The 'town'...is it a ghost town, y'wonder?
Note: Red Brick buildings are school houses.
can be enlarged for clarified viewing
The afternoon was beautiful...blue sky, a gentle, warm breeze. The temperature was 83 degrees. I had my work done for the day, and decided since the sun was shining, I'd take a drive in the country again, hawk hunting.
At this blog and on my bird photograph blog, I'd Rather B Birdin', you probably recall me posting about driving in the country, in and around what is called by locals [and on the map], Chapman Ranch. It's mostly farming, cotton and sorghum, but there are oil wells and hundreds of wind generators on the farm land also. The area, tho subdivided now, and dozens of private ranching [cattle and horses], it remains huge. The original Chapman Ranch, before selling off, was amassed at over 34,000 acres...Philip Chapman bought this vast parcel of land from Richard King of the historic King Ranch [King Ranch originally consisting of 1.2 million acres, now 825,000 acres covering nearly 1300 square miles] around Kingsville, Texas, in 1919. At the time of purchase, Chapman Ranch was dubbed Nueces Farms. Since 1924, after subdividing the land into 160 acre plots, it was then known as Chapman Ranch. Historically, it was billed as the world's largest mechanized farm. Experiments were conducted with both crops and machinery. Implements were introduced for improved cotton production and even a specific strain of cotton was developed on the ranch. According to the Texas State Historical Marker, the strain of rice was developed in the 1930s; being a "superior strain of long-staple cotton", which was marketed world-wide. Today, all that remains are some buildings of the past, and one is still operating. There were schools, a post office, grocery store, hardware, a hospital, and even a barber shop, a car dealership, gas station, and more. The post office was just recently, within the last decade, closed for good. Now, you see abandoned buildings, farming equipment and a few remaining residents. But, forever, the land remains and Chapman's Ranch is still marked on maps of today. The heirs of the Chapman family continue to run the ranch. You can drive around on the country roads for hours and still be on the ranch!!
At this blog and on my bird photograph blog, I'd Rather B Birdin', you probably recall me posting about driving in the country, in and around what is called by locals [and on the map], Chapman Ranch. It's mostly farming, cotton and sorghum, but there are oil wells and hundreds of wind generators on the farm land also. The area, tho subdivided now, and dozens of private ranching [cattle and horses], it remains huge. The original Chapman Ranch, before selling off, was amassed at over 34,000 acres...Philip Chapman bought this vast parcel of land from Richard King of the historic King Ranch [King Ranch originally consisting of 1.2 million acres, now 825,000 acres covering nearly 1300 square miles] around Kingsville, Texas, in 1919. At the time of purchase, Chapman Ranch was dubbed Nueces Farms. Since 1924, after subdividing the land into 160 acre plots, it was then known as Chapman Ranch. Historically, it was billed as the world's largest mechanized farm. Experiments were conducted with both crops and machinery. Implements were introduced for improved cotton production and even a specific strain of cotton was developed on the ranch. According to the Texas State Historical Marker, the strain of rice was developed in the 1930s; being a "superior strain of long-staple cotton", which was marketed world-wide. Today, all that remains are some buildings of the past, and one is still operating. There were schools, a post office, grocery store, hardware, a hospital, and even a barber shop, a car dealership, gas station, and more. The post office was just recently, within the last decade, closed for good. Now, you see abandoned buildings, farming equipment and a few remaining residents. But, forever, the land remains and Chapman's Ranch is still marked on maps of today. The heirs of the Chapman family continue to run the ranch. You can drive around on the country roads for hours and still be on the ranch!!Normally, I just drive by this...this day, I pulled off the highway on my return-to-home trip, and took a few photos:
Hawks were active! A couple weeks ago, just beginning of plowed fields...now, sorghum sprouting!! Some parts are posted, while other fields are open territory.
The 'town'...is it a ghost town, y'wonder?
Note: Red Brick buildings are school houses.
Read more on:
King's Ranch Family
King's Ranch Dynasty
Secret History - Was Richard King a Fraudulent Man?
can be enlarged for clarified viewing
we all know everything is bigger in TEXAS and the size of these ranches is proof... it does look like the whole town is abandoned.. I like the old brick building with the arched door..
ReplyDeleteThat was one of the schools.
DeleteWow! I cannot imagine that all of this belongs to one family! It is amazing!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are quality and the hawk is so Noble. I am a big fan of raptors!
Thank you so much for sharing the story and your fantastic photos!
Have a great Sunday Anni 💮
Texas is rich in ranching history.
DeleteThis post is quite a lesson in history of the ranch. Your photographs are important for the understanding of the place. It all made me want to sing "Don't Fence Me In." Roy Rogers was a real favorite of mine and still is!
ReplyDeleteI haven't thought of R. Rogers in years.
DeleteWow, such a shame that it is all abandoned now. The vastness is hard to imagine. My sister had a friend who claimed to be a direct descendant of the King family.
ReplyDeleteThat would be interesting to learn anything she knew of the King family.
DeleteYes, the land is still there and so are the hawks, which certainly makes for one happy lady who loves to hunt them for just one, or maybe more, magnificent picture! :~)
ReplyDeleteLove going out there.
DeleteWhat a neat old place! I love that magnificent hawk, too. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt truly was magnificent.
DeleteWhat an amazing story. the size of this place is almost too huge for my little brain to comprehend! So the ranch was so large that it actually kind of turned into it's own town! Do you know what factored into it being unused and abandoned?
ReplyDeleteI really haven't a clue.
DeleteVery interesting . It just made me wonder just how many of the present day towns will one day be ghost towns.I know of some smaller places around here that have already fallen into that state.
ReplyDeleteYa, now that you brought that up...interesting thought.
DeleteI can't even imagine a ranch with that many acres. It's sad that the town that was once there has turned into a ghost town.
ReplyDeleteYes.
Delete83 degree I would have short sleeves and lighter pants on.
ReplyDeleteI had shorts on. Lol
DeleteVery interesting! It does appear to be a ghost town now. Sad to see that happen to what was once a thriving place.
ReplyDeleteHistories are interesting too.
DeleteI don't know why I have not googled King Ranch...this was all so interesting. I had no idea how big it was or any of the info on the Chapman family.
ReplyDelete