Ranch History

The family history of the Hodge Ranch begins in Irion County just after the turn of the century, when my Grandfather, George Newell Hodge, and my great uncle,  John Hodge were ranching 4 sections they owned together just to the east of Mertzon, on Bull Run Creek.

 

For reasons buried in the family past and unknown to me, Grandad and Uncle John sold that property in 1920 and moved to Reagan County, joining up with an already-established rancher in the area, John Shannon [of the current San Angelo hospital name] to run almost a half million acres of ranching country in Reagan and Crockett Counties.   

 

Both Grandad and Uncle John were cowboys in every sense of the word and my Dad absorbed that way of  life as well. Dad also passed the cowboy essence down to me in my early ranch years in the '50s.   My grandfather took care of all the windmills on the entire spread. This was also something I helped Dad do while I was growing up. The old wind milling tools are still at the ranch today.

Hodge Ranch Headquarters

Over the years, Grandad and Uncle John separated from Mr. Shannon, letting  most of the acreage go, for one reason or another. Grandad wound up on the place I run today, 8 sections of ranch country located 5 miles west of Big Lake, Texas, click here...
 

Ranch Geography

The land I was raised on covers the northwest part of the watershed of the Big Lake Playa which,

is the largest playa in Texas. Straddling the watersheds of the Rio Grand to the south and the Colorado River to the north.

Prickly Pear cactus "tree" on Big Lake Playa

The ranch itself combines the characteristics of four of the Texas Natural Regions; the Edwards Plateau, the Trans-Pecos, the High Plains, and the Rolling Plains. They all come together in this part of the country and to my knowledge there has always has been a lack of live surface water.  Oddly, the surface features of the land does run together  like the confluence of natural running water. An educated eye can distinguish each part of the natural regions. Some features are melded together and some are quite distinct from one another. These features can been seen scattered all over parts of the ranch.

Mesquite Beans Wild Flowers

Ranch Wildlife

The wildlife variety and population on and in the area of the ranch has changed drastically from its prehistoric and early historical makeup, mainly in response to fencing, vegetation changes, and increased water availability. Where bison and pronghorn antelope once roamed freely in vast numbers over the entire area, neither are to be found today except for private herds scattered across the state. Wolves, once a common sight across the country, are no longer present. Mountain lion, while still seen occasionally, are greatly reduced in number. Whitetail deer, on the other hand, were seen very infrequently across West Texas in historical times, and then only in limited areas, due to the lack of a year-round dependable water supply.

Windmills are Checked Daily

The proliferation of windmills, even with the fencing now crisscrossing the land, along with the drastic increase in brush density and canopy coverage, since the introduction of livestock, has provided conditions that greatly favor the deer and quail, and both populations exploded in response to the changes. Other animals that have benefited greatly from those changes include all songbirds, dove, turkey, javalena, cottontails, jackrabbits, raccoons, ringtails, foxes, opossum, skunks, bobcats, and coyotes. Ducks of all kinds are still regular visitors to the stock tanks during their migratory flights in both directions.

Ranch Livestock

This part of Texas is prime country for raising sheep, goats, and cattle, and, while we raised all three when I was growing up, I now use the ranch mainly for a cow-calf operation, where the calves are shipped off each year after weaning. I do keep a small herd of hand-raised Boer goats around, in deference to my grandson's pets. You can see from the photograph that I too have become rather attached to the critters.

Fun and games on the ranch

For the most part, too, the cattle are more like family to me than just animals from whom I derive an income. You cannot spend time with a herd before coming to recognize each animal and see their individual temperament. This is just one more area where familiarity does not breed contempt.

Young Bill & Old Bill

 

Reflections

All in all, I am very grateful for the life that I have been and am now being allowed to lead. I recognized at a very early age the gift of being able to pursue a life and lifestyle that many people the world over would envy.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief introduction to the Hodge Ranch as much as I have enjoyed bringing it to you.