We do have an official Texas State Longhorn
herd!
Fort Griffin State Historic Site Cattle Round-Up charlie llewellin CC BY-SA
In
1936, Fort Worth businessman Sid Richardson believed Texas was about to lose
the Texas Longhorn. He believed the longhorns were closer to extinction that
the buffalo. He discussed this issue with Texas Historian J. Frank Dobie of
Austin, Texas. The two reached an arrangement to establish a Texas State
Longhorn herd. Richardson would provide the funding and Dobie would find and
select the longhorns. Dobie enlisted the help of longtime cattle detector, rancher
and longhorn raiser, Graves Peeler. They traveled throughout South Texas
selecting 20 head. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
volunteered to protect and preserve the herd. The longhorns were initially
placed at Lake Corpus Christi State Park. Richardson then asked Dobie and
Peeler to locate another herd. It was difficult to find more quality longhorns.
Dobie and Peeler had to drive hundreds of miles on both sides of the Rio Grande
River. By the end of 1942, they had located a few more and these were placed at
Lake Brownwood State Park. By 1948, the longhorns had been removed from
Brownwood and Christi State Parks. Twenty one longhorns had been relocated to
Fort Griffin State Park (now Fort Griffin State Historic Site), and the
remaining longhorns were sold. The longhorns have been one of Fort Griffin’s
greatest assets, attracting visitors from all over the world. Since 1948, Fort
Griffin has been the official home and manager of the herd. Fort Griffin places
longhorns in other state parks for exhibition, range management, and breeding
purposes. Currently, portions of the herd are located at Copper Breaks State
Park, Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site, Palo Duro Canyon State
Park, and San Angelo State Park.
San Angelo State Park Longhorn Herd TPWD Copyright
Big Bend Ranch State Park has a longhorn herd that is part of its
legacy, but their herd is not a part of the Official Texas State Longhorn Herd,
and in recent years they have reduced the size of the herd in order to focus the
use of park funds on other areas.
Big Bend Ranch State Park Calf Branding charlie llewellin CC BY-SA
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