Answering “what was the first ranch in Texas?” is not easy as it seems; it depends on if you are asking about the first Spanish ranch or the first Anglo ranch. The Spanish missions are arguably the first cattle ranches in Texas. Franciscans were the most active early cattle raisers in early Texas. It was these Franciscan friars who also conducted the first cattle drives within the state.
Cattle raising in Texas started in the Rio Grande Valley sometime in the late 1500s to early 1600s. By 1680, there were several thousand cattle recorded in the El Paso area. The missionary ranches were joined by private ranches in the mid-18th century. The early Spanish vaqueros worked like independent contractors – they owned their own horses, saddles, and ropes and were only bound to a hacienda if they chose to be.
The earliest Texas cattle drives to markets outside of Texas began in the late 1700s. In 1779, cattle were moved to Louisiana to feed Spanish soldiers who were fighting against the British during the American Revolution. The flow of cattle outside of Texas continued which reduced the cattle population in Texas. The Mexican War of Independence created a demand for beef rations to feed soldiers. Cattle herds were so depleted that ranching activity decreased sharply until Anglo settlers arrived in Texas after Mexico achieved independence. The new arrivals mixed eastern cattle with Spanish cattle to form the iconic Longhorn breed.
With that in mind, the oldest surviving ranch in Texas is possibly Rancho de la Purisima Conceptión, founded in 1716.
Anglo ranches followed in the early 1800s. James Taylor LeBlanc moved from Texas to Louisiana and established the first Anglo cattle ranch in 1828, though no trace of his ranch remains today, and other Anglo ranches followed shortly thereafter.
Image: Photo courtesy of Southwest Collections Library
