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n 1913, the J.K. Weldon family invested the
money earned from cotton and cattle sales in
the purchase of a ranch near McAdam's Peak.
Today, this land located in the northern-most
extension of the famed Texas Hill Country is
called The Ranch On Possum Kingdom. The original
homestead and barn built in 1913 still stand
and are in use today. Plows, wagons and other
farming equipment used by the Weldon family
remain here as a reminder of how the “good
old days” must have been. For over 90 years,
this land has remained a working cattle ranch.
Hills once inhabited by Indians now are called
home by a few lucky families.
Just as The Ranch has a spirited past, so does
the scenic region of Texas of which it is a
part. Known as the cradle of the cattle industry
in America, its wooded hills and valleys were
home to Oliver Loving and Charles Goodnight,
the pioneering cattleman who inspired Larry
McMurtry's legendary tale "Lonesome Dove".
Running right through the middle of this famed
cattle country is the Brazos River. Legend has
it that the Brazos River got its name from early
Spanish explorers. Exhausted and close to death
after running out of drinking water, they came
upon the river and christened it "Brazos
de Dios", meaning "Arms of God",
in thanksgiving. Another tale says it was named
this because of the great spread of its tributaries
- far reaching like the "Arms of God".
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