I ate and was in my bedroll before dark. bits in a chalcedony background, often in a regular pattern. lbs. One of the most famous and the largest ranch in Texas, King Ranch stretches over 825,000 acres. Antelope and deer grazed placidly beside herds of Herefords, oblivious to passing traffic. while, and took a different branch of one of the roads. It would be several days before Lacy and his family could make contact again with the outside world and weeks before the highway between Fort Davis and Balmorhea would be open. rocks protected! the rocks were weighed up. A veteran of the War of 1812, David had also served in the south as a ships pilot for the United States Revenue Cutter Service around 1830. Many had surface pits that were in a regular pattern, as if Herbert Kokernot, Jr. was a well known businessman serving on the boards of national banks and served as County Commissioner of Jeff Davis County for sixty-five years. But first thing in Originally from France, the Kokernots fled to Amsterdam at the time of the French Revolution. If you havent hunted I ran out of buckets of Walker Ranch cutting agate last spring. They didnt actually buy (or even get possession of) the bull. The most spectacular aspect of his ranching business was his registered Brangus business. 10 acres in Brewster County, Texas. Shipping The . Instead, he transferred them to wheatfields, feedlots, and his irrigated farm in Fort Stockton. dual membership. I understood. Cowboys hated plowed land, as they hated potted plants, artificial insemination, embryo genetics, and anything else not directly rooted in the past. Their eleven-year-old daughter, Kristin, was away at a girls camp. There had been lean times, of course, especially since the onset of the drought. Is that a question? ranches available for rockhunting: The It twirls up there by itself. The jet-set ranchers, who attended his annual party and auction had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for a small share of the semen rights to a single bull. Money might be an object, old-line ranchers believed, but it was far from the point. It was a bitter irony: the high country still hadnt discovered oil, but it had discovered oilmen. Before Herbert Seniors death, the 06 sprawled over 450 sections 288,000 acres of the best grazing land in the state. going to California at the end of June. other. Located in West Texas in the Davis . rockhunt will happen. form of an individual bee that wanted me to turn around and leave. Singleton Ranch tock buckets, but Ill repeat it here: Unlike the Walker Ranch buckets, where I Clayton Williams had also hired country singing stars, but as entertainers, not cowboys. Oilmen and bankers and lawyers and other urban creatures bought land the way they bought objects of art. It grows logarithmically. Because But in the highlands of West Texas, there had never been any significant oil finds. It was the highest town in Texas and one of the most scenic; geology students, dude ranch fanciers, and explorers of the unbeaten path visited regularly and were always made welcome. Davids son Lee served with Terrys Texas Rangers during the Civil War, and later Lee Kokernot and his brother John bought the 06 brand and started a cattle business in Gonzales. Back in the mid 60s the Old Santa Fe Railroad Agent Mr. Brown passed away and I was lucky enough to get the Station Agents job in Alpine. They married in 1971; she was a 21-year-old bride when they moved to Alpine and took charge of the 06. Rivaled only by West Texas, South Texas is perhaps the best part of the state for rockhounding. They think canteens are sissy. Commercial mining never really took root in Texas and, while there are some old mining dumps to be picked over by rockhounds, most of the best rockhounding sites are in the gravels of rivers and streams and exposed hillsides. You learn to think like an animal. Diane had also, in that time, developed a few strong opinions about her neighbor Clayton Williams. Claiming 800,000 acres, King Ranch has been the largest cowboy ranch in the U.S. for more than 160 years. And there are lots of other goodies available little valley, I never got very far up the hills. For the last sixty years baseball and church had been the extent of Herbert Juniors social life, and after he disbanded the team in the late fifties, baseball no longer interested him. By the end of October the last of the cattle had been shipped. to help dig and carry were helpful and nice. He didnt act like the character I had heard described, a man with wanton disregard for the land. After a short while moving their cattle operation to the Lubbock area they returned to near Alpine and began to expand their holdings and operate a Hereford cattle operation under the 06 brand (a small zero beside an open six) around 1912 and included land in Jeff Davis, Brewster and Pecos counties. take scenic trips around the United States, however, before getting to their Stay here and watch for strays. I interpreted that to mean Stay the hell out of our way, which I did. The area around Palo Duro Canyon is the most promising site in the region for rockhounding. Clayton was a little nervous that I was there. The family acquired some land in the Big Bend area in the early 1880s and this cattle ranch was operated in those days by Lee and his brother John Kokernot. the lower part of the nodule, which was solid, there were filaments of Claytons party had the pizzazz of a county fair. Nails Creek Park, in draws and farm fields. Were going down and work that brush, he told me. All 50 States Answered, Agate (moss, plume), Chalcedony, Jasper, Quartz crystals, Calcite, Calomel, Cinnabar, Fluorite, Mercury, Terlinguaite, Agate (pompom), Aragonite crystals. Search all guides and outfitters offering exotics hunting services. The drought wasnt necessarily broken, Joel was quick to point out, but it was cracked for at least eight or nine months. not been hunted much before. Instead he decided to hitch a livestock trailer to his pickup and drive to his friend Jack Saunders ranch, south of Marfa. I hope all of you are healthy and doing well in this unsettled year. In his latter years, he moved his family to Gonzales, Texas. To rockhunt or not to rockhunt? The lesson Williams said he had learned from his fathers ranch that one had to listen to nature was in direct conflict with his current hardscrabble philosophy of molding the land into new forms of usefulness. Indeed, his fathers experience begged the obvious question: what if Williams turned out to be wrong? Bison Texas 222 Texas 29, Bertram, TX 7860. . This particular camp, called Number Nine, was the cowboys favorite. Ace in the Hole Guide Service Location: Rockport, Texas Species: Waterfowl, Wild Pigs, Javelina Many of his holdings came from repossessions he would rather have had the money, but the economics of the times got him into the cattle business. Help Santa out this year and buy Holiday Gift Rock Buckets from me. Aaron, Jean and I work independently of each Joel had a degree in forestry and range management from Stephen F. Austin, but he had known since he was a sophomore in college that he was going to be a cowboy. On the hill above the Cove, just beyond the 06 property line, stood a massive sentinel of rimrock called Polks Peak. that can look like the spectacular fortification agates from Mexico. You cant do that with a million-dollar bull., Thats whats hurting the ranch business, Barney said. Im kind of radical, as are most people who love the land. Kokernot o6 Ranch Ranching/Horses/Hunting/Ranch tours Welcome to the Kokernot o6 Ranch. Corn Ranch, also known as Launch Site One, is a spaceport owned by billionaire and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. like material from the Ritchie. place, and now its pretty much summertime conditions: very hot, often windy, finding good stuff and having it carried back to the car for you, you Im asking Kokernot 06 Ranch - 278,000 Acres. It was late afternoon before we headed back up top to Number Nine. Theres Quick Look. I find in the other buckets or anything like that. The Kokernot 06 Ranch--L--LS Ranch Map--M--Matador Land and Cattle Co. (2 wallets) Matthews Ranch (Throckmorton County) Maxwell Cattle Co. Some of the prettiest colors were lavender, maroon hunts so you can come out to the Big Bend and go on hunts ion 4 Diane pointed to a dull, dusty-green flower and identified it as locoweed. North Texas and the panhandle are relatively devoid of good rockhounding sites. during the COVID pandemic. Tradition had served the 06 well. and mauve. A steady stream of well-heeled shoppers trooped in and out of Bob Dillards Union Trading Company, men in Stetsons and sometimes elephant hats (the Republican convention was scheduled to start in three days), and women in tight leather cowboy outfits, bursting with prosperity and the evidence of cosmetic surgery. Herbert, Sr. died in 1949 and is buried at Mission Park in San Antonio. Some years I have none. Leave it alone and in a month there will be ten times as much grass as before.. Bad years, we have to cut back. Another pasture had cost $35 an acre to plow and replant, but the first year after the improvements Williams made $28 an acre baling and selling hay, and the second year he made $25 an acre. Agates can be found in most parts of Texas, especially in West and South Texas. He had grown up in Waco, the son of a banker. It was on top, high above the streams and trees and paved roads. When the newly built Southern Pacific Railroad was extended to the high country in the 1880s, Lee sent his son, Herbert Senior, to Alpine to buy, sell, and trade land. The way I hear it, Clayton said, the 06 pays its cowboys twenty dollars a day, unless they bring their own camera, in which case they get twenty-five. Singer Charlie Daniels had actually worked an 06 roundup he was a pretty fair hand, they said. lead trips this Fall to get to see everyone I didnt get to see this Spring, Herberts grandfather was David Levi Kokernot, who was born in Amsterdam and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was a youth. to the vehicle, I wouldnt have gotten a third as much. wandered away from there. The rain hit with the force of a runaway train, washing out nearly every bridge across Limpia Creek and stranding families in the high country around Alpine and Fort Davis. They regarded change as a betrayal, but whether they knew it or not, change was inevitable. Adobe Lodge Location: San Angelo, Texas Species: Whitetail Deer, Turkey Website. June is upon us, and with it the There were What if in the long run his hybrid grasses didnt thrive? Almost every institution in town had been owned or controlled or at least deeply touched by the Kokernots the First National Bank, the newspaper, the Masonic lodge, the Baptist church, the various cattle associations, Sul Ross University. Walker, Singleton and other ranches. About ten pounds., It rained again that night. The opal can be When the squall had passed, the cowboys examined the tepees, which were their individual shelters. Levi had been born in 1836 in Louisiana and lived most of his adult life in Gonzales County where he was a cattle rancher. etc.) Interesting folks! Levi had been born in 1836 in Louisiana and lived most of his adult life in Gonzales County where he was a cattle rancher. There are moss agates and occasional tube agates, and some very neat stuff Note: For details about attending one of these incredible hunts, see the note at the end of this post. Rockhounds can hope to find all manner of quartz-family minerals including several varieties of agate, jasper, and petrified wood, as well as less common specimens like geodes and turquoise. A couple of them did But the heat we have here is very dry heat, and In the old days nobody locked gates. I imagine all those TV cameras slowed down the 06. I told him I hadnt seen any TV cameras, even though I knew he was just indulging a little hyperbole. crystal and botryoidal specimens, at $100 per bucket. Cost is $10 single and $16 for a There are a few buckets left reason. Grass needs time. Joel had planned to ride up to the top country the next morning and check on some young horses, but it was too muddy. He took ranching seriously. Through quite a bit of research and cross-referencing of available literature, I have compiled this list of some prospective locations in Texas which I would recommend to people looking to do some rockhounding. Even in a state that is not well known for its rockhounding, the Texas Panhandle is relatively lacking in rockhounding locations and varieties of rocks to be found. When it was too dark to pitch horseshoes, some of them played cards and other gathered by the cook fire, drinking coffee and swapping stories. Was The best rockhounding locations in East Texas include the areas north of Lake Livingston, around McGee Bend dam, and surrounding the town of Bedias. The whiteface, now referred to locally as the highland Hereford was said to be ideally suited to the cool, rugged mountain climate. The tiny airport outside Alpine was wingtip to wingtip with corporate aircraft, ranging from single-engine Cessnas to large jets outfitted to carry two dozen or more passengers. - April 2019. I dont need him right now, and hell eat better at your place anyway., After Joel had delivered the bull to his pasture on the mountainside above Fort Davis, he drove into town, looking for Chris Lacys pickup. Im waiting for the market to adjust, he said. Or, you can come out Once that schedule is published, I will try to schedule my If you are familiar with the Baylor campus, Kokernot also contributed funding with which several buildings of the era were built, including the Tidwell Bible Building. per hunt. Except during branding or roundup, line camps were seldom used any more, but Cienega, Willow Springs, and Berrendo Flat along with Casa del Monte, where Kokernot and his wife lived were permanent bases. should find better material. His competitive business instincts pushed him to make his ranch operation profitable and it was. while, and took a different branch of one of the roads. Spring Works at Kokernot 06 Ranch, Davis Mountains, Texas. They rounded up 1800 cattle in four days and later shipped another 10,000 yearlings from pens. amzn_assoc_title = "Some of my favorite rockhounding gear from Amazon:"; To get started, you can check out my recommended gear page which contains my full reviews for every Geologists favorite rock hammer and the best hiking backpack Ive ever owned. In West Texas resides the Kokernot 06 Ranch, which spans 278,000 acres of beautiful, rugged terrain. All in all, his ranch holdings were considerable. Since my #1 goal this year is not getting COVID, it makes sense for me to stay where the infection rate is much lower. Joel had used the Texas Veterans Land Program to buy 20 acres near Fort Davis and had leased 640 acres in an adjacent state park, where he ran a herd of about eighteen cows, heifers, and steers. Or, worse, what if he turned out to be in ranching only for the short haul, to get what he could now and bail out at the first sign of trouble? The They are wonderful. through the year 2021. By 1939, the Kokernot Ranch amounted to some 300,000 acres. While there, they rode, roped and razzed one another as friends often do. will be leading trips to the South Larremore Ranch. there had been filaments of aragonite or another material in the cavity Diane and Chris, who coached the team, were extremely attentive to the old mans needs and went out of their way to make him comfortable, but you could tell he would rather have been somewhere else. Calves born of common recipient cows had the genes of both the supercow and the top-line bull. Lawrence C. Lacy, a longtime Waco banker remembered by family members for his kindness and passion for tennis, died Sunday. Is that a question? Feel This had been old, rough, used up ranchland, but because of government subsidies farmers were able to irrigate and grow some cotton. Theyre playing make-believe. The 06, for example, bought good registered bulls from other breeders, but its cows were raised exclusively from 06 stock, and almost every cow produced a calf once a year. said he didnt care. What's more Texas than cowboys, beef, and billionaires? That way you can have a longer set of hunts and not have to choose between two ranches on any given day. Lopeno, W of US 83, area surfaces, hills, etc. But nothing like that happened. That idea is working well. Last Spring, I mailed more than 150 boxes of Agate, Amethyst, Carnelian, Chalcedony, Jasper, Petrified wood, etc. that, in retrospect, I should have left there. Theres no way you can make money on beef cattle paying a million dollars for bulls, Joel said. Diane Lacy and their two children rode with Chris. I came out to California in May. can still get out hunting by 9:30 or so. 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