Hello again, from Aransas Pass, Texas, on the Gulf Coast. I can't believe it is March already! We are enjoying a quiet winter season, some walks on the beach, fresh shrimp, and the sunshine. Don't much care for the humidity, though.
We visited the Fulton Mansion , about 15 miles north of us in Rockport/Fulton area. Rising above Aransas Bay and surrounded by stately oaks and palm trees it must have appeared incredible in 1877 with its mansard roof and ornate trim work. For its time, this home was progressive, luxurious and rare in this part of Texas.
Today, it offers a glimpse into the life of an affluent family in the late 1800s living is this grand Victorian villa called Oakhurst.
The unique construction of the mansion is shown in this picture. Pine boards were staggered horizontally on top of each other for strength to withstand the hurricanes from the Gulf of Mexico. Just think of the huge amounts of lumber that had to be shipped in to build this grand old lady.
We drove to Kingsville again, this time to tour the famous King Ranch. This is the stable near the main house. You aren't permitted to tour the house or even get off the bus so I couldn't get a picture of it, but it was stunning!
Isn't this an impressive longhorn? The King ranch is most noted for developing the Santa Gertudis breed of cattle and also produced the first registered American Quarter Horse.
Today the King Ranch sprawls across 825,000 acres of South Texas land, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island. As the home to 50,000 cattle and 350 Quarter Horses, King Ranch is one of the largest ranches in the world today.
This is Alberto Trevino, known as "LoLo". A 5th generation King Ranch hand, he has lived on the King Ranch all of his life and had many interesting stories to tell. Mexican cowboys were offered jobs and homes to come work on the ranch in the 1800s. The ranch had its own schools, stores, and churches.
This is the true American West!
