Begin your tour at Los Corralitos, the NRHC’s
oldest structure and only complete replica. By
continuing in order, you will be viewing the
structures chronologically.
Los Corralitos (1780)
Have your students stand in the doorway
and look around. Ask:
• How many rooms do you see?
• Where is the kitchen?
• Where are the bathrooms?
• The small openings in the wall are not
windows. What are they for?
Waggoner Ranch Commissary
(1870s)
This was used as a storehouse for food and
supplies. Look inside the structure.
• What items do you see?
• If you had a commissary next to your
house, what supplies would you want it to
have?
National Ranching Heritage Center
Long S Whiteface Camp (1901)
Hereford Cattle were raised on the Long S
Whiteface Camp. Whiteface was a nickname
for Hereford Cattle.
• Show your students these pictures and
have them guess which cow is the
Hereford.
El Capote (1838)
We don’t know why this one-room cabin
has three doors.
• What do you think?
The National Ranching Heritage
Center is a unique museum and
historical park comprised of almost 50
authentic, furnished ranch buildings
and structures. The buildings you will
see today represent the history of
ranching from the 1780s to 1930s and
have been moved to the NRHC, where
they have been historically preserved.
Hedwig’s Hill Dogtrot House
(1855)
Stand in the breezeway (called a dogtrot)
and look up.
• What do you notice above you?
• Who do you think slept in the loft?
Box & Strip House (1903)
Jowell House (1872-1873)
The Jowell Family’s first house was
destroyed by fire.
• Do you think this house was protected
from fire? Why or why not?
Look at the gravestones in the Jowell
Cemetery.
• What do you notice about the ages on
each of the headstones?
Bairfield Schoolhouse (1890)
•
Matador Half-Dugout (1888)
Walk around the entire structure.
• Why do you think this house is called a
half-dugout?
Interpretive signage, written in
English and Spanish, gives visitors a
brief history of each building and
shows a picture of the building in its
original location. A map shows the
structure’s county of origin.
This house is the first you’ve seen built
completely out of wood. Wood was hard to
find in West Texas.
• What do you think delivered this wood to
build the Box & Strip House?
• How would the residents have ordered
items to be delivered by train?
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How does the size of this building compare
to your classroom? Remember that all
grades went to school in this one room.
Find the bathroom.
Play a game of duck duck goose outside
National Ranching Heritage Center
3121 4th Street
Lubbock, TX 79409
(806) 742-0498
www.NRHC.com
While touring the NRHC with your
students, use this guide, interpretive
signage, exhibit panels and other
visual clues to help them to
understand what life was like on
the Plains.
Harrell House (1883, 1900, 1917)
This shows the evolution of a ranch house
from a single-room stone cabin to a complex
dwelling.
• Look in the different rooms and find the
“Victrola” (a hand-wound record player).
• What do you use to listen to music?
• Compare the size of the Victrola to what
you listen to music on. How do they
differ?
Masterson JY Bunkhouse (1879)
This bunkhouse was housing for cowboys in
the time of open range.
• What activities took place here? (use
furniture for clues)
• What other buildings would the occupants
have needed to live?
Las Escarbadas (1886)
This structure was a division headquarters for
the XIT Ranch, which had 335 windmills.
• Windmills were a very important part of a
ranch. What were they used for?
• How many windmills are at the NRHC?
(Let students use the Walking Tour map
or have them count as they tour the site.)
JA Milk & Meat House (1880)
The JA Milk & Meat House shows how
settlers preserved their food.
• What do you use to preserve your food
today?
• Charles Goodnight ran the JA Ranch for
many years. What else is he known for?
Before moving to the next structure, take time to let
your students notice the wildlife that calls the
NRHC home. Have them name animals that they
see. Make sure they know not to chase the animals.
Matador Office (1880)
Look inside the Matador Office.
• What type of objects do you see inside?
• Do you use anything similar to any of these?
• Which one?
Renderbrook-Spade
Blacksmith Shop (1917)
The blacksmith shop was a necessary
structure on a ranch.
• What types of necessary items do you think
were made in here?
Barton House (1909)
The plans for this house were bought from a
magazine. Many of the other materials ordered,
such as doorknobs, locks and mirrors were in a
catalog.
• Look around the Barton House. What do
you notice that makes this house different
from the rest of the houses?
• Did you know that this structure was moved
to the NRHC in one piece?
U Lazy S Carriage House (1906)
This structure was used to store items such as
buggies, which were used for transportation.
• What part of a house would you compare the
carriage house to?
• What form of transportation did you use to
travel to the NRHC?
• Name other forms of transportation that
people use (past or present).
Canon Ranch Sheep Hospital Shed
(1920s)
Sheep were a big part of the lives of early
settlers.
• What type of fabric is made using sheep fur?
• Do we still use it to make clothes today?
Ropes Depot (1918) &
Locomotive (1923)
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•
Look at the railroad cars. What do you
think traveled in these cars?
Look in the Ropes Depot ticket office. Do
you know what the item on the counter was
used for?
Spudder (1933-1945)
This is a portable drilling rig that helped
ranchers to pump oil.
• Do you still see oil being pumped today?
• How does the Spudder compare to those oil
rigs?
• What, besides oil, is gathered on ranch lands
today?
6666 Barn (1908)
This barn is from the 6666 Ranch. The origin of
this ranch’s name is unknown, but it did not
come from a winning card hand as some believe.
• Look around inside and name some of the
different barbed wire patterns and brands.
• If you made a brand from your name, what
would it look like?
Picket & Sotol (1904, 1905)
This house shows the creativity of settlers who
used whatever was available to them to build a
home.
• Look around the NRHC and notice the
natural materials throughout the park. What
materials would you use to build a house?
Pitchfork Cookhouse (1900, 1950s)
This structure was used as a place to feed the
Pitchfork Ranch cowboys until just a few months
before it was moved to the NRHC.
• Compare this structure to where you eat at
school or at home.
• What makes it similar? Different?
Exhibits inside the NRHC change often. Look at
the different galleries and choose two or three to
answer the following questions.
Pick Two Exhibits
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Which gallery did you choose?
What is the name of the exhibit?
Exhibits tell a story. Tell your classmates
the story that you think this exhibit is
trying to tell.
What is your favorite part of this exhibit?
Why?
The NRHC has two permanent exhibits inside.
These are always on display, just as the buildings
outside are. Examine these and answer the
questions.
McKanna Parlour
This parlour is from the late 19th century.
• How does this room differ from ones
viewed outside?
• Do you think this family had more or less
money than people who occupied the
outside structures? Why?
Burk Burnett Bedroom
This bedroom is recreated from the house at
the 6666 Ranch, the same ranch the 6666
Barn is from.
• Imagine if your bedroom or something of
yours was on display in a museum.
• What would you want it to be? Why?