Big Business Ranches
Objective: TLW identify big ranches in the West and explain the importance of British investors
in ranching. They will create a map of Texas in the 1880s to build on mapping skills and show
the location of big ranches.
Subject: Social Studies/Texas History
Grade Level: Fourth
Time: 30-45 mins
TEKS:
History 4.4 (B), Geography 4.6, Social Studies 4.22 (B), Social Studies 4.23
Materials:
Textbook
Texas Map
Pencil
Map colors
Procedure:
Map Activity
1. TLW receive a copy of the Texas Map.
2. Discuss the section on Big Ranches in their book.
3. TLW mark and label the big ranches, such as the XIT Ranch, the JA Ranch, the Matador
Ranch and others.
4. Instruct the learner to pick two colors-one to use when non-Europeans owned big ranches,
and another to signify those run or financed by Europeans. TLW create a legend showing what
each color represents.
5. To reinforce mapping skills have the learner begin by locating Austin on the map. Then
instruct students to follow the Colorado River north almost to the end and label the Wallace
Ranch just below it. The next step is to find Fort Worth and the Brazos River. TLW go
Northwest beside the river into the Panhandle. They will mark the Matador and Bugbee ranches.
Continue using the rivers and major cities to guide the students as they indicate the locations of
the big ranches.
6. TLW research a ranch from each category and write a two-page compare and contrast report.
Assessment:
1. Assessing the map activity will include determining how well they followed the directions on
marking the different ranches and on how well they researched the compare and contrast paper.
Grade their papers on a rubric scale.
4A-1
Extensions:
Comparing the Past and Present!
Have the students create a second map showing the big ranches of today. Discuss the similarities
and differences in the ranches there. Which ones are the same? Why did they change?
Reading stories about/by British Travelers in the West:
1. Story taken from Dance Across Texas by Betty Casey. Austin: University of Texas Press,
1985. Pages 54-56: “Matador Ranch Valentine Dance.”
http://www.dorisvolz.com/matadordance.htm
2. “The XIT Ranch: From Panhandle-Plains to Beef Production,” Barbara Levine.
www.stevehardingdesign.com/images/projects/capitol47.pdf
3. “Granddaughter of British-Born Cowboy Follows Memoirs to JA,” David Bowser.
http://www.livestockweekly.com/papers/03/04/03/whlja.asp
4. “Scottish Texans.”
http://www.texancultures.utsa.edu/publications/texansoneandall/scottish.htm
Visit the National Ranching Heritage Center to see structures from big business ranches
Websites
Look at PBS story on Charles Goodnight:
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/d_h/goodnight.htm
Other possible websites to explore:
JA Ranch- http://www.ranches.org/JAranch.htm and
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/JJ/apj1.html
XIT Ranch- http://www.xitmuseum.com/history.shtml and
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/XX/apx1.html
Matador Ranch-http://www.matadorranch.com/history.asp and
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/MM/apm2.html
King Ranch- http://www.king-ranch.com/index.html and
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/KK/apk1.html
4A-2
Texas Map
4A-3