The offi cial Texas Longhorn herd shows visitors the type of rugged animals that lived in the state more than a century ago.
a rapid decline in the number of purebred Texas Longhorns. Western writer J. Frank Dobie
recognized the decline of Texas Longhorns in the early 1920s and felt it was important to preserve the breed that held such a signifi cant place in Texas history. With assis- tance from businessman Sid Rich- ardson and rancher Graves Peeler, Dobie helped gather a herd of typi- cal Texas Longhorns for state parks. The animals were donated to the
Texas Parks Board in 1941 as the state herd and were kept at Lake Corpus Christi State Park near Mathis. Since they were becoming scarce, the search for additional Texas Longhorns continued. In 1942 another herd was assembled at Lake Brownwood State Park in Brown County. Due to challenges at these loca- tions, the Texas Parks Board began
tscra.org
looking for a permanent home for the cattle. Fort Griffi n State Park — now the THC’s Fort Griffi n State Historic Site — was selected as the permanent home in 1948. The Offi cial State of Texas Long-
horn Herd, about 250 head, primar- ily resides at Fort Griffi n, with a few head also at San Angelo, Copper Breaks, and Palo Duro Canyon state parks. They are also featured at the annual “Fort Griffi n Fandangle,” an outdoor musical based on the pio- neer chronicles of West Texas, held in Albany the last 2 weekends in June. The THC and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department jointly manage the herd. The Texas Longhorn breed has
increased in recognition and num- bers in recent years due to many desirable traits, including longevity, calving ease, resistance to disease and parasites, foraging adaptabil-
ity, climate adaptability, mothering ability, leaner beef, less dependence on humans and excellent fertility. Many of these traits may be due to the number of years the cattle sur- vived in Texas without infl uence from humans, allowing the breed to form its characteristics through natural selection. The offi cial Texas Longhorn herd
is maintained so residents and visi- tors can see these rugged animals similar to those that lived in the state more than a century ago. Herd managers continue to raise the cat- tle from calves in the image of the animals that are so important and integral to telling the real stories of our state’s history. Much like its namesake residents, the Texas Longhorn is a true Texan with roots in many places, but forever changed and refi ned by its experience in the Lone Star State.
December 2013 The Cattleman 71
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