The ranches are located in a semi-arid region known as the
Wild Horse Desert. Though in a rainfall belt of 24 to 26 annual
inches, the area does not consistently get ample moisture.
Despite frequently arid conditions, the ranches are teeming
with wildlife which are intensively managed. To avoid degradation
of the habitat, the ranches use a prescribed course of burning,
brush control, rotational grazing and supplemental feeding as
well as creation of water sources while monitoring and controlling
the population of cattle and wildlife. These practices ensure
the optimum habitat for wildlife. El Coyote's wildlife program
specifically targets Rio Grande Turkeys, White Tail Deer and
Bob White Quail, while providing benefits to numerous other species
which are indigenous to the area or are transient residents during
their migration.
In 1931, Sid Richardson stepped up to help save the Texas
Longhorn Breed from extinction. He financed the purchase of a
group of traditional Longhorns gathered by J. Frank Dobie and
Graves Peeler and gave them to the state of Texas.
Today, Mr. Sid's great nephew, Lee Bass, and his wife, Ramona,
are preserving that same history in their stewardship of El Coyote
Ranch. Their efforts extend much further than the boundaries
of ranch land, Texas Longhorns, indigenous wildlife, the natural
environment of South Texas, ranch names and ranch brands. El
Coyote combines the origins of ranching tradition with today's
technology to make the past come alive.
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A beautiful wild flower called the Mexican Hat grows prolifically
here and lends its form to the ranch brand, which dates back
to the 1850's. El Coyote's Mexican Hat is a striking symbol of
the ranch's reverence for the past and commitment to carrying
the best of our traditions into the future. |
 |
New Frontier of Texas Called Forth
a New Breed of Men
Their need for survival created a new enterprise called ranching.
Ranching history here began long before the early development
of the state of Texas. The ranch land and the name El Coyote
date back to the Mexican land grant of 1835.
Today, El Coyote Ranch is represented by an elite herd of
Texas Longhorns. They are functional cattle bred in the old tradition
using today's ideas and technology. This blend of past and present
is proof that Longhorns can fulfill the demands of today's cattle
market.
El Coyote and its sister ranch La Paloma sprawl over the counties
of Brooks, Hidalgo, Kleberg and Kenedy here at the tip of the
Coastal Bend of Texas near the historic King Ranch at Kingsville.
Both operations are utilized for an extensive stocker operation
which maximizes the grass resources of the area. Cattle on both
ranches are worked on horseback by cowboys whose own ranching
heritage provides the good, common cow sense it takes to survive
in today's beef business. These stocker steers leave South Texas
and are shipped north to Oklahoma and Kansas each spring to graze
on the tall-grass prairie grasses prior to going into feedyards,
much as the ancestral longhorns did over a century ago.
HISTORY:
A History of the Longhorn Breed is a History of Texas and
the Beef Industry.
| 1493 |
Cattle with Moorish ancestry from North
Africa traveled from Spain to Santo
Domingo on Columbus' second voyage. |
| 1521 |
Gregorio Villabos brought Spanish cattle from Santo
Domingo into Mexico. |
| 1565 |
Menendez de Aviles took Spanish cattle to Florida. |
1600
TO
1700 |
Importation and development of (English beef cattle)
on the east coast and in southern states. Some of these cattle were
driven to Texas and subsequently mixed with "Coriollo"
cattle which had become native to the area. |
| 1832 |
Anglos first trailed cattle to New Orleans markets. |
| 1835 |
Mexican Land Grant deeds the El Coyote Ranch. |
| 1836 |
Texas declared its independence from Mexico and
became the Republic of Texas. |
| 1845 |
Texas was granted statehood the same year the now
famous trail driver Charles Goodnight started his cattle business. |
| 1865 |
At the close of the Civil War an estimated five
million head of Texas Longhorns roamed the Texas ranges. |
| 1866 |
260,000 head of cattle were driven up the Shawnee
Trail toward Kansas and
Missouri. That same year the Texas Legislature enacted the "tallying
law." The law
permitted anyone to gather cattle on ranges and bring them to an
inspector to be tallied
and establish ownership. |
1867
TO
1871 |
Cattle numbers going up the trail to Abilene doubled
annually, starting at 75,000 and reaching 600,000 each year. |
1870
TO
1880 |
This time period, known as the "Beef Bonanza",
saw open ranges, free grass, long cattle drives and rapid expansion
of ranching. |
| 1871 |
Texas Legislature passed the "branding law"
which required anyone taking cattle out of state to mark those animals
with a road brand to simplify the process of identifying cattle
which did not belong to a trail drive herd. |
| 1873 |
Patents were issued for barbed wire. |
| 1876 |
Salesman John W. "Bet A Million" Gates
built an eight strand barbed wire corral in Military Plaza of San
Antonio to display the use of the new fencing invention. |
| 1877 |
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
was organized. |
| 1885 |
Very few of the old style Longhorns were left
due to the vast numbers sent up the trail and the introduction of
British breeds such as Durham and Hereford. |
| 1900 |
The fate of the Longhorn was said to be linked to
the end of the open range. Both began to fade into oblivion. |
| 1927 |
U.S. Congress appropriated $ 3,000 to acquire a
herd of cattle with typical Longhorn characteristics to be located
at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. |
| 1931 |
Sid Richardson of Fort Worth agreed to purchase
a herd of Longhorns for Texas. J. Frank Dobie and Graves Peeler
selected 30 cows and three bulls. Peeler began his herd by buying
10 of the cows and one bull. |
| 1960 |
There were only 1,500 head of Texas Longhorns in
existence in the U.S. Five hundred of those lived in national parks
or zoos. |
| 1964 |
Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America was
organized. |
| 1995 |
Celebrating the historical trail drives of the old
west, The Great American Cattle Drive sent 250 head from Fort Worth,
Texas to Miles City, Montana to be sold for over $ 3.3 million.
52 of these steers came from El Coyote Ranch. |
| 1996 |
TLBAA membership numbers 4,300, registrations have
reached 237,525. El Coyote Ranch recognized by TLBAA with the "Dave
Evans Breeder of the Year Award." |
| 1997 |
El Coyote Ranch holds first annual Spotlight Sale
posting highest sale average in 15-year history of Texas Longhorn
breed. |
| 1998 |
El Coyote Ranch holds second annual Spotlight Sale,
posting the second highest sale average in recent history of the
breed. Second only to our first Spotlight Sale in 1997. The El Coyote Website is created & maintained by the energetic
long-term employee, Mel Raley - Mel archives the history & timeline to record, and gathers photos to create one of the first Longhorn Websites |
| 1999 |
El Coyote Ranch donates 5 steers to the historic
Fort Worth Herd. Three of these steers sweep the horn class at the
1999 World Trophy Steer Show. |
| 2000 & On... |
Our mission focuses on preserving Texas Longhorn History & Breeding Excellence, based on our elite herd of Texas Longhorns. El Coyote's Longhorn cattle are bred in the old tradition using today's ideas & technology, providing a blend of past and present that is proof that Longhorns can fulfill the demands of today's cattle market. El Coyote Ranch continues to donates steer to the historic Fort Worth Herd, and dominates Texas Steer Shows. |
Breed Chacteristics
