Ranch agate from a number of different types of buckets (Walker Ranch Hi Walker, Singleton and other ranches. The dominant agate was To chasing a false idol. I ran out of buckets of Walker Ranch cutting agate last spring. It was the subject of much gossip and speculation and anticipation, but it was also the focus of much resentment. All the gossip this Friday concerned Clayton Williams. Every breed association will tell you their breed is best and give you statistics to prove it, he said. combined two of the unsorted buckets and removed most of the stuff that wont You cant do that with a million-dollar bull., Thats whats hurting the ranch business, Barney said. Fasken Oil & Ranch, a significant oil drilling company was born when oil was discovered on the ranch. He spotted it outside Bob Dillards Union Trading Company. Some of the prettiest colors were lavender, maroon It's located near Kingsville, a town named after the ranch's founder, in between Corpus Christi and Brownsville. The hunt at the 06 was amazing. The ranch is still owned and managed by descendants of the original founding Kokernot family, Chris and Dawn Lacy. mine: send me an email with the days you It was on top, high above the streams and trees and paved roads. A little Brahman would probably do good out here, Chris Lacy admitted, turning his four-wheel-drive pickup off the highway. Barney Nelson had told me that she and Joel celebrated Thanksgiving every year by taking their provisions by pack horse and riding as far as we can, to a pasture theyd never seen before. His daughters are embryo donor cows. There had been arguments over property lines, over water rights, even over the right to host wild parties. Originally from France, the Kokernots fled to Amsterdam at the time of the French Revolution. They broke camp the following morning. Was Instead, he transferred them to wheatfields, feedlots, and his irrigated farm in Fort Stockton. Jeff Salamon is the deputy editor at Texas Monthly. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Save; Preview; Hog . Many will make only one cab, and to do that youll need Kokernot Ranch is in Texas and has an elevation of 4,114 feet. Theres a residence hall called Kokernot which I mentioned in the story. And the good stuff was indeed buckets of agate from the Singleton Ranch are completely unsorted. I have written entire articles which cover the rockhounding laws and regulations for nearly every type of public land you can think of. This is what satisfies us.. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. Lawrence C. Lacy, a longtime Waco banker remembered by family members for his kindness and passion for tennis, died Sunday. Let the Countdown begin! of us is here: Teri Smiths rockhunts: How about all of them put together? Since my #1 goal this year is not getting COVID, it makes sense for me to stay where the infection rate is much lower. On my hunts, I give you Ty Holland rode up beside us. Agates can be found in most parts of Texas, especially in West and South Texas. Then he bought four more ranches in the Davis Mountains, three near San Antonio, and three in Wyoming he also owned an old family property, an irrigated farm near Fort Stockton. Joel had planned to ride up to the top country the next morning and check on some young horses, but it was too muddy. I still have agate available from the Singleton Ranch ($125 for an unsorted This is the kind of country that doesnt adapt itself much to change, he said. New o6 Kokernot Agate Lapidary Rough Rock. chalcedony at the outer edge of the nodule was stained yellow and There was, of course, much to be pessimistic about in this fragile and volatile country. prev / next. finding good stuff and having it carried back to the car for you, you Please make there. youve gotten a good deal, Ive lowered the price of a bucket of Singleton Grass needs time. Ted Gray was the Foreman for the 06 and was starting up his own ranch at time. The Henderson Flat, the property next to the 06, was his showpiece. Southwest Used to Do Everything Right. Theres The present Kokernot inherited his. Im in a high-risk group (age 65, moderate emphysema), and I really want to live through all this so I can have another 35 years or so to rockhunt. Cost is $10 single and $16 for a Diane noticed that one of the colts had a nasty cut on his foreleg. The Lone Bookstore in a Town With No Library, Texass Big Ranches Are Still Selling for Big Bucks. field trips, I can mail a bucket of rocks to you for $50. He didnt act like the character I had heard described, a man with wanton disregard for the land. hunts so you can come out to the Big Bend and go on hunts ion 4 His effort failed, but his brazen attempt to impose his will on the local folks stuck in the craws of ranchers like Chris Lacy and his grandfather. He took ranching seriously. We specialize in fully guided trophy deer hunts for small . Kokernot 06 Ranch - TEXAS HISTORY NOTEBOOK Kokernot 06 Ranch Herbert Lee Kokernot, Sr. was born in 1867 to Levi Moses and Sarah Littlefield Kokernot. Condition is "New". dont take much time to high grade. We stopped at a huge valley with a pipe-and-wire corral in the middle of a lovely set of mountains. other goodies. I hope all of you are healthy and doing well in this unsettled year. Some of the agate and jasper there looked I hope to make several more sorted Singleton buckets and Walker Ranch buckets out of the things I have left. with Aaron, his fieldtrips are different than mine. He was a generous benefactor of Sul Ross and provided scholarship money to educate its students. Agate, Misc. Leave them blank to get signed up. At this same auction a few years back, a group of breeders had paid $200,000 for the rights to one twelfth of the semen from a bull named Rocky Joe 650. to hold the piece in your hands while you grind a flat spot to glue the dop Good years, we can make improvements. In other areas of Texas many of the largest ranches had survived because of oil; the discovery of petroleum reserves on those ranches had, in effect, subsidized the cowboy traditions. A locations listing here is not a guarantee of accuracy. There was mesquite too, and black brush and some scattered strands of gramas. Some were tall and some were short, but they were uniformly lean, sported facial hair, and wore floppy black hats and vests under their ragged, dusty coats. going to California at the end of June. circumstances (such as your bringing your pet aardvark along, bringing a bulldozer, When the auction ended, Clayton announced that the sales had totaled $2.73 million, then led the crowd in the singing of God Bless America.. well, if they have room for social distancing. Kokernot, an 06 Ranch owner, also built the Kokernot Field on E. Hendryx Dr and Fighting Buck . Joel and the others had ridden at least twice that far, every day for two weeks, and they still had two weeks to go. offering special deals, and going through my studio to see what else I have to Fluorite, Galena, Argentite, Cerargyrite, Pyrite, Sphalerite, Chalcopyrite, Smithsonite, Amazonite, Felspar crystals, Quartz crystals, Topaz (blue, colorless), Tourmaline (black), Amazonite, Feldspar crystals, Quartz crystals (smoky), Topaz (blue, colorless), Tourmaline, Tektites (bediasites, black diamonds, fire pearls). A lot of ranchers around Austin and San Antonio were forced to quit or sell when the market was way down, he said. He had come out this morning to watch Lance, his great-grandson and potential heir to the 06, play baseball. But nothing like that happened. But when COVID recedes and we can gather in groups again without concern, the rocks will still be out there, waiting to be discovered. Kris is a year-round hunting and fishing guide. Presently Goddard spotted another rider scrambling up a ravine of brush, chasing a group of seven or eight calves. I encourage you to check them out if you are curious about the legalities of rock and mineral collecting. He called it the invader and had spent the better part of nine years eradicating it from this particular pasture. Everyone knew that the water table was dropping, yet Williams was constantly watering the manicured meadow behind his ranch house. But 2021 is not a normal year. It was six or seven miles back to camp, so we stopped at a tank to water the horses. Williams steered his Bronco through another pasture where 1200 head of commercial cattle grazed on new grass. The agates of West Texas and South Texas are notable for their pompom and bouquet varieties. Some of the prettiest colors were lavender, maroon Agates under $40 See more Featured Galleries South Dakota Rockhound Joe's Rock Farm The following morning, Lacy met Joel Nelson, one of his top cowboys, at Sutlers Boarding House restaurant, where Nelson was drinking coffee and talking to a young bronc rider named Shot Branham. They currently happen only on Sundays, and are limited to 10 rockhounds Sitting in their old-fashioned country kitchen one day in late July, eating steak and drinking iced tea out of tin cans, they talked about their life not as a means of accomplishment but as an end in itself, something done well for its own sake. The worst storm in almost fifty years caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and still no one was ready to say the drought had ended. This will give yall three days in a row for rockhunting on your trip out like material from the Ritchie. When I had visited his ranch earlier, Williams talked in detail about raising commercial cattle for slaughter the discipline of the sixty-five-cent fat, he called it. We turned right into a dirt road, and drove east on dirt roads for about half an hour. David Kokernot acquired the Kokernot 06 brand in 1837. What if ten or fifteen years from now his land was as barren as the land he remembered in Fort Stockton? Texas is one of the only places in the world where rockhounds can hope to find their own specimens of blue topaz (which happens to be the state gemstone). I look forward to that day. This year I estimate Ill make twenty dollars an acre. Ill let you know pretty soon what my schedule for the spring will be (probably as soon as I know Aarons & Jeans schedules for the spring). E of Austin, area cuts, draws, washes, fields, etc. A steady stream of well-heeled shoppers trooped in and out of Bob Dillards Union Trading Company, men in Stetsons and sometimes elephant hats (the Republican convention was scheduled to start in three days), and women in tight leather cowboy outfits, bursting with prosperity and the evidence of cosmetic surgery. The land had been in the families for years, long ago bought and paid for, and so had the breed stock. chalcedony. I had 153 lbs., which included a very large I take checks, PayPal, Sarah died in 1878 at around the age of thirty. Before the fieldtrips start, there are a couple of things Id like to tell yall about.First, Ive added a new hunt on Sunday, 11/15 to East Needle Peak. Mary Ann was born in Alpine, Texas, on the Kokernot 06 Ranch, to the late. [Re: rolyat.nosaj] #7842920 05/18/20 01:40 AM: All of us at The Land Report are deeply saddened by the loss of Dan Allen Hughes Sr. (19292016). I was curious as to how Joel and Barney felt about Clayton Williams annual bash. The government created a false economy. But the great highland ranches like the 06 or the Lykes 02, owned by the family that owned the steamship line, or the Reynolds X or the Paisano seemed to thrive almost in spite of themselves. They appeared to be plain and simple people, a cowboy and his wife, but there was a certain grandeur in their style, a formality of manner and attitude nearly forgotten. Now in his early fifties, he was as lean and fit as a cheerleader and so ultrahyper that he couldnt sit still for more than a few minutes. There he met Diane, who had grown up in San Antonio. amzn_assoc_asins = "B01IEX2TEO,B0002YWWVE,B08N41884X,B01CV1XW5K"; Important Disclaimer: I have not been to these locations myself, and I do not know if they are currently open for collecting. Woodward and Walker Ranches, and picks up pieces of plume agate on its way In early november I visited Clayton Williams roundup. Davids son Lee served with Terrys Texas Rangers during the Civil War, and later Lee Kokernot and his brother John bought the 06 brand and started a cattle business in Gonzales. Aaron explained a bit of agates that came from there. The towns only doctor had died, and the only drugstore didnt sell drugs, though it advertised the best fountain Cokes in Texas. The Union Trading Company, located in an old stone building that dated back to 1906, was a Fort Davis landmark and a sort of hangout for locals, who sometimes gathered there after business hours to drink beer and gossip. Its important we dont get behind or ahead of them, he told me. Thats what ol Hardscrabble Graves and I have in common. There was no television, no air conditioner, no clothes dryer only splendid isolation. The ranch house where they lived was a turn-of-the-century model of Western architecture and culture and an archive of cowboy paraphernalia: antique saddles, branding irons, hackamores, swivel rings, ropes. again in 2 weeks. to have some plume in it. in their shop. Graves wrote of a previous generation of God-fearing men from the days of big grass, men who used up the land and moved on, without heed or knowledge of such soil-saving measures as contour plowing, crop rotation, terracing, stripcropping. When the land wore out and became naked, the brush Graves called it the invaders moved in. For more than an hour I sat there, astride an exceptionally gentle horse named Preacher, studying the spectacular terrain. hunts so you can come out to the Big Bend and go on hunts ion 4 A big part of our ranch was converted to cotton farms, he recalled. Share. They may have originated any where along the course of the Rio Goddard and three others were generally referred to as the Montana cowboys, though only one of them, Bob Blackwell, was from Montana originally. Unfortunately for rockhounds, the law prohibits them from publishing their names or contact information online. the holiday rush. The varied and rugged landscape of o6 Ranch has made it the setting for motion picture productions and product commercials. HOME / BUSINESS DIRECTORY / AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, FISHING AND HUNTING / ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND AQUACULTURE / CATTLE RANCHING AND FARMING / UNITED STATES / TEXAS . Some of the complaints were ludicrous, as when one Fort Davis merchant charged that the oilman raised black cows rather than the red Herefords that were traditional to the area. Aaron, Jean and I work independently of each Or you can spend $250 for a bucket where Ive Back in the mid 60s the Old Santa Fe Railroad Agent Mr. Brown passed away and I was lucky enough to get the Station Agents job in Alpine. According to the ranch's official website, the 06 brand was acquired in 1837 by. yellow/gold/brown moss in a background of cream, white, or blue Another squall hit camp that night, but I didnt hear a thing. We They should have listened to nature. I remembered the family name from being on the Baylor campus in Waco. Because the Grande, from Southern Colorado through New Mexico and the Big Bend of If things didnt work out, well, it wasnt the end of the world. take scenic trips around the United States, however, before getting to their Im back in Alpine, Texas, in time to start field trips next week. Of course, thats his trouble.. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "false"; Be safe, yall and have a great holiday season! Though the price was immense in terms of human suffering, it was part and parcel of a life that was also romantic and alluring and majestic and solitary. Artificial insemination was nothing new; it had been practiced for about thirty years. I'm Mike Rhea, and I'm a professional Geologist with a passion for rocks, minerals, and everything related to Geology. The most amazing thing about Catclaw Pasture was that there wasnt a catclaw in sight. Antelope and deer grazed placidly beside herds of Herefords, oblivious to passing traffic. We drove north of Alpine on 118 for a ways, out onto the flat valley. Re: If you could pick a ranch to hunt. You learn to think like an animal. Diane had also, in that time, developed a few strong opinions about her neighbor Clayton Williams. The Ranch currently has sold over 20 tracts of land and has 8 custom built homes. sometime near the end of August or beginning of September. little valley, I never got very far up the hills. So the only thing solid in my schedule is that I wont be leading rockhunts this fall, and probably not this winter, either. In the great old tradition of neighboring, Saunders had promised to lend Joel one of his registered Hereford bulls to put with the cows Joel ran on the leased land near Fort Davis. Clayton held center stage throughout the auction, wiggling and dancing and inciting the crowd like a berserk cheerleader. Spring Works at Kokernot 06 Ranch, Davis Mountains, Texas. and really big compared to the ones I found at the Ritchie and the bucket, $250 for a bucket where Ive sorted two or more buckets together and Rock Hunting in the Big Bend of Texas with Teri Smith 5 22 #1 of 3 Outdoor Activities in Alpine Other Outdoor Activities Visit website Call Email Write a review About Suggested duration More than 3 hours Suggest edits to improve what we show. Near a windmill called Taylor Mill, and not far from the ruins of an old kiln where soldiers had fired the original bricks used at Fort Davis, we spotted four of the meandering colts. pink that went to maroon and gold. The author and his Wildlife System's far west Texas aoudad. I was going to wait to send this email until I had something solid to tell you about my rockhunt schedule, and what I have is a lot of conjecture and an inability to plan a schedule for fall and winter. It was a hot July day, and Clayton opened a can of beer from the cooler behind the seat and surveyed his ranch. As of publication time, all hunts scheduled through 1/31/21 The hunt at the 06 was amazing. hills on that ranch. Nobody, including Mr. Kokernot himself, had ever seen all of it. found agatized petrified wood in nine different color combinations. Though the original 06 had been divided after the death of its founder, Herbert Kokernot, Sr., in 1949, it remained one of the most notable and massive spreads in Texas. Since Im really allergic to bee stings, I took his advice and Barney said, Its the only job I know where you can turn a man loose and not see him for days at a time and know that hes been up every morning before daylight, just waiting to get started again. When Clayton Williams advertised for help, he wasnt looking for cowboys. The normally placid little creek raged like a river at flood tide, a hundred yards wide and sixteen feet deep in places, gobbling huge chunks of its bank, uprooting ancient cottonwood trees and utility poles and sections of Texas Highway 17. or teri@terismithrockhunts.com. For a man with bad knees, Ramon moved about with considerable authority; cowboys who stood between Ramon and the fire felt a shovelful of hot coals under their back pockets. for you. 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