In 1882, the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad hired crews to link San Antonio with El Paso, Texas across 530 miles of the expansive Chihuahuan Desert, The original railroad bed, no longer utilized, crossed this ranch and can still be seen. Fleeing his marriage and illegal businesses in San Antonio, Roy Bean headed to Vinegaroon to become a saloonkeeper, serving railroad workers whiskey from a tent. As his own best customer, he was often drunk and disorderly. But with the nearest courtroom a weeks ride away, and County Commissioners eager to establish some sort of local law enforcement they appointed Roy Bean Justice of the Peace for Precinct No. 6, Pecos County, Texas. Roy was just crazy, or drunk enough to accept. He packed up and moved north from Vinegaroon to a small tent city on a bluff above the Rio Grande named Langtry in honor of a railroad boss who had run the Southern Pacifics tracks through it.

And thus, the wild west history of this ranch was established and over the years more families with just as colorful a family history have populated the wild and beautiful country. The Babb family was instrumental in bringing in the Charolais cattle breed to the United States. The story goes and court records attest that sometime in the 1950s a group of men approached Stoney Babbs, the owner of this ranch at that time, about bringing in some cattle (the Charolais breed was originally from France and there were none in the U.S and it was illegal to bring them into the U.S..) onto his ranch by swimming them across the Rio Grande from Mexico. However, if the animal was born in the U.S. then it could stay in the U.S. So, the men told Stoney that he if he would smuggle the cattle across the border and have them delivered to a location in Louisiana, he would definitely get caught and would spend a couple of years in jail. But, for his trouble he would receive $200,000, a lot of money in the 1950s. Stoney agreed and the cattle were brought across the border onto this ranch and then were shipped to a location in Louisiana. The Charolais calves were born United States citizens and thus the Charolais breeds beginnings in the United State originated on this ranch. History abounds in this area of Texas and it is your opportunity to own this majestic ranch. 11,007 acres with 10 miles of the Rio Grande River as its southern boundary (also the U.S. boundary with Mexico.) The ranch has an original ranch house (in useable condition), rustic wooden pens, a one room extremely well built camp house, water wells, and much more. This ranch is definitely one the most unique ranches in Texas, not from just the magnificent views but also from the colorful history of the area.

The ranch offers a wide range of activities including hunting for mule deer, whitetail deer, aoudad sheep. varmints, cougar, turkey, dove and quail. Fishing in the Rio Grande River and in Lake Amisted which can be accessed by the Rio Grande River or the Pecos River only 14 miles away on Hwy 90 to the east of the ranch. Hiking, 4-wheeling, mouintain biking, jeep trails and much more. This ranch offers a year round location for family adventure and fun.

Other activities in the area include the Judge Roy Bean Museum in Langry, Amisted Lake Reservior, which also borders this ranch along the southern boundary as well as the city of Del Rio where you may shop and dine. The Seminole Canyon State Park offers hiking, mountain biking, camping, historical study, and nature viewing. Fate Bell Shelter, in the canyon, contains some of North Americas oldest Native American pictographs and is one of the oldest cave dwellings in North America.

This ranch has a 91 acre tract surrounding a canyon that has some spectacular pictographs that are accessible to the owner of this ranch. (see photos below.) The 91 acres was donated to Texas Tech University by a prior owner. The University accesses the ranch with students about twice a year and must notify owner prior to visiting the site.

Improvements:

Ranch House, septic tank, old pens, old barns, shed, 4 water wells, camphouse on the hill, perimeter fence that is in poor to good condition. The old cross fences are in need of repair.

Utilities:

Power is available at the ranch house and the ranch house is on a septic system.

Water:

Water is supplied to the ranch house by a water well and a water well supplies water to the camphouse powered by a generator.

Minerals:

Buyer to recieve 25% of the mineral rights owned by Seller.