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"The Stone Ranch, so
called by our family because it was all stone, even to the large corrals, lay
in an open valley with beautiful hills to the south and, at a farther distance,
to the west and northwest. Not far to the northeast there is a little peak
which we have always called Buzzard Peak and beneath which flows the Clear
Fork, whose winding course came to within less than a mile of the ranch house.
It was situated in what is now the southwest corner of Throckmorton County and
was on the outside border of civilization." From Interwoven by, Sallie Reynolds Matthews |
| Detail of Historic Marker Points of Interest [Brazos River traced in white] |
|
Historical Marker at the Stone Ranch |
|
 [Numbers in parenthesis refer to points on inset above] |
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| A Peter's Colony settler whose name fell to Lambshead Creek (19) was Thomas Lambshead of Devon England, who came to area about 1848. In 1849 Capt. Randolph Marcy laid out California Trail traveled by Forty-Niners to gold fields of California along Paint Creek (3); camped near confluence of Paint Creek and Clear Fork of Brazos River (2). U.S. Indian agent Jesse Stem located farm, first cultivated land in Northwest Texas, at mouth of Lambshead Creek (16) in 1852, Stem killed by Indians near Ft. Belknap in 1854. Marcy returned to area with Indian agent Maj. Robert S. Neighbors in 1854. Parleyed near Stem place with Comanche Indians to plan Comanche Indian reservation (5) that was activated in 1855 on 4 leagues. Col. Albert Sidney Johnston in 1856 located Camp Cooper (14) within Indian reservation. Camp Cooper commanded by Col. Robert E. Lee 1856-1857. Relocated in 1858 to better site (4) but returned to first site in 1859 and abandoned by U.S. Army in 1861 prior to hostilities. Butterfield stages crossed this ranch 1858-1861, Stage stand (17); relay station (18). In 1867 while occupied by B.W. Reynolds family, the Stone ranch (1), then western most house on northwest Texas frontier, was raided by Comanche Indians who drove off livestock from stone corrals. Reynolds family organized posse, pursued and overtook Indians 40 miles west on Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos. George Reynolds, shot and seriously wounded by Indians in ensuing fight. Was returned here by two-horse litter. He recovered, but carried steel arrowhead (20-actual size) in body until its surgical removal 15 years later. In 1871, Col. Ranald Mackenzie's trail followed south line of what is now Lambshead Ranch. Martin V. Hoover house, 1875, (6) John Larn house, 1875 (13). Sites: Tecumseh ranch house, 1875 (15). Barber Watkins Reynolds house 1876 (8) Nathan L. Bartholomew house, 1876 (9), George T. Reynolds house, 1877, (7). Glenn Reynolds house, 1878 (11). Earliest part of Lambshead Ranch headquarters, 1897, (21). | |
| Additional information on Lambshead and Watt Matthews can be found on the Lambshead Reference page. | |
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