Home Life on Early Ranches of Southwest Texas

About the Series

Myrtle Murray was the district agent for the Agricultural Extension Service in College Station, TX.  She wrote a series of articles for Cattleman Magazine over a time period of January 1938 - December 1940.  The series was called "Home Life on Early Ranches of Southwest Texas" and profiled key pioneer families of the area.  Each article featured a separate family and appeared every month.  Thirty-six articles covered 32 different counties in Texas.  The map highlights counties that had a family in the series.

In the Dedication column for the first article in the series, Murray writes, "my greatest inspiration is to sit around the hearth, or at a gathering and listen to these early homemakers talk about the early time... a priceless heritage and pride of their children today."

The articles were based on personal interviews with the people.  They often have photographs of people and places and read like a story.  They tell of early settlement, ranching, Indian raids, and daily life on the homestead.  They often highlight homemaking, the role of women, and community life.  As a whole, the series documents early Texas families and what farm and ranch life was like during the late 1800s to mid 1900s.  As such, they are valuable primary documents about this period in Texas history.