TEXAS CATTLE BARONS INTRODUCTION
Kathleen Jo Ryan

The summer of 1998 was an extraordinary year to be in Texas, both in rewards and challenges. During June the smoke from fires in Mexico blew north, blanketing most of Texas in murky, stifling air, a sickly gray haze that compounded the early signs of drought. The drought had come on strong by July and August with no rain in the state and accompanied by unyielding heat -- over 100 degrees for weeks. I learned that rain in Texas is measured by tenths of an inch and personally experienced the impact of ‘heat index.’

Finally in early September rain began sprinkling on parched lands in some areas while drought kept its unrelenting hold on other areas. Then in mid September the skies opened over central Texas with devastating rains -- seventeen inches in one day at San Antonio -- that flooded much of South Texas. Cities and towns were submerged in water rampaging down rivers and creeks.

The flooding waters ran through miles of rural country dotted with ranches and farms. Ranchers not only lost property, but livestock washed down rivers by the thousands. I read later that shrimp boats in the Gulf of Mexico were snagging carcasses of dead cattle in their fishing nets. Then an attack of ‘army worms’ hit areas in east and south Texas where new growth had sprouted from late rains. Army worms eat tender shoots of new grass with such speed and appetite that they devour hundreds of acres in a matter of days. It was during this time I remarked on the attitude of Texas ranchers to maintain their humor and optimism. A friend stated that "There are few people who are tough enough to be Texans." I agreed.

Interviewing ranchers in the midst of these various life-threatening crises was a delicate process. Even asking them to participate in a book was intrusive to their daily lives. Their time and energy are precious to their survival. Ranchers’ inherent generosity and gracious hospitality, however, made it an opportunity; for them to share the sincerity of their life efforts and for me to portray their lives in the midst of rawness. I felt it was critical to be on constant alert to their professional as well as personal challenges and crises. To honor their participation I tried to be sensitive to their timing and issues so as not to impose, yet draw from them their stories and philosophy. It is my hope that this book has captured intimate insights in image and word.

Late October 1998; I am flying into El Paso to wrap up the final photography for this book. The twinkle of the city lights on my late night flight is welcome and inviting. The magic of the lights belies my memory of many trips this summer through El Paso when blowing sand and scorching temperatures were assaulting the land, the animals and the people. I am a foreigner to Texas, born and raised on the West Coast, always a mountain on the horizon and/or water in view. Since last spring I have commuted from my moist and lush island life northwest of Seattle to arid and prickly Texas.

El Paso was my starting and ending point to gain entrance to Texas. It was a great transition to drive to the CF Ranch in Alpine, heart of the Davis Mountains, pick up a ranch rig and launch each Texas journey. The ranches chosen for the book were situated in far corners of Texas -- from the tip of South Texas to the Arkansas border, from North Texas back to Southwest Texas. Many weeks I averaged over 1,200 miles driving from ranch to ranch.

Traveling the back roads was an insightful route for absorbing rural Texas life. Rarely would I see an out-of-state license plate -- truly deep in the heart of Texas. I loved the old town squares, although the often boarded-up shops saddened me. I was charmed by genuine courtesy, bordering on chivalry, any place I stopped, and missed the "Drive Friendly" road signs that used to remind drivers on all Texas highways.

As my plane descends for a landing at the El Paso airport, I mentally travel back to the casual beginnings of this project. During a friend’s Texas wedding, October 1997, Al Micallef, rancher, entrepreneur and restaurateur, approached me with a vision to produce a beautiful and hopefully timeless celebration of Texas ranching today. He wanted to look optimistically at the cattle industry as it moves into the new millennium. My second book, Ranching Traditions, had documented ranching throughout the American West, but that was ten years ago.

The vision of Texas ranches intrigued me. Al, being a man of action, launched this book by January 1998. We chose a diverse and exciting selection of ranches. They represent varying styles of ranching, geographic diversity, and innovation through successful family and corporate operations. We are honored with the participation of the thirteen ranches profiled. We were blessed to have acclaimed Texas writer Elmer Kelton agree to write the rancher profiles based on personal interviews that I conducted while photographing each ranch. Condensed versions of these personal interviews are captured in the companion book, Deep In The Heart of Texas: Texas Ranchers in Their Own Words.

These Texas ranchers all share a commitment to improve life not only for themselves and their families, but also for their communities, local and global. They engage life with a generosity of heart and active contribution. We hope these profiles and photographs reveal their depth of character, commitment to life, and inherent need to benefit humanity. Just as the El Paso lights sparkle in the night, the invincible spirit of these Texas ranchers reflects optimism for the future.