Prairie Traveler: Along the Oregon Trail
Part modern travelogue, part history of the journey across the Great Plains.
The Ranchlands Review
Teddy Roosevelt's Strenuous Life Doctrine
Theodore Roosevelt had every reason to take it easy. To coast. But rather than drifting through a life of “ignoble ease,” TR did just the opposite. He worked maniacally hard,...
Barbed Wire and the Frying Pan Ranch: A Shared History
How Joseph Glidden’s 1874 invention shaped an industry, and with it, a historical ranch in the Texas Panhandle.
Cattle Brandings Then and Now
Livestock brandings have roots dating back to over 4,700 years ago but still remain relevant today. Learn its history and role at Ranchlands.
Women You Should Know: The Grand Dame of Cowboy Poetry
Before she became "The Grand Dame of Cowboy Poetry" at age 65, Elizabeth Ebert wrote cowboy poetry in secret for decades.
Women You Should Know: The Grandmother of the Conservation Movement
From a childhood in remote Alaska trekking 400-miles on dogsleds to receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, read more about the fascinating life of Margaret Thomas Murie, “The Grandmother of...
Women You Should Know: Bonnie McCarroll
She wore a large-brimmed beaver hat, fringed gloves, a handmade western blouse, custom boots, and jodhpurs. Sometimes she’d add a wild rag, vest, chinks, or woolies. She’d pin down her hair,...
The History of Zapata Ranch
Archaeological investigations have documented that the San Luis Valley was utilized by various Native American cultures for thousands of years. The earliest time period, the Paleo-Indian stage (approximately 11,500 B.P....
Ruth Rees Phillips
Ruth Rees Phillips was my mother. She was raised in San Antonio, Texas, where she met and married my father Duke Phillips II and began a ranching career that led...
History of Bison in the San Luis Valley
The evidence available to determine the history of bison ecology in the SLV is scant.
Origins of the Diamond Star
Our brand has become a symbol of the pride we take in breeding a herd of cattle that is the embodiment of our philosophy of ranching.
Remembering Dale Lasater
“He was the most influential person in my life.” Duke Phillips III remembers his friend, mentor and fellow rancher Dale Lasater.
