Indian Cliffs Ranch Part 5 — Stepping into the Wild West 1880s

Indian Cliffs Ranch — Member of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

Ursula and I boarded the hayride and settled into our seats for the next stage of our post-steak dinner adventure at the world-famous Cattleman’s Steakhouse at Indian Cliffs Ranch.  Our tractor-pulled, canvas-covered trailer exited the steakhouse area and crossed the road onto the other side of Indian Cliffs Ranch — the time capsule.

Crossing the Road — Thunder Bumpers on the Horizon

Chihuahua Desert vegetation

The first thing to strike us on this excursion were the magnificent Rimrock Cliffs to the north:

Rimrock Cliffs

We turned south, away from the Rimrock Cliffs, and soon found ourselves in something reminiscent of Lucas McCain territory.

The McCain Spread

No, that above image isn’t it.  The first hint of what was to come was this fence:

Ranch Fencing

And, of course, the ranch corral had to be nearby:

Corral just up the road

Where are the horses?

We pulled up the horses . . . uh . . . tractor . . . by the ol’ homestead and stepped back into the 1880s:

Old Ranch House made of stone

Atop the roof were various ranching and farming implements.  Our tour guide told us that it was common practice to place such objects of value atop the home to make it more difficult for marauders to steal the equipment undetected.  So, footsteps on the roof were an early burglar alarm, apparently.

Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “Put up your tool”

One last look at this classic, pre-double wide (a bane to the aesthetics of the modern ranch, in my view) ranch home.

Attached Single Garage

We now turned back to the north and headed toward the base of the Rimrock “Indian” Cliffs.  But what’s this hiding in the brush?  You’ll find out Friday.

Something Hiding in the Brush