Rancho, TX (USA)
Posted by: 
Raven
N 29° 17.759 W 097° 45.841
14R E 620044 N 3241412
Just 2 miles North of Nixon, TX on Hwy 97, the now-deserted settlement of Rancho was established in 1852 but fell prey to the new railroads crossing Texas during the late 19th century.
Waymark Code: WMGDC3
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/17/2013
Views: 9
Rancho grew up around the country store of Paul Murray, on land he purchased in 1849. His store was located at the intersection of roads that led to the important settlements of San Antonio, Gonzales, Seguin, Cuero, Goliad and Indianola. Murray had come to Texas from Mississippi and was soon followed by many of his Mississippi neighbors. They came in search of farm land, but soon abandoned the plow to adopt the cowboy culture of the area, as unbranded range cattle were everywhere and free for the taking. The name “Rancho” was given to the settlement as a ranching culture developed. Some of the earliest open range branding codes in Texas originated here in 1866, as local stockmen were gathering cattle herds to be driven to northern markets by Rancho cowboys.
A post office was officially established in 1855, and by 1884 Rancho had semiweekly mail service and two churches, a district school, a steam cotton gin, and a population of 100. Ranching, cotton and wool were the mainstays of the local economy. By 1890 the Rancho population had risen to 150, and the town had daily mail service. The population was recorded at 100 again in 1892, and by then one of the churches had closed, leaving only the Methodist church. By 1896, however, the population once more totaled 150, and a Baptist church had been built. In 1904 the community supported a white school with fifty-six students and a black school with forty students.
Thereafter, Rancho declined steadily when the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad bypassed the town in 1906, and many residents relocated to the new railroad town of Nixon, two miles to the south. The post office closed in 1911, and by that time, many of Rancho’s buildings had been moved to Nixon and most of Rancho’s residents had relocated to the new town. No traces of the town were shown on the 1936 county highway map.
Although virtually no visible evidence of the town of Rancho remains, the town’s short existence stands as a reminder of the hundreds of similar towns that fell prey to the railroads that crossed Texas during the late 19th century.
Reason for Abandonment: Economic
Date Abandoned: 01/01/1911
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