A view of the "back 16" 2 years after planting coastal bermuda grass (Sept 2002)
Why is it called the "Big S Ranch"? Well, we envisioned the type of place where people would pass by and say, "Man, that's a BIG S RANCH!" And the name evokes a more positive image than, say, the Lazy S Ranch or the Dumb S Ranch!
The Big S is located in Central Texas, deep in the cotton country of eastern Williamson County. It is a 45 acre section of the original 200 acre farm owned by Adolph Bernhardt.
The ranch has many interesting features. One of the most interesting is the 1500 feet of Brushy Creek that runs along the back of the ranch. This creek, normally 5 feet deep and 20 feet wide, can spill its banks and become 15 to 20 feet deep and a quarter mile wide during heavy rains.
Originally, there was about 16 acres of cultivated land (corn) in the back along the creek. We have since converted this into a coastal burmuda pasture. There is another 25 acres of front pasture, which was covered with mesquite and cactus until mid September 2002. The remaining 5 acres or so is covered by woods and a wet weather creek.
Watch this page for more "before" and "after" photos as we clear the land, put up the barn, and build our dreamhouse.
This is a partial list of wildlife we've spotted on the ranch.
Jackrabbits
Skunks
Armadillo
Coyotes
Bobcats
Squirrels
Feral Hogs
Crows
Cardinals
Vultures
Red-Tail Hawk
Sparrow Hawk
