Ranch real estate is more than just an investment and lifestyle, it’s also filled with rich history. The J.D. Patterson Ranch in Stonewall County, Texas was founded in 1891 by Jefferson Davis Patterson. Butch Nuding, Patterson’s great-grandson, shares the origin story of the Patterson Ranch with us. It was a different time then and it is captivating for ranch real estate enthusiasts to hear about over a 125 years later.
The Patterson family originated in Missouri. They decided to move to Texas and settle into San Marcos, where they began farming the land. However, Jefferson Davis didn’t want to farm the land. He wanted to be a rancher.
As a young man, the ambitious Jefferson Davis drove a 100 head of longhorn heifers from San Marcos to Abilene with two horses and two saddles to start his life as a rancher. He traded a horse and a saddle for a place in what would one day be Stonewall County, but it didn’t actually exist. At the time, it was all state-owned land that was filled with promise.
Stonewall County was eventually established in 1887, and Jefferson Davis homesteaded where the Patterson Ranch remains today. Jefferson Davis began opening up banks while ranching, and started a family of his own.
His son J.D. Patterson was born August 1, 1900 right on the ranch. Over J.D.’s lifetime, he built the legacy of the Patterson Ranch and passed it on to his grandson, Butch Nuding. J.D. left the ranch twice in his life, but later died in the same house he was born in on the ranch.
Learn more about ranch real estate and West Texas from the experts at Edkahl Real Estate.
