In the first episode of the Circle Bar Ranch series of “If This Dirt Could Talk,” we have the privilege of hearing the deep history behind the Circle Bar Ranch located in Truscott, Texas. Jerry Bob Daniel and his wife, Eugenie, join us to share the ranch’s humble beginnings to now a legendary ranch and leader in the agricultural, hunting, and outdoorsman community.
In West Texas, the history runs deeps with each tract of land. Unfortunately, not every tract’s owner knows the story behind their land. Jerry Bob is not this way though. The Circle Bar Ranch’s history dates to the early 1880’s with family ties to various tracts. And if there isn’t a family tie, Jerry Bob can tell you the history of the tract and the previous owners.
The Daniels deep history in Truscott and with ranching begins with his grandfathers. Jerry Bob’s maternal grandfather, Clyde Bullion, Sr., bought his first piece of land west of Truscott in 1935 for $10 an acre. Bullion worked for Jim Craig and the Craig Ranch, now the Alexander Ranch, until 1925. He never drew any pay just room and board. Jerry Bob’s paternal grandfather, Roy Daniel, came to Foard City, just north of Truscott, in 1926 with his family in seven wagons from Ringling, Oklahoma. The family has a legacy five generations deep of cattlemen and cattlewomen. Today, the Circle Bar Ranch is a family-run operation with 10 full-time hired hands to run all the necessary operations of the ranch.
Jerry Bob shares about the historic spot of Texas he and his family moved to when he was a child, and the significance it has with ranching and Texas history. The Daniels came back to the area in 1968 and lived on the Alexander Ranch, which his father then managed for 12 years.
A unique childhood memory Jerry Bob tells is hearing rattlesnakes rattle during the winter under his childhood home, as he ate breakfast with his dad in the early hours of the morning. Other memories from his childhood home on the Alexander Ranch include, his mother placing he and his brothers in galvanized wash tubs to play outside as babies to keep them safe from the rattlesnakes and getting in all sorts of trouble with his brothers while tending to their daily chores on the ranch.
These stories have remained with the family and serve as the foundation for their legacy of serving the community, striving for excellence, and never forgetting where they come from. With integrity, hard work and dedication, the childhood dreams Jerry Bob formed in the small 800 square-foot, six room house flourished beyond measure through the Circle Bar Ranch. Stay tuned to hear just how the Circle Bar Ranch came to be.
If This Dirt Could Talk is a video series produced by Ekdahl Nelson Real Estate to share and preserve the stories of West Texas and unique people and places. As a ranch broker, Ekdahl Nelson Real Estate has seen a lot of dirt over the years selling West Texas land and property. The brokers and agents hear a lot of stories about the land and property for sale, and the people who owned it. Those stories and relationships with their clients are what sparked this video series.
