_H7 Ranch
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Emil Henry Marks (1881-1969), a descendant of Prussian immigrants, was orphaned at an early age and reared by his maternal grandparents in Addicks, Texas, and later by relatives in Pattison, Texas. Marks registered the _H7 cattle brand in 1898. He married Maud May Smith in 1907. They raised longhorn cattle in Addicks and in 1917 relocated their expanding herd to a 640-acre ranch in Barker, Texas. By the early 1930s their herd had increased to 6,816 head of cattle and their grazing land had expanded to 36,000 acres. A barbecue and rodeo held by Marks during spring roundup and branding activities in 1918 became such a popular annual event that he expanded the rodeo facilities and began charging admission. _H7 rodeos, a showplace for Marks' premier longhorn cattle, ended in 1950 after much of his Barker ranch was inundated by the creation of the Barker Flood Control Reservoir. Marks helped found the South Texas Producers' Association (1931), Houston's Fat Stock Show and Rodeo (1932), the Salt Grass Trail Drive (1952), and the Texas Longhorn Breeders' Association of America (1964). In 1936 he broke ground for the San Jacinto Monument with _H7 oxen. The heirs of Emil and Maud Marks continued to raise longhorn cattle and use the _H7 brand. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 - 1995
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Emil Henry Marks, a descendant of Prussian immigrants orphaned young, registered the _H7 cattle brand in 1898 and by 1917 had moved his growing longhorn herd to a ranch near Barker, Texas, eventually running thousands of head across 36,000 acres. His annual spring roundup barbecue and rodeo grew so popular he began charging admission, and he helped found key Texas cattle institutions including the Houston Fat Stock Show and Rodeo and the Texas Longhorn Breeders' Association. The _H7 rodeos ended in 1950 when much of the ranch was flooded by the Barker Reservoir.
Why it matters
Marks helped preserve the Texas Longhorn and shape the ranching and rodeo traditions that became enduring symbols of the American West.
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Related people
- · Emil Henry Marks
- · Maud May Smith Marks
Related events
- · Salt Grass Trail Drive
- · Founding of the Houston Fat Stock Show and Rodeo
Themes & tags
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