Silver Cliff Ranch
Eola, Concho County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Founded 1882 on 46,000 acres by John A. Loomis, of Syracuse, New York, and his brother-in-law, Welton B. Ostrander. Rock quarried on the ranch was used in 1883 by German stonemasons to build Pennsylvania Dutch-style barn and house. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John A. Loomis of Syracuse, New York, and his brother-in-law Welton B. Ostrander founded this 46,000-acre ranch in 1882, part of the great wave of Eastern and foreign capital that opened West Texas to large-scale ranching. Using rock quarried on the property, German stonemasons raised a distinctive Pennsylvania Dutch-style barn and house in 1883. The enterprise reflects the ambition and outside investment that transformed the Concho country into cattle range.
Why it matters
Silver Cliff Ranch embodies the open-range ranching boom that drew Eastern investors and immigrant craftsmen west, stamping the Texas frontier with enterprises and architecture from far beyond it.
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Related people
- · John A. Loomis
- · Welton B. Ostrander
Themes & tags
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