The Armstrong Ranch
Sarita, Kenedy County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1852 James H. Durst, son of a leading Nacogdoches, Texas family, purchased 93,219 acres of land here, part of the "La Barreta" Spanish Land Grant. In 1878 Mary Helena "Mollie" Durst, married the noted Texas Ranger John Barkley Armstrong. Armstrong had served with Captain Leander McNelly and played a major role in bringing law and order to South Texas. He participated in the arrest of King Fisher and gained national fame for his capture of the notorious Texas outlaw John Wesley Hardin. Armstrong moved his family to the ranch home he built here. Their close friends and neighbors were the families of Captain Richard King and Captain Mifflin Kenedy. The ranch was an important site in the area; General Zachary Taylor had camped here prior to the Mexican War and for many years the ranch served as a stop on the stage route between Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Under Armstrong's guidance, the Armstrong Ranch became one of the legendary cattle ranches of Texas. His descendants have continued the tradition of family enterprise here through the twentieth century.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This land, part of the Spanish "La Barreta" grant, was purchased in 1852 and became home to famed Texas Ranger John Barkley Armstrong after his 1878 marriage to Mollie Durst. Armstrong had ridden with Captain McNelly to bring order to South Texas and won national fame for capturing the outlaw John Wesley Hardin. On this ground—once a camp for Zachary Taylor's army and a stage stop between Corpus Christi and Brownsville—he built one of the legendary cattle ranches of Texas, still run by his descendants.
Why it matters
The Armstrong Ranch ties together the Texas Rangers, Spanish land grants, and the cattle-baron dynasties that defined South Texas from the Mexican War through the twentieth century.
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Related people
- · John Barkley Armstrong
- · Mollie Durst
- · John Wesley Hardin
Related events
- · Capture of John Wesley Hardin (1877)
Themes & tags
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