Spade Ranch Employee Competes in Roundup

A big roundup happened on September 3-4 during 1938 at the Heart Ranch. This competition was held for non-professional cowboys that lived in Texas. These rodeos are for people to participate in survival ways of the old west. Many world champions appeared the day of the event. However, only people allowed to take part in the roping event were the people who currently worked on a ranch. Among those people was Pete Ainsworth who was currently working for the Spade Ranch. A few of the other events besides the calf roping were the wild cow milking, bull riding, wild mare riding, bull fighting, and some junior events.
Link: http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth127007/m1/1/zoom/?q=%22Spade%20Ranch%22

Hereford Herd Registered in 1902

In 1902, the manager of the Spade Ranch, D. N. Arnett, registered their Hereford cattle with the Hereford House. He also formed a brand representative so that he could then ship many of cattle to market as soon as the rail cars were available.

Link:  http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth142316/m1/6/zoom/?q=spade

Spade Ranch Helps Provide Straighter Path for a Cattle Drive

Arrangements have been made so that people will be able to drive the cattle through the Spade Ranch. The Spade and “S” Ranches wants it understood that those cattle nearer to Hereford will be use for shipping and be allowed to pass. The mangers should be able to appreciate what the two ranches are doing so that people will have a more direct route to the shipping yard. The cattlemen are hardly the ones to blame when it comes to wanting to bring these herds through the ranches.

Link:  http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth142347/m1/12/

Spade Ranch Makes $200,000 on a Signal Cattle Sell in 1911

The Spade Ranch shipped 500 three-year-old heifers and about 4000 steers during the spring of 1911. The shipment of these cattle was sent out from Abernathy, which is the closest railroad station to the Spade Ranch. All the cattle are on good condition. The cattle brought about $200,000 to the ranch.

Link: http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth136945/m1/7/zoom/?q=Spade

How Part of the Spade Ranch was Burned During 1922

A 10-mile stretch of the Spade Ranch’s pasture was burned when the people watching the fire lost control of it. The strong south wind made the fire spread north rather quickly. It burned up to the Spade Ranch headquarters and took about 100 men to finally get the fire put after several hours of fighting it. However, the lost of the grass at this point is a serious problem for the ranch, which belongs to W. L. Ellwood.

Link:  http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45529/m1/1/zoom/?q=Spade

How the Spade Ranch Helped During the Depression

During the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the federal government stepped into help the people in rural areas. They formed the Rural Rehabilitation Program so that the people could have a chance to start over. This program provided people with land and other necessities. The main resettlement was the Ropesville Project, which was located about 20 miles southwest of Lubbock, Texas. The government first bought 4,000 acres from the Spade Ranch. In 1936, the Ropesville Project contained 33 farms each having about 120 acres. During 1938, the government bought another 12,000 acres form the Spade Ranch. This added another 44 farms. In addition, all the farms were resized so that each farmstead was about 210 acres. All the farmstead looked about the same causing confusion among the residents as well as the government. The government only identified each farm through a number unit. Even though there was confusion, the Spade Ranch and the government helped these people had land so that they could provide for their families.

Written by Pam Murtha
Link:  http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45362/m1/20/?q=%22Spade%20Ranch%22