SPRING BREAK AT THE RANCH: THE FAMILY CHALLENGE!

Cabin-Building | Cattle-Roping | Victorian Etiquette | Cooking with Coals
Fire-Starting | Plant & Garden Care | Animal Tracking | & More!

MARCH 9 & 12-16
at the GEORGE RANCH HISTORICAL PARK

Media Contact: Jennifer Farrell, 281-382-0219
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RICHMOND – Bring your family to the George Ranch Historical Park for spring break and compete in a set of historic challenges for a chance to win the ULTIMATE HISTORIC PRIZE: An overnight stay at the 1860s Ryon Prairie Home!

HOW IT WORKS

Visit the Ranch March 9 and 12-16 and participate in special activities and demonstrations happening throughout the day. Learn how to start a fire with flint and steel and cook over coals, learn the best technique for milking a lifelike cow, practice Victorian etiquette, fish in the Sharecropper’s “pond,” practice lassoing a cow dummy – plus a variety of other activities. Then, put your family’s newly-acquired skills to the test in the daily family challenge at either 11:30 a.m. or 3 p.m.! All contestants in the daily family challenge will be entered to win a chance to spend the night pioneer-style at the 1860s Ryon Prairie Home – but the top three winners will get double the chances to win the overnight stay!

ACTIVITIES

1830s Jones Stock Farm

Learn to Build a Log Cabin (Ongoing) – Building a home for your pioneer family was one of the first priorities of new settlers in the area. Practice your skills in log cabin building and see what your family can create!
Match the Pelt to the Track (Ongoing) – Explore the pelts of different animals found in early Texas. Match the pelt with the animal track and determine which weapon would be best if you had to hunt for your family’s food.
Fire-Starting (9:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.) – Learn how to start a fire with flint and steel.
Cooking with Coals (10:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.) – Learn how to cook with hot coals.

1860s Ryon Prairie Home

Plant ID (Ongoing) – Learn what plants help and what plants hurt during a plant scavenger hunt.
Cow-Milking (Ongoing) – Meet our resident lifelike “milk cow” Daisy and see how fast you can milk her. (Milking a cow was quite a show in the early 1800s!)
Kids’ Cattle Round-Up (10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. & 4 p.m.) – Choose to be a cowboy or cowgirl and round up some cattle – or be part of the cattle herd and outsmart those cowhands and get away! This interactive round-up (which is also similar to a big game of tag!) will also teach the economic importance of cattle drives in the 1800s.

1890s Sharecropper Farm

Sharecropper Fishing (Ongoing) – Since the George Ranch alligators don’t like sharing their ponds, bring your little ones to fish in the Sharecropper’s trough! Learn about the fish local to this part of Texas as your practice your fishing skills.
The Fab Five (Ongoing) – Learn about the five essential things you’ll need to grow your sustenance garden with this fun explorative hunt at the Sharecropper’s cabin.
Fence Stretching (11 a.m. & 2 p.m.) – Learn how barbed wire was stretched along the open prairie, changing ranching as we know it.

1890s Davis Victorian Mansion

Victorian Etiquette Challenge (Ongoing) – By the turn of the century, things had changed and social status was the name of the game. Come learn a few important rules of behavior needed to survive society in the early 1900s.

1930s George Home & Cattle Complex

Rope a Cow Dummy (Ongoing) – Roping is a necessary cowboy survival skill, so come learn how it’s done with lessons from our Ranch cowboys and cowgirls.

HISTORIC LUNCH

An 1860s Chuckwagon Lunch will be offered every day at noon during the spring break activities; the menu includes mock “Son of a Gun” beef stew, cowboy beans, pan d’campo, biscuits and peach cobbler. Make reservations by calling 281-343-0218 or going online at https://www.georgeranch.org/event/spring-break-1860s-spring-break-chuckwagon-meal/.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

The George Ranch Historical Park is located at 10215 FM 762 in Richmond. General admission for the Historical Park is $15 for adults ages 13+, $12 for seniors ages 65+ and $10 for children ages 4 to 12. Children three and under are free. Operating hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.georgeranch.org or call 281-343-0218.

ABOUT THE HISTORICAL PARK:

The George Ranch Historical Park is a living history museum that showcases Texas history from the 1830s through the 1930s. The Park is anchored by four different home sites: the 1830s Jones Stock Farm, 1860s Ryon Prairie Home, 1890s Davis Victorian Mansion and 1930s George Ranch Cattle Complex. Regular activities include historic home tours, living history demonstrations, hands-on activities, cattleworking and dipping vat demonstrations and more! Guests should allow three to four hours to visit the Park and should dress for the weather.

The George Ranch Historical Park is a living history partnership between the Fort Bend History Association, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and The George Foundation, a Texas Charitable Trust.

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