during the COVID pandemic. We stopped at a huge valley with a pipe-and-wire corral in the middle of a lovely set of mountains. Chris said he didnt think so. sticking up above ground level. Walker. There were dual membership. The annual cattle auction alone brought in several million dollars a year, and while no one knew how much his commercial cattle operation brought, everyone knew it was plenty. But first thing in Of course, thats his trouble.. It was business as usual at the 06s annual fall roundup. I really know nothing about it, except that We drove north of Alpine on 118 for a ways, out onto the flat valley. Besides, Diane could ride with the best of them. But smart guys like me are buying steers right now, today, instead of taking it like it is., From Williams vantage point, the drought was the best thing that could have happened. or teri@terismithrockhunts.com. Rivaled only by West Texas, South Texas is perhaps the best part of the state for rockhounding. Kokernot is at one extreme of the beef production business, and Im crowding the other extreme. Far from being subsidized by oil, for the last five years Williams cattle business had been putting money into his oil business. complete list of whats available on my website, at www.terismithrockhunts.com/rocks-for-sale/. Old-timers remembered the drought of the thirties, when cattle starved or died of thirst or disease in such numbers that finally, in desperation, government agents drove the survivors into a canyon and shot them. Commercial mining never really took root in Texas and, while there are some old mining dumps to be picked over by rockhounds, most of the best rockhounding sites are in the gravels of rivers and streams and exposed hillsides. To chasing a false idol. A company in Guymon, Oklahoma, which would fatten them for about a year, bought most of them for about 65 cents a pound. Thats another game, he said. For the last sixty years baseball and church had been the extent of Herbert Juniors social life, and after he disbanded the team in the late fifties, baseball no longer interested him. David Kokernot acquired the Kokernot 06 brand in 1837. called the Circle T Rock Shop in honor of Aarons familys ranch. He got a lot of it by repossessing land. Me, Im very intense in my business. There are plume agates, mosses, fortifications, tube agates and some others A bolt of lightning narrowly missed the shed. And the good stuff was indeed chalcedony background can be clearish, white, light blue, dark blue, or Joel had planned to ride up to the top country the next morning and check on some young horses, but it was too muddy. Levi had first married the former Sarah E. Littlefield with whom he had a number of children including Herbert Lee. More serious was the quarrel over water. Hes done some good things, said a cowboy who was hunkered down beside a keg of nails. When the auction ended, Clayton announced that the sales had totaled $2.73 million, then led the crowd in the singing of God Bless America.. hill runs out of large pieces, and there are hundreds and hundreds of They may have originated any where along the course of the Rio the website www.takeahiketexas.com. David Hartman and a crew from Good Morning America had shown up at the 06 roundup last October. Unfortunately for rockhounds, the law prohibits them from publishing their names or contact information online. Besides, its good advertising. to hold the piece in your hands while you grind a flat spot to glue the dop When the mother cows had gotten worn out, they, too, would go to slaughter, ending up, in the inglorious argot of the industry, as cheaper cuts.. rocks via USPS, and every one of them got there in good shape with all of the piece of gold moss that was covered on one side with quartz crystals. The grass had an intrinsic value too, beyond its traditional purpose of fattening cattle. Aaron Thomas rockhunts: email him at texastakeahike@gmail.com, or visit Lacy, Dillard, and Cotton Elliott, one of the 06 cowboys, were loitering in the parking lot between the store and the Limpia Hotel, killing time and talking about the rain. He took ranching seriously. said he didnt care. Few cattle ever climbed up that far, and those that did were too wild to be rounded up. It was a mercy killing, recalled Hallie Stillwell, the 87-year-old matriarch of the Stillwell Ranch, south of Marathon. Some of the prettiest colors were lavender, maroon For more than an hour I sat there, astride an exceptionally gentle horse named Preacher, studying the spectacular terrain. you can reach Aaron Thomas at noraathomas@msn.com or If anybody gets drunk and falls in the swimming pool, itll probably be me. Truth was, Id seen wilder parties in my broom closet. Claytons party had the pizzazz of a county fair. After that there will need to be more appointments, each with a number of variables which can go wrong, thus pushing back schedules even farther. ROCKHOUNDING THE KOKERNOT o6 RANCH Lapidary Guillermo 13 subscribers 483 views 1 year ago First day we headed to agate hill Second day table 9 and table 10 For rough material and slabs Show more. This was a new place Aaron and James had only hunted once before. February. By the time we returned to camp, riding at full gallop, I had blisters on my hand from gripping the saddle horn, and I could barely walk. Once that schedule is published, I will try to schedule my If your search doesnt seem to work, try using fewer words. Kokernot o6 Ranch Ranching/Horses/Hunting/Ranch tours Welcome to the Kokernot o6 Ranch. The The idea of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a bull seemed as absurd as having bulls wear real pearl necklaces, which Clayton had done at an auction held in the lobby of his ClayDesta National Bank in Midland. Aaron, Jean and I work independently of each Wishlist. The South Larremore Ranch is very interesting. Since Im really allergic to bee stings, I took his advice and Reports - Mineral 5 Section Reports - Beading 5 Texas MIneral & Fossil Show, Conroe 6 Featured Member:. Im waiting for the market to adjust, he said. it worth it? Aaron Thomas and Jean Larremore are leading hunts in the Big Bend region this Fall and winter. Clayton Williams had also hired country singing stars, but as entertainers, not cowboys. I ate and was in my bedroll before dark. to the vehicle, I wouldnt have gotten a third as much. At the sight of the waves of rich grasses growing in Catclaw Pasture, Clayton Williams was overcome. amzn_assoc_asins = "B01IEX2TEO,B0002YWWVE,B08N41884X,B01CV1XW5K"; Important Disclaimer: I have not been to these locations myself, and I do not know if they are currently open for collecting. In his latter years, he moved his family to Gonzales, Texas. there was supposed to be good agate basically everywhere. different minerals in the solution at different time made different color Williams had bought the old Henderson Flat Ranch, adjacent to the 06, eleven years ago, and there had been a running battle of philosophies ever since. The 06 Ranch is located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, operating on 130,000 acres under a brand that was first used around 1837 by David L. Kokernot, landowner and scout for Sam Houston during the Battle of San Jacinto. orange., and only part of the nodule was filled in around the tubes. the rocks were weighed up. Mr. Kokernot and Mr. Gray were true Gentlemen! the Stillwell agate. Everything they owned they carried with them their horse, their saddle, their bedroll, and their warbag of gear. crystal and botryoidal specimens, at $100 per bucket. So as of now Ill stay out here. The Kokernot family has been ranching in Texas since the Republic formed in 1836. We turned right into a dirt road, and drove east on dirt roads for about half an hour. I wondered how he could round up 1800 cattle in four days when it took the 06 four weeks to gather about half that. The ranchs gross income for the year would come to about $350,000. When Clayton and his wife, Modesta Claytie and Desta to their friends invited large numbers of guests to their ranch, as they did at least once a year for their annual party and cattle auction, tank trucks were sent out to water down the twelve miles of road between their house and the front gate. Chris Lacy believed, for instance, that the drought dictated a severe cutback in 1984. During the Revolution, he served in many capacities including being a messenger and a scout. Money might be an object, old-line ranchers believed, but it was far from the point. I would pick the one that had the best history of quail hunting which the King would be hard to beat. should find better material. We hunted there for another 3 hours, got back to the cars at 5 p.m., and Fort Davis was accustomed to tourists. From the crest of the hill we could see the great valley of Number Seven and the dirt road that led to headquarters. A student at Sul Ross, Branham was looking for part-time work breaking colts. This is the kind of country that doesnt adapt itself much to change, he said. I have twelve thousand head on my Alpine operations this year, he said. But the dream had not died completely. A wet, dark chill settled over the top country several hours before daylight, and a full moon flooded the sky with an eerie radiance. Then he bought four more ranches in the Davis Mountains, three near San Antonio, and three in Wyoming he also owned an old family property, an irrigated farm near Fort Stockton. Before the arrival of Clayton Williams on the scene, the roundup had been by far the biggest event in the area. If the rockhunt is Agates and Specimens from Ranches Now Closed for Rockhunting, Agate and Specimens from Ranches Still Open for Rockhunting, Agate From the Big Bend Region But Not Sorted by Ranch. The combination of the elevation, the dryness, and the heat with Barney said, Its the only job I know where you can turn a man loose and not see him for days at a time and know that hes been up every morning before daylight, just waiting to get started again. When Clayton Williams advertised for help, he wasnt looking for cowboys. The Then there was a thunderous roar, and a formation of corporate jets zoomed directly overhead and vanished over the tops of the mountains. There were outcroppings of basalt here and there. When the squall had passed, the cowboys examined the tepees, which were their individual shelters. form of an individual bee that wanted me to turn around and leave. Fasken Family: 279,128 acres in Texas. one hillside I found several large nodules (the size of one of Johnnys Ron Goddard, a young cowboy from Montana, had been married when he worked at the 06 the past spring. Most of them were more interested in hunting deer and antelope than raising cattle, and those who did get into the cattle business usually approached it without regard for the old traditions and without love of the land. If youre planning on heading to the field, make sure you have all the gear youll need! Sitting in their old-fashioned country kitchen one day in late July, eating steak and drinking iced tea out of tin cans, they talked about their life not as a means of accomplishment but as an end in itself, something done well for its own sake. I stayed in the creek In 2020, he began working with James Winn VI, one of the owners of the Kokernot 06 Ranch, to help him evaluate his ranch for collectible agates. If it werent for the help of Aaron and James in carrying my rocks back Most of the water gaps would need replacing, but overall the rains had been a great asset. cream and blue backgrounds, occasional pieces of red and gold moss, and He owned another seven head that ran with the 06 cattle at Willow Springs. In order to make sure you feel like The dominant agate was I would pick the one that had the best history of quail hunting which the King would be hard to beat. rockhunts to other ranches (if indeed I am leading any) around the 06 Williams Brangus ranch was horseshoe-shaped, surrounded on three sides by the 06; it was necessary to cross Williams ranch to get to the 06s Willow Springs camp or to gain easy access to the top country, just as it was necessary to cross a part of the 06 to reach Williams ranch house. Both Aaron and I When the men had saddled and mounted, Chris Lacy divided them into four groups, each headed by an 06 regular. In 1832, he sailed for Texas with a load of dry goods. A piercing blue sky illuminated the mountains, and the great highland pastures swept off in all directions, clean, bright, and suddenly, magically, emerald-green, as though the storm had transformed the world from black and white to Technicolor. Then we drove back the way wed come for a The most amazing thing about Catclaw Pasture was that there wasnt a catclaw in sight. I dont need him right now, and hell eat better at your place anyway., After Joel had delivered the bull to his pasture on the mountainside above Fort Davis, he drove into town, looking for Chris Lacys pickup. He mentioned the Kokernots more than once to me; he was always interested in the big ranching families. I might decide to let the grass grow.. 4,387 Followers, 130 Following, 78 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Kokernot o6 Ranch (@o6ranch) amzn_assoc_linkid = "449ea551b1326ba1099098f322f2d915"; Particularly of note are the pegmatites and stream beds in Mason County, where rockhounds flock for a chance to find blue topaz. Im still selling rocks by the bucket, and shipping them out. Cattle cycles are supply and demand, pure and simple, When prices go up again, ranchers will be buying heifers to replenish their stock. I'm Mike Rhea, and I'm a professional Geologist with a passion for rocks, minerals, and everything related to Geology. Kokernot 06 Ranch - Acreage: 278,000 acres Andrew Dansby The ranch has ties to Houston, believe or not. He later married Hulda Jane Carnes. Central Texas contains a fairly wide variety of rocks and minerals including agate, petrified wood, calcite, celestite, quartz crystals, and topaz. Life here was a cycle of natural disasters, predator attacks, failing markets. Be sure to look at the start time for your field trip because the Ritchie to help dig and carry were helpful and nice. Pieces can be quite large: There apparently was a technical violation: though Williams front gate was in wet Brewster County, the ranch house, where the party took place, was in dry Jeff Davis County. It is not a common thing on the ranches of the West for a city kid to become a bona-fide cowman, but when the gods, and the clouds, align great things can happen. In my last email, I detailed the reason that I dropped the price on the little valley, I never got very far up the hills. There the herd would rest for a few days and recover from the drive before being loaded into trucks and shipped. cab. different ranches in 4 days. This bundle of information includes a book, videos, and online tools. Herbert Kokernot, Jr. was a well known businessman serving on the boards of national banks and served as County Commissioner of Jeff Davis County for sixty-five years. Nice polished Fire Agate from Mexico. run fairly small. Theyre playing make-believe. in fall, winter and spring. Near a windmill called Taylor Mill, and not far from the ruins of an old kiln where soldiers had fired the original bricks used at Fort Davis, we spotted four of the meandering colts. Most ranchers would have limited a pasture this size to a few dozen head, but most ranchers didnt believe, as Williams did, in rotation grazing. again to start considering what to give your favorite rockhounds for the It was the subject of much gossip and speculation and anticipation, but it was also the focus of much resentment. Traditional wisdom in the highlands had it that each cow required forty acres of range each 640-acre section (ranchers out here always talked in terms of sections, not acres) would support no more than twenty head. counting), and this is one Ill remember for many years. cost is $50 per bucket. that saves you shipping cost for the second bucket and doesnt spring! One of the most famous and the largest ranch in Texas, King Ranch stretches over 825,000 acres. Lacy ordered breakfast while Joel Nelson gave him a report on the storm damage. agates that came from there. Im going back The locations and information contained in this article are primarily derived from academic papers, online resources, and other outside sources. Then Ill sort and sell some smaller lots of things and perhaps special individual rocks, and the equipment I decide not to take with me to California. I like to make money., Clayton Williams grew up in hardscrabble, catclaw country. 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