The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-10-21

Down on the beautiful Corpus Christi
bay, within easy reach of the metropolis
of the great southwest, San Antonio,
where the days are warm and make
things grow, and the nights cool to give
them a rest-in one of the garden spots
of Texas-is located the Taft ranch. 1t
Is a princely domain. one which in the
olden days would have been coveted by
Kings and might have cost the head of
the holder. Large enough to accommo-
date many small European principality
within it's borders, 1t has a soil and ell
mate hard to equal, let alone surpass.
Being located in the rain belt along the
Gulf of Mexico, the many acres on the
ranch produce anything man wishes.
Frost and snow are unknown and winter
is season when flowers bloom and men
walk around in their shirtseeves. OF
course, in the summer the sun beats
down pretty generously. But there Is
the breeze from the gulf that makes
the shade delightfully."- cool and the nights
Arabian.
For the average man 1t is hard to
form an idea of the surface represented
by 10000 acres. In the language of the
Vernacular there is some land to such
stretch. Yet this is only part Of the
Taft ranch. This section is located in
San Patricio county and is known as
La Quinta'' On it is located the Taft
home recently completed. La Encinal."
a tract located in Encinal and Webb
counties, is larger than the former by
many acres. No less than 100000 acres
form its vast expanses of rolling pasture
land, slightly timbered with mesquite and
husache.
How Charles P Taft acquired this inn
mense property is a very simple, though
interesting story. Dave Sinton, a pion-
OH NJ fhaga
broad acres in the days when land in the
southwest sold for as many cents, and
more often less than it now costs dol
lars. Dave" as he was known all over.
had an only daughter and she later on
became Mrs. Charles p Taft. Simple
enough, is it not?
. For many years the ranch was of no
more value than any other range. Then
1t struck Big Bilrs brother that he might
be able to turn the property to some &C.
count by bringing II in touch with prog
ress. This was done. Today the ranch
is practically a self-contained little do
main In a few months 1t will be this in
a greater degree. The packing plant,
which has been in operation for three
years, will be increased to a capacity of
$50 head of cattle per day and at least as
many hogs and sheep. The expenditure
necessary exceeds 100000. There is now
being installed 75-ton refrigerating and
ice-mal5ing plant. with access to as pure
q supply of water as ever came to the
lips of man, and an electric light and
power plant was completed some time
ago Cotton gins, oil mills, storage
houses and the like are going up con-
stantly A vast producing and manufac-
turing center. enjoying every conven-
fence and comfort of the city. is thus
being created.
Naturally a vast number of people live
on the estate In the little town of Sin
ton live 1900 at Gregory 800 at Taft 500.
and at Portland 400 All of these work
on the Taft ranch. In the case of SIN
ton, however, this is not altogether true,
for the reason that the land in its vi
cinity was recently cut up into small
tracts and rented to northern farmers.
The administration of such an estate is
no small affair As matter of fact the
Taft ranch enjoys a government of Its
own. John F. Green, the superintendent
of the estate, exercises in some respects
the authority of a county Judge. He Is
the man who settles all disputes and acts
as a peacemaker generally. He desig-
mates justices of the peace, a number of
constables and about 20 deputy sheriffs.
Though liquor can be secured in the
towns, intoxication means deportation
from the property and for this reason is
almost unknown Crime is rarely met
with on the estate. Undesirables are
dealt with in practical fashion. Superin-