Triple Arrow Ranch
Encyclopedia
The Triple Arrow Ranch is a 1000 acres (4 km²) ranch
north of Spade
near Littlefield
, Texas
, owned by Lamb County Commissioner's Court Judge
William A. Thompson, Jr. (born 1944), and his wife LeNora Jo Thompson. On June 18, 2008, the Thompsons received an "Historic Texas Lands Plaque" in recognition of their efforts to preserve archeological sites on their property. The plaque is only the 22nd thus far awarded throughout the state by the Texas Historical Commission.
Native buffalo grass clings to the gently sloping land where the Thompsons' cattle
graze. A stream that once flowed through the area has been reduced to a trickle, but otherwise the land seems unchanged over the centuries. Texas contains more than one million archeological sites, 90 percent of which are on private land, according to the Texas Historical Commission.
The Triple Arrow contains remnants of at least three historic dugout
s used by buffalo
hunters and ranchers. Each site has been designated as a State Archeological Landmark and are hence protected by the Texas Antiquities Code. The ranch is also home to one of the few remaining recognizable sections of the Mackenzie Trail, which was once the primary route for wagon train
s traveling from Fort Griffin
near Albany
in Shackelford County
, Texas, to Fort Sumner, New Mexico
. Much of this land is now used for farming. When the Thompsons purchased the Triple Arrow in the late 1980s, another interested buyer had planned to turn the acreage into irrigated farmland. Thompson said that in hindsight he understands that if he and his wife had not purchased the property and maintained it as a ranch, the historic sites would have been destroyed. The Thompsons have declined offers to drill for oil
on the property.
Thompson sees the Triple Arrow from the historic perspective: "When you walk this stretch of ground alone, you don't really feel like you're by yourself," said Thompson in an interview with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
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Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
north of Spade
Spade, Texas
Spade is a census-designated place in Lamb County, Texas, United States. The population was 100 at the 2000 census.To the north of Spade is the Triple Arrow Ranch, a spread with historic relics owned by Lamb County Commissioner's Court Judge William A...
near Littlefield
Littlefield, Texas
Littlefield is a city in and the county seat of Lamb County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,507 at the 2000 census. It is located in a significant cotton growing region, northwest of Lubbock on the Llano Estacado just south of the beginning of the Texas Panhandle...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, owned by Lamb County Commissioner's Court Judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
William A. Thompson, Jr. (born 1944), and his wife LeNora Jo Thompson. On June 18, 2008, the Thompsons received an "Historic Texas Lands Plaque" in recognition of their efforts to preserve archeological sites on their property. The plaque is only the 22nd thus far awarded throughout the state by the Texas Historical Commission.
Native buffalo grass clings to the gently sloping land where the Thompsons' cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
graze. A stream that once flowed through the area has been reduced to a trickle, but otherwise the land seems unchanged over the centuries. Texas contains more than one million archeological sites, 90 percent of which are on private land, according to the Texas Historical Commission.
The Triple Arrow contains remnants of at least three historic dugout
Dugout (shelter)
A dugout or dug-out, also known as a pithouse, pit-house, earth lodge, mud hut, is a shelter for humans or domesticated animals and livestock based on a hole or depression dug into the ground. These structures are one of the most ancient types of human housing known to archeologists...
s used by buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
hunters and ranchers. Each site has been designated as a State Archeological Landmark and are hence protected by the Texas Antiquities Code. The ranch is also home to one of the few remaining recognizable sections of the Mackenzie Trail, which was once the primary route for wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
s traveling from Fort Griffin
Fort Griffin
Fort Griffin was a Cavalry fort established in the late 1860s in the northern part of West Texas, specifically northwestern Shackelford County, to give settlers protection from early Comanche and Kiowa raids...
near Albany
Albany, Texas
Albany is a city in Shackelford County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,034 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Shackelford County.-History:...
in Shackelford County
Shackelford County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,302 people, 1,300 households, and 941 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile . There were 1,613 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
, Texas, to Fort Sumner, New Mexico
Fort Sumner, New Mexico
Fort Sumner is a village in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,249 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of De Baca County...
. Much of this land is now used for farming. When the Thompsons purchased the Triple Arrow in the late 1980s, another interested buyer had planned to turn the acreage into irrigated farmland. Thompson said that in hindsight he understands that if he and his wife had not purchased the property and maintained it as a ranch, the historic sites would have been destroyed. The Thompsons have declined offers to drill for oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
on the property.
Thompson sees the Triple Arrow from the historic perspective: "When you walk this stretch of ground alone, you don't really feel like you're by yourself," said Thompson in an interview with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal is a newspaper based in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. It is owned by the Morris Communications Company.-History:The Lubbock Avalanche was founded in 1900 by John James Dillard and Thad Tubbs. According to Dillard, the name "Avalanche" was chosen due to his desire that the...
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