Hillingdon Ranch

Four Seasons, Six Generations

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Nature, Environment, Environmental Conservation & Protection, Art & Architecture, Photography, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book Hillingdon Ranch by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu, Texas A&M University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu ISBN: 9781623490249
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press Publication: September 1, 2013
Imprint: Texas A&M University Press Language: English
Author: David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
ISBN: 9781623490249
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Publication: September 1, 2013
Imprint: Texas A&M University Press
Language: English
In 1885, San Antonio architect Alfred Giles began buying the land that would become Hillingdon Ranch, eventually accumulating 13,000 acres near the town of Comfort in Kendall County. As the property passed to succeeding generations, the holdings got smaller, and more family members shared a stake in the ranch. Today, dozens of Giles descendants own pieces of it, ranging in size from ten to several hundred acres.

Yet Hillingdon remains a working ranch, with day-to-day operations managed by Robin Giles, grandson of Alfred Giles; his wife, Carol; their son, Grant; and Grant’s wife, Misty. The cattle, sheep, and goat business they built has become a model of stewardship and sustainability. While managing family relationships can often be as complicated as managing livestock and forage, the ranch would not exist without the commitment of the large extended family, now in its sixth generation on the ranch.

Hillingdon Ranch: Four Seasons, Six Generations chronicles how one family has worked together over many years to keep their ranch intact. It is also a beautifully photographed portrait of a ranching family and their life in the Texas Hill Country, where work is guided by the seasons, increasingly influenced by technology, and inevitably affected by drought.

In learning about the family’s successes and challenges, readers will gain a greater appreciation of what the Giles family’s efforts mean to the rest of us: food, fiber, clean air, wildlife, healthy land, peace and quiet, and, perhaps most important of all, clean and plentiful water.
In 1885, San Antonio architect Alfred Giles began buying the land that would become Hillingdon Ranch, eventually accumulating 13,000 acres near the town of Comfort in Kendall County. As the property passed to succeeding generations, the holdings got smaller, and more family members shared a stake in the ranch. Today, dozens of Giles descendants own pieces of it, ranging in size from ten to several hundred acres.

Yet Hillingdon remains a working ranch, with day-to-day operations managed by Robin Giles, grandson of Alfred Giles; his wife, Carol; their son, Grant; and Grant’s wife, Misty. The cattle, sheep, and goat business they built has become a model of stewardship and sustainability. While managing family relationships can often be as complicated as managing livestock and forage, the ranch would not exist without the commitment of the large extended family, now in its sixth generation on the ranch.

Hillingdon Ranch: Four Seasons, Six Generations chronicles how one family has worked together over many years to keep their ranch intact. It is also a beautifully photographed portrait of a ranching family and their life in the Texas Hill Country, where work is guided by the seasons, increasingly influenced by technology, and inevitably affected by drought.

In learning about the family’s successes and challenges, readers will gain a greater appreciation of what the Giles family’s efforts mean to the rest of us: food, fiber, clean air, wildlife, healthy land, peace and quiet, and, perhaps most important of all, clean and plentiful water.

More books from Texas A&M University Press

Cover of the book Where's the Moon? by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book Running the River by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book Texas Health Atlas by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book Glorious Gulf of Mexico by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book Houston's Hermann Park by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book Fallen Stars by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book Bison and People on the North American Great Plains by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book Adios to the Brushlands by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book The Gurob Ship-Cart Model and Its Mediterranean Context by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book Cadets on Campus by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book John P. McGovern, MD by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book The American Sea by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book Lessons from Hurricane Ike by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book Clovis Mammoth Butchery by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
Cover of the book Telling Border Life Stories by David K Langford, Lorie Woodward Cantu
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy