What do you picture when you hear the word "ranch?" Maybe you see a cowboy driving a herd of Texas Longhorns, or envision sprawling ranch houses. It is a surprise to many that ranching did not start in the Wild West or in Texas, but has roots reaching back into history. Spanish ships seeking to establish new colonies for Spain brought cattle to the Americas in the 1600s.
Imagine you were traveling in wagons and on horseback to settle in the Texas territory, when you came across a wooded expanse in the middle of the Great Plains. This landmark came to be called the Cross-Timbers, and was used by many as a landmark to judge the distance they had traveled while crossing the expanses of the United States.
The train you are riding in today is powered by diesel fuel and electricity, but in the early days trains moved at slower speeds and were powered by large coal burning steam engines. Today in Grapevine, TX you can travel the old Cotton Belt in one of the few trains still pulled by steam power.