Heroes

Recognizing the near extinction of the original Texas Longhorn, the Federal Government allotted $3,000 and two U.S. Forest Service rangers, John H. Hatton and Will C. Barnes to gather up the best specimens they could find.

Riding over five thousand miles, and viewing some 30 thousand specimens, these men gathered up twenty cows, three bulls, four calves and delivered them to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Cache, OK.

Those were the words spoken by Texas Financier Sid Richardson to his friends, author J. Frank Dobie and rancher/TSCRA Inspector Graves Peeler. Feeling not enough was being done to conserve the original Texas Longhorn, Richardson engaged the two men to gather more original Texas Longhorns for various State parks so Texans and other visitors could see and appreciate these magnificent animals on whose backs this State and Nation were built.

These State herds were consolidated and moved to Ft. Griffin located in Albany, Texas, becoming the Official State of Texas, Texas Longhorn herd

The 61st Texas legislature officially recognized the State herd

A statewide mock election by the school children of Texas named the original Texas Longhorn the State Large Mammal

State Senate proclamation #173 recognized the 25th anniversary of the original TXL being named the State Large Mammal as well as the conservation efforts of the CTLR