[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 14, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2525]]
         CONGRATULATING THE Y.O. RANCH ON ITS 125TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEVIN BRADY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2005

  Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, people leave footprints on the land, 
but as most private property owners in Texas know, land leaves bigger 
footprints on people. The brave families that ventured to Texas when 
Texas was just bare land left an imprint on the land and in the souls 
of all who live in or around the legacies they leave behind. This is 
perfectly embodied in the Historic Y.O. Ranch in the heart of the Texas 
Hill Country. Five generations of the Schreiner family folks have left 
their indelible prints on the Y.O.
  I want to congratulate the Hill Country for taking care of this 
legend and the Schreiner family for continuing the legacy of the Y.O. 
Ranch as they join together in their 125th Anniversary Celebration on 
December 31, 2005.
  This legendary ranch sprang from a young man's dream and his family's 
determination to keep the dream alive. In 1852, 14-year-old Charles A. 
Schreiner arrived in Texas with his family--18 days later his father 
died and for the next 2 years Charles helped his family get by. When he 
turned 16, he enlisted in the Texas Rangers. When he ``retired'' from 
the Rangers 2\1/2\ years later, Charles took up ranching.
  Charles, who was known as Captain Schreiner, began buying up Hill 
Country property and cattle. During this period, more than 300,000 head 
of Texas Longhorns bearing his brand trailed up to Dodge City laying 
the foundation of the Captain's empire. Part of this empire included 
the present day Y.O. Ranch, which the Captain purchased in 1880.
  During his life, the Captain continued to gather land, launch 
successful enterprises and contribute to his community. In 1917, when 
he was 79 years old, the Captain divided his holdings, which included 
566,000 acres of land, equally among his eight children. Walter R. 
Schreiner, the Captain's youngest son, was the owner of 69,000 acres 
located about 40 miles northwest of Kerrville now called the Y.O. 
Ranch. In 1922, Walter married Myrtle Barton a decision that not only 
gave the Y.O. a woman's touch, but another leader.
  In 1933, Walter died, leaving the Y.O. to his wife, Myrtle and his 
young son, Charlie III. When Walter died at the heighth of the Great 
Depression, Myrtle knew nothing about running the ranch, but 
circumstances forced her to learn quickly and to learn well. She 
stepped up to the vast challenge of keeping the legacy alive.
  Myrtle relied on her brother-in-laws, Gus and Louie Schreiner. By 
sticking to cattle, sheep and goats, Myrtle kept the ranch afloat and 
then some. Not bound by convention, in 1943, Myrtle leased the ranch to 
Petty Geophysical Engineering, not for oil and gas exploration, but for 
hunting. She pioneered a practice that has been adopted as an income 
generator on almost every ranch in Texas and has been a vital part of 
the Y.O.'s economic picture ever since.
  Charlie III grew up on the ranch and learned ranching from the ground 
up, preparing to take on his share of the responsibility. In the 
aftermath of the drought of the 50s, Charlie III began his relentless 
pursuit of Longhorns. He had strong feelings for the animals and the 
role they'd played in developing the West and the Y.O. but the drought 
drove home the importance of having a hardy, resilient breed of cattle 
for tough times in tough country. Charlie III not only built the 
largest quality Longhorn herd in the world, but recruited other 
cattlemen to the cause and eventually helped found the Texas Longhorn 
Breeders Association and is widely credited with single handedly saving 
the longhorn breed from extinction.
  Charlie III also undertook another notable conservation project 
providing a home to exotic wildlife a business that other ranchers 
later entered. The first animals released were blackbuck antelope and 
Aoudad sheep, which proved that higher fences were necessary. Today, 
the Y.O. is home to more than 60 exotic species, many of which are 
available for hunting.
  Charlie III didn't introduce exotics with the intention of 
establishing a hunting program, but as the animals thrived and 
reproduced the numbers had to be managed. Plus, hunting is another 
source of revenue and is a vital part of the ranch's newest undertaking 
the people business. Other wildlife includes white-tailed deer, wild 
hogs, wild turkey, axis deer, eland antelope, sika deer and fallow 
deer.
  Charlie III and his sons, Charlie IV, Walter, Gus and Louis, over the 
years, diversified into photography safaris, Y.O. Adventure Camp for 
children, corporate retreats and the Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse in Dallas's 
West End. But perhaps the biggest foray into this area came in 1986, 
when the Schreiner family set aside 11,000 acres to be sold as home 
sites for people who weren't born on the Y.O., but wanted to get to the 
Hill Country as soon as possible. The Schreiner family has worked hard 
to make it easy to for people to call the ranch home. Inside the high 
fence that surrounds Y.O. Ranchlands, buyers can choose from tracts 
ranging from 50 acres to 125 acres, all of which showcase the Hill 
Country's rugged beauty.
  The ranch, then and now, survived strictly on the skills, creativity 
and determination of the owners. Fighting off Indians, outlaws, Wars, 
The Depression, Droughts, Estate Taxes, Divorces and Mother Nature, 
generations of Schreiners--and now landowners who've ``joined the 
family''--continue to care for the beautiful Hill Country of Texas and 
preserve Texas's proud ranching heritage.
  I wish Charlie IV and the rest of the Y.O. Schreiner family (all 17 
of them) the best of luck in the future and am proud to congratulate 
the Y.O. Ranch on its 125th Anniversary.

                          ____________________