Homestead

Homestead started as a newspaper feature series in the San Angelo Standard-Times, written by Jerry Lackey over a career in journalism that now spans more than five decades. Across more than 200 installments so far, with more still coming, he chronicles the families and properties that shaped ranching in the region.

The chapters profile a range of settlers and operations. One is a Scottish immigrant who made his home in a dugout in 1882. Another follows the Rocking Chair Ranch, whose holdings stretched across four counties. A former Civil War surgeon named Fields turns to ranching on the frontier, and the Speck Ranch adds chickens to its operation to get through the drought of the 1950s.

Because each entry stands on its own, readers can dip in anywhere, and the collection suits anyone interested in Texas ranch life, pioneer families, or the everyday history of rural communities.