DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Pilkington Slough Ranch, out in Matagorda County. Now, some places earn their names in blood, and some earn them in water, and some — if you're patient enough to let the story unspool — earn them in both. The Pilkington Slough Ranch has been an area landmark for more than a hundred years, sitting along the Collegeport community like it was always meant to be there.
But to understand how it got to where it is, you've got to start at the very beginning. The original owners of the bulk of this land were three brothers — Daniel, Elias, and Erastus Yeamans. Three men who fought in the Texas War for Independence.
Daniel lived to tell the tale. Elias and Erastus did not. They died at the Battle of Goliad.
Let that land on you for a second. The ground that would one day be known for cattle and rice and Sunday worship services was first paid for in a way that no deed can record. The Yeamans family held that property all the way until 1880, carrying it forward across generations.
Then, in 1880, a man with one of the great Texas nicknames rode onto the scene. Abel H. Pierce — known to pretty much everybody as Shanghai Pierce — and his brother Jonathan E.
Pierce purchased the land. Shanghai was a noted cattleman, which in Texas is a title that carries considerable weight. But by 1889, Jonathan was the sole owner.
And Jonathan Pierce wasted little time making this place his own. He established his headquarters on a site overlooking something called the Pilkington Slough. Now, the slough took its name from Dr.
Samuel Pilkington, an early area physician. From the Pilkington House — the headquarters Jonathan built — you could stand and look out at the mouth of that slough, where it forms a backwater right along the eastern shore of Trespalacios Bay. Wide, still water catching the Texas sky.
The ranch took its name from its proximity to that very slough, and so the whole story folds back on itself in that satisfying way that good Texas geography tends to do. Through the years, tenants lived and worked these lands — the Ackerman family, the Huitt family, the Jacksons, the Slones. The land proved itself well suited for cattle ranching and rice cultivation both, which is a rare enough combination.
And the ranch wasn't just a working place — it was a gathering place. Worship services happened here. Dances happened here.
The kind of community life that doesn't get recorded in ledgers but absolutely gets remembered in families. The Matagorda Land and Cattle Company acquired the ranch in 1970. Then, in 2001, it was sold to other owners.
And still, today, the ranch stands as a crucial link to the early development of southwestern Matagorda County — reflecting an agricultural economy and the spirit of the men and women who pioneered this stretch of Texas. Three brothers who fought for independence. A cattleman with a legendary nickname.
A physician's name on the water. Families who worked the land across generations. That's not just a ranch.
That's a hundred years of Texas, told acre by acre.
What the marker says
The Pilkington Slough Ranch, of the Collegeport community, has been an area landmark for more than 100 years. The original owners of the bulk of this land were Daniel, Elias and Erastus Yeamans, three brothers who fought in the Texas War for Independence; Elias and Erastus died at the Battle of Goliad. The Yeamans family held the property until 1880, when noted cattleman Abel H. “Shanghai” Pierce and his brother, Jonathan E. Pierce, purchased it. By 1889, Jonathan was sole owner of this land. He soon established his headquarters on a site overlooking the Pilkington Slough, which was named for Dr. Samuel Pilkington, an early area physician. From the Pilkington House, one could view the mouth of the slough, which forms a backwater on the eastern shore of the Tres-palacios Bay. The ranch was so named for its proximity to the Pilkington Slough. Through the years, tenants lived and worked on these lands, which are well suited for cattle ranching and rice cultivation. These tenants included members of the Ackerman, Huitt, Jackson and Slone families. The property also served as a community gathering place, occasionally hosting worship services, dances and other activities. The Matagorda Land and Cattle Company acquired the ranch in 1970; it was sold to other owners in 2001. Today, the ranch remains a crucial link to early development of southwestern Matagorda County, reflecting the agricultural economy of the area and the spirit of the pioneering men and women who settled here. (2008)