125 miles northwest of Fort Worth, in 1856, a military establishment known as Camp Cooper was first opened in Throckmorton, Texas. Now the ranch is known as the Tecumseh Ranch, which includes 9,300-acres that features more than eight miles of shoreline on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River and almost five miles of the Tecumseh Creek. Additionally, the ranch also features unmatched limestone benches, cliffs along the Brazos River, multiple creeks throughout the property, fertile river bottoms, mesquite flats, and several hidden canyons. It’s also worth mentioning, the ranch includes two good sets of cattle working and shipping pens, a main barn, and a manager’s house.
In 1856, western settlers set up Camp Cooper on 18,576 acres along the Clear Fork in south-central Throckmorton County with two objectives: to protect the settlers and monitor the nearby Comanche Indian population. The camp was established by the Texas legislature in January 1856 and named for United States Army adjutant general Samuel Cooper. Eventually, Camp Cooper became the headquarters for four companies of the famed 2nd U.S. Cavalry under the command of Lt. Col. Robert E. Lee, who served at the camp from April 9th, 1856, until July 22nd, 1857. The camp was officially abandoned on February 21st, 1861. In 1906, J.B. Putnam purchased the property from John Alexander Matthews. As of right now, the property is still in the Putnam family today.
One of the best pieces of history on the ranch is the replica of the original 1800s house John Alexander and Sallie Reynolds resided in with their nine children. It’s been said a tornado destroyed the house in the early 1900s, so the family members took it upon themselves in the ‘90s to rebuild the house with the same structure and amenities based on old photos and information on it. Overall, the house is a representation of what a wealthy frontier house would look like at the time.
Investors seem to be most interested in the property because of its rare location in Throckmorton County and the amount of water resources in the area. From what it sounds like, the ranch is currently located in a difficult neighborhood to find properties on the market these days as many believe houses will be easy to sell with the Brazos River running through it and being next to the Lambshead Ranch. Other big-money players like the property due to its thriving populations of various forms of wildlife including whitetail deer, turkey, feral hogs, and quail. As of right now, the ranch will be sold through a sealed bid process, which will keep offers in the hands of a third party and eliminate the chance for potential buyers to increase their bids in response to a higher offer. (Source: Hall & Hall and TSHA)
