Graduation Semester and Year

2021

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Landscape Architecture

Department

Landscape Architecture

First Advisor

Kathryn Holliday

Abstract

The Texas cattle ranch is a vernacular landscape of historic significance, threatened by population-driven land use change and unsustainable exurban development (Kjelland, 2007). A vast majority of Texas cattle ranches have not been recognized by any official designation program (THC, 2020), and have no formal recognition as cultural landscapes (Ramirez, 2018). This research explores the cultural landscape of cattle ranching in Texas, a specific landscape typology with very little documented study, in order to promote identification, preservation, and maintenance of these valuable landscapes within the field of landscape architecture. As the standard pathway to designation and documentation of cultural landscapes, the National Register process of the National Park Service has not been inclusive to large and complex working landscapes (Roberts & Biazer, 2019), such as historic cattle ranches. Through the research process, an alternative protocol for documentation and preservation of historic working cattle ranches has been developed, referred to as the TX-CLEVR (Texas Cultural Landscape Evaluation for Ranches). A case study site was selected, the Dudley Brothers Ranch in Comanche, Texas, to apply this specific process for documenting the rich and complex contexts of ranching landscapes. The research objective was to not only propose an alternative path to designation, but to also produce a set of preservation recommendations that can be applied to historic working cattle ranches in Texas. This is supported by interviews with experts in the fields of cultural landscapes, land stewardship, historic preservation, and cattle ranching.

Keywords

Ranch, Historic preservation, Cultural landscapes, Cattle ranch, Working landscapes, Landscape architecture, Preservation, Ranching, Cattle ranch, Cattle ranching(Tex.), CLEVR, TX-CLEVR

Disciplines

Architecture | Landscape Architecture

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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