LAZY F RANCH  A Working Guest Ranch Adventure Where YOU are one of the cowboys or cowgirls -  right along with us!

Clay Allen P.O. Box 9 Smiley, Texas 78159

 Where the oaks of Central Texas meet the Mesquite of South Texas meet, the 2,500 acre (1,000 hectare) Lazy F Ranch was once part of the 80,000 acre Billings Ranch. When Great Grandfather Algernon Sidney Billings died in 1927, the ranch was divided among 35 sons, daughters and direct heirs and thus his ranching empire faded from history - Gone With The Wind. Only a few parts remain in family hands and this one can be shared with our guests and friends from all over the world.
 

Located in scenic Gonzales County where first shot of the Texas Revolution was fired in the battle over the famous "Come and Take It" cannon, the ranch has been in Lieutenant Colonel Clay Allen's family for six generations since 1854. 152 years of continuous ownership by the same family makes it one of the oldest family ranches in this part of Texas. The original log cabin and log barn, built around 1873, can be seen about a mile from the main guest house.

The infamous Texas outlaw of the late 1800's, John Wesley Hardin, was a relative of Colonel Allen and had a home on this ranch. The foundation blocks can still be seen across the creek on one of the horse trails.  Also near the ranch, another of the more practical, or you might say 'inventive,' killers in Texas, Lonnie Burnett, lived in an underground home.  He loved to have company and hung a sign that said, "Welcome Stranger" on the door to invite guests inside. The 10 gauge shotgun tied to the door insured a long stay.

The wagon tracks of the legendary Camino Real (King's Highway), between San Antonio de Bexar and Galveston, can still be seen running through this ranch.  Supposedly, Generalissimo Santa Anna's wagon train, loaded with gold to pay his troops, was buried on this ranch when the Mexican Paymaster learned of the General's defeat at San Jacinto.

Five miles from the ranch is "Salt Flat," where untold generations of Indians found salt on the surface of the ground and collected it under a mutual peace treaty older than the pyramids.
 
 

The ranch is featured in the Southwestern Gem Hunters Guide, as it has an ancient rock fault running through the Southern part, which is rich in petrified wood and palm tree, agate, jasper, quartz, and other minerals ideal for jewelry or collecting. Two creeks run through the ranch, lined with oaks, elm, and pecans, begging for exploration by foot or horse. They are full of large catfish, waiting to be caught. Wild hogs, whitetail deer, and wild turkey gather at our feeding station less than 100 meters from the main guest house. Other wildlife, such as armadillos, squirrels, and even a grey fox roam the ranch, or rather, the yard of the guest house.

 

Almost every night, a large pack of coyotes, roaming the surrounding woods, serenade the guests. One of the oldest live oak trees in this part of Texas, the Indian's Salt Flat Truce Tree, is located on the ranch. Over 600 years old, this tree was better than 143 years old when Coronado explored parts of Texas for the fabled 7 Cities of Gold. On a quiet day, you can almost hear the stories it could tell rustling in the leaves.

 
 

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