Frijole Ranch Orchard

Frijole Ranch is a shady oasis from the hot sun that fills the surrounding West Texas desert. The same conditions that have allowed the chinquapin oaks to grow large, enclosing the house and yard and giving the ranch its unique character, have also supported its human inhabitants. The harsh, isolated nature of the West Texas landscape limited the number of families who were able to establish here. In the past and today, development in the area formed a pattern of widely dispersed settlements, whether they were seasonal subsistence camps, family farms, or large ranches concentrated around a water source. Today, the landscape still reflects the settlement and ranching practices in the area that were guided by the availability of water.

Frijole Ranch Historic District, looking west into the Ranch House/Yard cluster from the northwest corner of the orchard area (2009).

NPS / J. Cowley

Landscape History

Frijole Ranch was developed near several springs, located where the Chihuahuan desert of West Texas grades into the eastern escarpment of the Guadalupe Mountains. There is evidence of occupation at the site by Mescalaro Apache people with the presence of middens and cooking pits. There are also reports of several early ranching operations here in the latter part of the 1880s, but these did not leave any lasting imprint on the landscape. According to early General Land Office records, John T. Smith filed an application to purchase the land in 1906 and transformed it into a productive family farmstead and ranching operation. The features of the ranch were clustered around two springs and the irrigation system of troughs and ditches.

J.T. Smith family at Frijole Ranch, circa 1914.

NPS / Smith Family Photos

The remoteness of the region was pronounced during the historic period due to the lack of an easily traveled roadway to connect widely scattered family settlements with the nearest towns. Although the railroad passed through the region, it was not until the late 1920s that the modern, surfaced Highway 62 was constructed. The highway connected the ranch families of the Guadalupe Mountains area and also increased traffic through the area, including new automobile owners drawn to nearby Carlsbad Caverns.

Meanwhile, the Smiths developed Frijole Ranch into a self-sustaining, single-family farmstead that also functioned as a hub of the surrounding community. The Frijole Post Office was established at the ranch in 1916. A mail carrier traveled south from Carlsbad, New Mexico to deliver mail three times a week, where Nella Smith operated as postmaster until 1941 when the operation moved to the nearby Glover Ranch. There was also a schoolhouse on the property, immediately adjacent to the ranch house, built in 1921.

The Smiths sold the ranch to J.C. Hunter, Jr., in 1942. Hunter and his ranching partners developed the Frijole property into part of their 72,000-acre commercial ranching operation. Several people resided at the ranch house over this period, including Noel Kincaid, the ranch foreman, and his family.

Orchard History

The Smiths planted a garden and orchard adjacent to the house, enclosed by a stacked stone cobble wall with a wooden fence along the top to protect it from their grazing livestock. They likely planted the orchard soon after arriving at the site in 1906, and it continued to evolve as they experimented with different crops. In addition to water from their irrigation system, which diverted some flow from the nearby springs into controlled channels and ditches, they also fertilized with manure from their cows.

This site plan of Frijole Ranch shows the layout of the cultural landscape in the mid 1920s during the Smith occupation period, based on information provided by Joe T. Smith and a 1940s aerial.

NPS

John Thomas and Nella M. Smith bringing in the hay (alfalfa) at Frijole Ranch, early to mid 1920s.

NPS / Smith Family Photos

Trees in the orchard included several varieties of apple, such as Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Winesap, Royal Gala, a seedless variety of some sort, crab apples, and a few others; pear, wild cherry, peaches, plums, and apricots. Smith even cultivated lemon and orange trees. Apples were canned, or the fruit was wrapped in paper, boxed, and stored in a root cellar for winter. The area under the orchard trees was planted with alfalfa, which was cut using scythes and stored in the barn to feed livestock. In addition to trying different tree varieties, there is also evidence that Smith experimented with grafting techniques.

Joe T. Smith reported that his father, John, replaced many of the orchard trees in early 1942. It is possible that pecan trees and persimmon trees were planted at this time, also.

After the Smiths sold the ranch, it changed from operating as a single-family farmstead to part of a large, commercial ranching operation. During what is called the Hunter-Grisham period (1941-1969), when the Frijole Ranch continued to serve as a single-family residence for the ranch foreman and as ranch headquarters, the orchard continued to be used. However, residents didn’t rely on the fruit in the same way, and as a result the trees were not maintained as they had been by the Smiths.

The Orchard Today

At the time of the 1994 Cultural Landscape Report (CLR), a single apple tree remained from the Smith’s orchard. The CLR recommended that the orchard be rehabilitated by reintroducing fruit trees, maintaining historic organization, and incorporating historic management techniques.

Site plan of existing conditions at the Frijole Ranch cultural landscape at the time of the 1994 Cultural Landscape Report.

NPS

Nella Smith, wife of John T. and mother of Joe T. Smith. The stone wall and orchard are visible in the background.

NPS / Smith Family Photos

In February of 2006, a century after the Smiths settled at Frijole Ranch, the orchard was partially replanted. The work was undertaken by 13 Eagle Scouts who planted apple, pear, and cherry trees, and addressed improvements to soil and irrigation. The replanting incorporated oral history, the CLR treatment plan, interviews with nurseries about historic fruit trees, and about 60 hours of time by the group. While there have been several tree replacements since then due to the impacts of wildlife, the trees continue to be an important part of understanding the ranch landscape.

A Place of Refuge

Frijole Ranch has been a place of refuge, defined by both natural and cultural features. The springs, shade trees, fruit orchard, and irrigation system are part of the historic character of the landscape, revealing how people have interacted with the landscape over time in the historic period. The trees represent an aspect of ranching and homestead history and also show how the landscape functioned for the family and the wider community. An exploration of the historic landscape comes with welcome shade and water and a chance to linger and explore outside (or inside the house), even when the area’s weather is challenging.

For these reasons, Park Superintendent Eric Leonard recognizes the importance of maintaining the orchard as part of the ranch landscape. Just as during the period of Smith’s ownership, regular care is critical to the health of the plantings. This can include shaping the trees, keeping the turf short at their base to discourage pests, and testing the soil to identify if the irrigation has caused nutrients to leach.

Challenges to caring for this orchard include the remoteness of the area and limited resources in a park known primarily for its prominent natural features. Whereas in some places a descendant community or local friends group partners with a park for orchard projects, these options are limited around the Guadalupe Mountains. Still, the Frijole Ranch orchard plays an important role in this experience of the landscape, a welcoming feature that connects its present to its past.

Smith family at a golden anniversary gathering, circa 1930s. The orchard appears in many family photographs but is never the sole focus of attention, demonstrating how integral it was to the operation of the farm.

NPS / Smith Family Photos