ANNOUNCEMENT
McEntire Family, Papers, 1821-2000 and undated
Now Available
This collection of 4 boxes includes correspondence, financial materials, and scrapbook material that detail the activities of the McEntire family from the late 19th Century to the 1990s. Includes personal materials of Ruth McEntire’s great grandfather W. R. McEntire as a Civil War veteran and rancher, her grandfather George H. McEntire, Sr., her father George H. McEntire, Jr., her grandmother Elliott Taylor McEntire, and her mother Geraldine Cowden McEntire. The Civil War materials include responses from Confederate veterans detailing their military experiences. George McEntire, Sr. was an amateur writer who wrote poems, short stories, and letters between 1930-1950. Copies of his materials are included. They describe daily life on the ranch, history of the region and people, local events, family humor, and philosophy of life. Also includes the air service records of George, Jr. who was a test pilot for Lockheed. Of interest is the Koon Kreek Klub file, a fishing, hunting, and boating organization in Dallas, Texas. For more information, see the U Ranch records.
The U Ranch is located 10 miles northwest of Sterling City in Sterling County, Texas. The ranch was founded by Col. W. R. McEntire, a Civil War Confederate Veteran, when he acquired the land from M. B. Stephenson in 1880. Some of the land was passed down to W. R.’s children. George H., Sr. received title to the ranch in 1906. Each of his children George H., Jr. and Virginia inherited half of the ranch in 1962. Virginia ran the ranch the under the name VJ Ranch while George H., Jr. called his the U Ranch. Currently, the ranch is owned by Ruth McEntire Caldwell, the daughter of George H., Jr. The collection can be accessed at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library during opening hours.