Every summer, since 1951, Prude Ranch has hosted untold numbers of boys and girls, from ages six to sixteen. Here, the kids, in the care of the Prude wranglers, learn about horses, cows, goats, ropes, branding, rodeoing, teamwork, accountability, and have fun doing it all!
The original Prude Ranch was a true working ranch. Established in 1897, Andrew and Ora Prude staked a claim in the tall grassy mountains of Jeff Davis County, where cattlemen found a year-round grazing opportunity in what is most usually described as “some of the best weather in Texas.”
Left Betty Prude (seated), Bruce Davis (from right), Evin Prude, Kelly Boultinghouse, and Andi Wylie. Right The dining hall at Prude Ranch
By the 1920’s, attracting tourists was a focal point among land holders. The push to create a scenic highway through the Davis Mountains with the support of summer resident and state senator, William Love (namesake of Love Field in Dallas), the wheels began to turn.
The Prude family was keen to that idea, and built accommodations for guests, where “being” a cowboy for a day or two was a novelty and the operation of a guest ranch was somewhat successful. In 1951, John G. Prude, his son, John Robert Prude and wife Betty Ann, embarked on a new vision for the ranch, and Prude Ranch Summer Camp was launched.
Betty Ann Prude, widow of John Robert, explains the motivation, “We were teachers. Everything we did was designed to give our kids, our campers, an experience they could take back home. What makes our place so special to our campers and guests is we are a place of love! Now we are hosting the grandchildren.”
Campers learn the basics of horsemanship and care
Many of the campers who attend are third generation. Three generations have saddled up, run the barrels, competed against each other, fed the goats, branded (paint, not hot iron) calves, shot .22’s, shot bows and arrows, and enjoyed lots of outdoor togetherness.
Prude Ranch summer camp runs from mid-June to the end of July, or early August if there is demand. The slots fill quickly and with the exception of the Covid Pandemic, there’s never been a summer when campers weren’t riding horses into town and gathering on flatbeds used as floats in the town’s “Coolest 4th of July” parade to shout cheers and throw candy to the throngs of onlookers.
With the passing of John Robert, Betty Ann’s retirement, and two of the sons living and working away from the ranch, granddaughter Kelly and her mother, retired teacher Evan Prude, have taken over the reins of the camp. Evan emphasized the life changing influence it had on so many of the campers who have passed through the corrals and bunkhouses. She shares, “It’s really the experience of belonging and just being out here. We see the pressure of city living literally lift off their shoulders when they arrive. I cannot tell you how many times a young camper will come up and tell us how great it felt just to be themselves!”
