86R20541 GM-D

By: Springer H.R. No. 959

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, The Bradley 3 Ranch celebrated 60 years of operation in the registered cattle business in 2018, and this occasion provides a welcome opportunity to honor its heritage and achievements; and

WHEREAS, The origins of the Bradley 3 Ranch date back to the 1870s, when Rufus Jack Bradley worked as a wagon boss in the northwest Panhandle; after diligently saving his wages during 1874 and 1875, he headed south and purchased a few acres between the Wichita River and Beaver Creek in Wichita County; his ranch initially raised Longhorns and then commercial Herefords; and

WHEREAS, In the early 1950s, Billy Jack Bradley, Rufus's grandson, met his future wife, Minnie Lou Ottinger, who suggested that the Bradley ranch should try crossing Angus bulls with Hereford cows, a radical notion at the time; the Bradleys expanded their new black baldie herd to a second ranch in Dickens County, and after Bill returned from his service in the armed forces, he purchased a third ranch in Childress County; when he and Minnie Lou married, the Bradley 3 Ranch was born, with the name representing the third ranch and the fact that Bill and Minnie Lou were the third generation of the family to ranch in North Texas; and

WHEREAS, The business transitioned to raising purebred Angus cattle in the late 1950s, and over the years, operations have evolved to meet changing consumer demand; the Bradleys built a beef processing facility in 1986, producing their own branded beef products for many years before selling the facility in 2002; today, the ranch continues to be operated by Minnie Lou Bradley along with her daughter, Mary Lou Bradley-Henderson, and Mary Lou's husband, James Henderson; each has become a respected figure in the cattle industry, and Minnie Lou has been inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and has received other notable accolades for her pioneering achievements; and

WHEREAS, For six decades, the Bradley 3 Ranch has distinguished itself as a premier cattle-raising operation, and in so doing, it has furthered the rich ranching tradition of the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas Legislature hereby recognize the Bradley 3 Ranch on 60 years in the registered cattle business and extend to all those associated with the enterprise sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the Bradley family as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.