PBS Travels Back to 1867 with Texas Ranch House

Written by Staff

110 degrees. 200 cows. 47,000 acres. And 15 people. Can they make it? 

Welcome to Texas, 1867, where modern-day time-travelers find themselves struggling to get a real-life ranch up and running. Viewers will watch the drama unfold in Texas Ranch House, an eight-part series narrated by native Texan and actor Randy Quaid. The series premiers on four consecutive nights, Monday, May 1 - Thursday May 4, 2006, from 8-10 p.m. (ET) on PBS. 

Transplanted into the actual living and working conditions of the era, outfitted with period tools, technology, and clothing, a brave family and a diverse group of cowboys-at-heart discover how the myth of the American West meshes with reality — and what the saddle-sore, rope-burned, and sun-blistered ranch life was really like. Amid a roasting Texas summer, the group experiences the life of the American cowboy — building corrals, herding cattle, and passing nights under the stars — while tending to their livestock and their daily needs. 

As it follows the day-to-day life of the time-travelers, Texas Ranch House also illuminates the fascinating story of merging cultures and changing social dynamics in post-Civil War Texas and explores the country's diverse ancestry.

"Texas Ranch House may be the most challenging hands-on history series we've done," said Thirteen's executive producer Jody Sheff. "The ranchers and cowboys are constantly working with temperamental horses, riding a harsh terrain riddled with ravines and rattlesnakes, not to mention the 100-plus degree heat. The physical demands on our participants and the distances they must cover make this House experience unique."

At the center of the new Texas Ranch House community is the Cooke family of five from California and their 25-year-old appointed servant Maura, a well-read and widely-traveled Washington, D.C., native. The other valiant vaqueros, or cowboys, of Texas Ranch House include Ignacio ("Nacho"), 52, a native Puerto Rican now living in New York; Robby, 35, a USDA cattle inspector; Stan, 56, a retired colonel living in New Mexico; and 22-year-old Ian from Arizona.

At 20 years old, Vermont native Shaun is the youngest of the male ranchers. Johnny, 22, is the spirited Englishman of the bunch, while Jared, 30, from Texas; Anders, 25, originally from Sweden and now living in Missouri; and Rob, a 31-year-old physical education teacher and coach from Colorado round out the ranching crew.   

"Taking people out of their comfortable surroundings and placing them in an unfamiliar and taxing environment is at the heart of this series. How will folks living today deal with the hardships of life in the old west?" said series producer Luis Barreto. "It's fascinating to witness different strengths emerge from different people, as well as the cooperation in work, play, and creative strategies for just plain coping. Unlike other unscripted shows out there today, we're not looking to humiliate or embarrass anyone. It's all about the experience and how one deals with the situation at hand."

The group's adventures in roughin' it are expanded for viewers by the series' companion Web site which is scheduled to launch in spring 2006. Essays by scholars and series consultants provide historical context, and loggers-on will gain further insight into the challenges of 19th-century ranch life and get unique perspectives of the experience through excerpts from video diaries. Interviews with producers, behind-the-scenes photos, lesson plans, and other teacher resources are also lassoed into the online component of Texas Ranch House.

Funding for Texas Ranch House is provided by public television viewers and PBS and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

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