Ranching has always been part of my family’s story. My great-grandfather, C.C. Hurley, first registered his brand and earmarks in Wilson County in 1878.

Legend has it that a cowboy working on the Chittim Ranch once came across a note nailed to a tree that read, “Five dollars to the man who finds J.M. Chittim.” Finding humor and levity amid hardship was typical of my great-great-grandfather, James Madison Chittim Jr.—a man who truly was one of a kind.

From young Alsatian immigrant to South Texas ranching pioneer, Bluntzer’s story is a vivid thread in the tapestry of Texas history.