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Video Details

Texas Ranch House

Grade Levels: 9 - 12
Core Subject(s): Social Studies
Website: https://www.uen.org/emedia
Usage rights: Download and retain personal copies in perpetuity.

Availability information for this program

Episodes:

  • Texas Ranch House. Episode01: A Home on the Range.

    The series opens with the vaqueros, or cowboys, arriving at their new 1867 living quarters, the bunkhouse, and meeting the ranch family (the Cookes) for the first time. As the vaqueros get acclimated to the taxing manual labor of ranch life, digging postholes and hammering fencing, they meet their foreman, Stan, nicknamed "The Colonel," and begin to understand the difficult tasks ahead of them.

    Length: 00:57:36
  • Texas Ranch House. Episode02: The Good, The Bad and The Colonel.

    The cowboys travel farther out on the range and slowly begin to gather cows, while back at the ranch, Mrs. Cooke, her three daughters and family servant Maura begin to understand the drudgery of domestic life. Rising tensions among the group at large lead to various confrontations, including the firing of foreman Stan, but relief comes with a Fourth of July celebration that brings friends and neighbors to the ranch and gives everyone a chance to blow off some steam.

    Length: 00:56:31
  • Texas Ranch House. Episode03: The Cookie Crumbles.

    The cowboys awake to discover that 10 horses were stolen from the ranch overnight. Although they manage to retrieve five, they're still short five horses -- ones that they'll need for the cattle drive. Meals become a focal point of interaction between the vaqueros and the Cookes -- first a mysterious stomach ailment brings the ranch to a grinding halt, ranch cook Nacho is fired, and finally, the food shortage reaches a critical point.

    Length: 00:56:10
  • Texas Ranch House. Episode04: The Great Divide.

    Having only claimed one quarter of the required cattle so far, the viablility of the Cooke Ranch is in question. The vaqueros' bunkhouse welcomes cowboy Shaun as the new cook, and a freighter finally arrives with food, mail and promising news for Mr. Cooke -- the U.S. Army will be buying cattle in the weeks ahead, providing him with a much-needed buyer.

    Length: 00:56:20
  • Texas Ranch House. Episode05: Showdown at the Cooke Corral.

    Mr. Cooke delivers a surprising midway assessment of the cowboys' performance, while a new cowhand arrives, throwing another personality into the mix. Mr. Cooke also sends "girl of all work" Maura off to cowboy training, but his revelation that she will be joining the upcoming cattle drive angers the vaqueros.

    Length: 00:56:58
  • Texas Ranch House. Episode06: Lord of the Plains.

    A run-in with a camp of Comanche Native Americans and the spotting of several stolen horses leads to one vaquero being held captive and negotiations between Mr. Cooke and the Comanche leader. The birth of five baby goats excites the Cooke girls, who find themselves nursing the runt rejected by its mother, while Maura and new foreman Robby come to an agreement about her role as a cowhand.

    Length: 00:56:38
  • Texas Ranch House. Episode08: The Reckoning.

    It's nearly the end of the drive and Ft. Santiago, the cowboys' destination, is in sight. After nine days on the trail the vaqueros count and deliver their herd to the army, but the buying agent's offer shocks Mr. Cooke. Overall the drive is a success, but tensions finally boil over upon the group's return to the ranch. The episode concludes with the assessment team reviewing the performance of all the participants and answering the ultimate question: would the ranch have survived another year?

    Length: 00:55:46
  • Texas Ranch House - Episode 7: Blazing Trails

    After a final round-up, 131 head are culled from the herd for the big cattle drive, the rest held back to re-stock the ranch. After spending 12 solid hours in the saddle on their first day of the drive, the cowboys' spirits flag at the prospect of eight more days on the trail. Robby and his men have a confrontation with an ornery steer that teaches them just how dangerous cowboy work can be. Back at the ranch, the Cooke women are dealing with a massive fly infestation that is driving them nearly insane.

    Length: 00:58:20

Availability:

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