Marker Inscription
The home of a great trail driver Abel H. Pierce, born in June 29, 1834. Died December 26, 1900. From a penniless cowboy, he rose through energy and shrewdness to the rank of "cattle king."
Historical Marker
Pierce, Shanghai, Ranch
The roadside stories worth pulling over for.
About this site
Pierce, Shanghai, Ranch is a historical marker in Pierce, Wharton County, dedicated in 1936. It is one of 44 historical markers documented in Wharton County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 128 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 29.2375, -96.1854 near Pierce. The nearest cataloged historic site is Pierce, Shanghai, Ranch House (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Pierce Hotel, Site of, New Mount Olive, and Lakeview Cemetery.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5481004657. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
History
The Shanghai Pierce Ranch in Wharton County was the domain of Abel Head "Shanghai" Pierce, a Rhode Island native who came to Texas in 1853 and became one of the state's most colorful cattlemen. Pierce drove thousands of cattle to northern markets, formed the Pierce-Sullivan Pasture Company, and built the railroad depot and townsite of Pierce; convinced that Brahman cattle could resist tick fever, he set in motion their importation before his death in 1900. The ranch remains in the family, and a state monument to Pierce was erected at the ranch in 1932.
Sources: tshaonline.orgpierceranchhouse.comatlas.thc.texas.gov
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Nearby in Wharton County
Historical Marker
Pierce, Shanghai, Ranch House
Pierce · 1967
Historical Marker
Pierce Hotel, Site of
Pierce · 1984
Cemetery
New Mount Olive
Mackay
Cemetery
Crecent Mexican
Cresent
Cemetery
Lakeview Cemetery
El Campo · 2025
Cemetery
Unknown (North of Crescent School)
Wharton (v) · 2022
Historical Marker
First National Bank of El Campo
El Campo · 1991
Historical Marker
Krueger, Culp
El Campo · 1962