La Morita Ranch

La Morita means the little mulberry tree, and Faver chose this spring for his sheep and goats. On September 9, 1889 he conveyed an interest in 5,000 sheep and 1,600 goats to George Dawson, the husband of his wife's niece. The ranch buildings disintegrated over time, but the spring-fed orchard became a favorite outing for the people of Shafter. Hart Greenwood Jr. bought the land in 1966. It lies on a private ranch, and no public route reaches the site.

What the plaque says

La Morita Ranch Established in the 19th century, La Morita Ranch was the third ranch established in Presidio County by Milton Faver. A native of the midwestern United States, Faver had moved to Presidio del Norte in the 1850s, where he operated a mercantile store and a freighting business on the Chihuahua Trail. He moved his family to Presidio County by 1857, bought land and established his headquarters ranch on Cibolo Creek. By the 1870s Faver's ranching operations extended over thousands of acres. He recorded title to land along Las Moras Creek in October 1880 (probably well after his occupation of the site) and it became the headquarters for his large sheep and goat raising operations. Abundant springs at La Morita provided a steady source of water, and Faver had a system of pools and ditches constructed to divert the water for his ranching needs. Also built at La Morita were stone fences, corrals, and pens, as well as dwellings using traditional adobe building methods. In September 1889 Faver turned over operation of La Morita to George Dawson, the husband of his wife's niece, Juliana. Three months later, just days before his death, Faver deeded the property to Juliana Dawson. It remained in the Dawson family until 1966. (1995)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Fort Leaton State Historic Site — 17 mi
  The adobe trading post on the Rio Grande below Presidio, where digging has rewritten the stories told about it and a self-guided walk leads through its rebuilt rooms.

More markers nearby

• El Fortin de la Cienega — 3.0 mi
• Brooks Cemetery — 3.7 mi
• Here Milton Faver — 3.9 mi
• Milton Faver Ranches — 7.0 mi