Pilkington Slough Ranch

The slough takes its name from Dr. Samuel Pilkington, who lived from 1806 to 1885 and married Susan Perkins in 1841. His roof served as a benchmark in an early survey, which is thought to be how the name stuck, and some modern maps call it Pelican Slough. In 1889 Jonathan Pierce had lumber from a damaged house at Palacios Point shipped by barge and hauled by oxcart to build the summer home and sheds. The ranch is private land, and this description gives no route to it.

What the plaque says

Pilkington Slough Ranch The Pilkington Slough Ranch, of the Collegeport community, has been an area landmark for more than 100 years. The original owners of the bulk of this land were Daniel, Elias and Erastus Yeamans, three brothers who fought in the Texas War for Independence; Elias and Erastus died at the Battle of Goliad. The Yeamans family held the property until 1880, when noted cattleman Abel H. "Shanghai" Pierce and his brother, Jonathan E. Pierce, purchased it. By 1889, Jonathan was sole owner of this land. He soon established his headquarters on a site overlooking the Pilkington Slough, which was named for Dr. Samuel Pilkington, an early area physician. From the Pilkington House, one could view the mouth of the slough, which forms a backwater on the eastern shore of the Tres-palacios Bay. The ranch was so named for its proximity to the Pilkington Slough. Through the years, tenants lived and worked on these lands, which are well suited for cattle ranching and rice cultivation. These tenants included members of the Ackerman, Huitt, Jackson and Slone families. The property also served as a community gathering place, occasionally hosting worship services, dances and other activities. The Matagorda Land and Cattle Company acquired the ranch in 1970; it was sold to other owners in 2001. Today, the ranch remains a crucial link to early development of southwestern Matagorda County, reflecting the agricultural economy of the area and the spirit of the pioneering men and women who settled here. (2008)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Indianola — 24 mi
  The site of Texas's second port, where Morgan's steamships, Army freight and the first refrigerated beef passed until the hurricanes of 1875 and 1886, now mostly under Matagorda Bay.
• Half Moon Reef Lighthouse and Linnville — 28 mi
  The last screw-pile lighthouse of the Texas coast, brought ashore at Port Lavaca, a town founded by refugees from Linnville, the port Buffalo Hump's Comanches burned in August 1840.

More markers nearby

• First Presbyterian Church of Collegeport — 1.5 mi
• Collegeport — 1.6 mi
• Palacios Preparatory School — 2.8 mi
• Texas Baptist Encampment Grounds — 2.9 mi