Monk and Nana Travel Blog: LBJ Ranch

We arrived at Ingram Texas last Saturday, February 1st. This week, we visited the LBJ Ranch near Stonewall Texas, home of the 36th President, Lyndon Johnson. It has a State Park area and his home is a National Park across the Pedernales River. We learned about the many things he did for Civil Rights and helping the common people of the US. He promoted education as you will see in the schoolhouse photos. He inherited the Vietnam War and that was his downfall. He was Vice President and became President when Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, serving the remainder of that term. He was elected for another term, 1965-1969 but declined a second term. He had two heart attacks in office. He did not survive the third heart attack in 1973, he died at his home. Lady Bird lived until 2007. Both are buried in the family cemetary at the ranch. The first photos are from the State Park Visitor Center. Photos following those are from the Ranch.

https://www.nps.gov/lyjo/index.htm

This is the original entrance to the ranch. The driveway crossed next to a small dam in the river. The small building was for the Secret Service.

We saw a movie with Johnson driving his car across this driveway.
The gate is to the left of this photo.

This is the schoolhouse he attended as a boy.

The family cemetery is located under several old large live oak trees.

The house was reconstructed due to decay.

Another NBC video had Johnson pumping water from the well.

We took a driving tour of the ranch. There Is a 6800 foot landing strip that he used when traveling to and from the ranch when he was President.

A large wind vane that could be seen from approaching aircraft.

This is still a working ranch with cattle roaming the fields around the air strip.

At the end of the driving tour, the house and several buildings contain displays.

One of the smaller jets he used to travel to and from Washington.

Crossing that driveway by the dam.

Here is the Ford Phaeton in the photo above. There are several of his cars in the garage.

His amphicar. He liked to drive it around and suddenly drive into water
in front of bystanders.

The house is closed, waiting to be reworked to stabilize it after
years of tourists going through it.

This live oak is 300 years old. It was called the Cabinet Tree. Johnson held meetings under the tree with cabinet members and his many guests.

He made cement casts and had visitors sign them. There are several astronauts.
Here is John Glenn, Wally Schirra and Virgil Grissom signatures.

Johnson was at the ranch much more than he was in Washington. The Secret Service had many problems providing protection on the big open ranch. Highway 1 was just across the river from the house. This was their headquarters behind the house. I recognize those Motorola folded coaxial antennas.