Stories of Indian attacks, cattle drives and the women left behind to tend the ranch have been recreated in movies and other works of fiction. The prototype for those stories could have been created by the family who lived in the stone house on the JOLY Ranch in Palo Pinto County, Texas.

George Jowell, according to a history of north and west Texas published in 1906, was “a Texan of the purest water.” His father, James Jowell, served with Capt. Jack Hays’ Texas Rangers during the Mexican War. George served with the 14th Texas Cavalry during the Civil War. The young man came to the Republic of Texas at age 4 and was 15 when his family moved to Palo Pinto County in 1855. Spanish for “painted wood,” Palo Pinto was a reference to the abundant red juniper that grew in the area. His problem with Indian attacks was a continuous affair from the time of his arrival until Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie and the U.S. Army pacified the Comanches and Kiowas in 1874.

Jowell often joined with townsfolk of the town of Palo Pinto in a stockade across the street from the courthouse, for protection when attacks were foretold. In 1870, he married Leanna T. Dobbs and moved 15 miles out of town. He pursued his ranching career and knew the situation his family might have to face when he took his herds to market.

The lifestyle and all it entailed is reflected in the story of George Radcliffe Jowell. The Jowell name was prominent in Texas history Cynthia Ann Jowell (sister of George) was the wife of Texas cattle baron C.C. Slaughter, whose Long S cattle roamed a million acres; a Jowell introduced rodeo to Europe and South America; a Jowell was wagon boss for Charles A. Goodnight; and others served in various county and city capacities.

The story is told that one night in 1872, while George was away on a drive, the horses began neighing and the cattle moved about restlessly. Leanna Jowell remembered her father, who had been killed and scalped earlier in the year, so the encounter with Indians was still fresh in her memory. Feeling uneasy, she stepped outside the cabin to check on the animals. Suddenly, a rock fell abruptly at her feet, and she shouted for the hired man to saddle their horses. She grabbed her baby, and the three of them rode hard to a neighbor’s house, the Henry Beldings. When she returned, she found her home burned to the ground.

When Jowell saw what had happened to his cabin and family, he was determined to build a home that would withstand further Indian intrusion. While he and his family lived with neighbors, Jowell planned his next home. Legal records show that George R. Jowell bought a 494-acre tract of land on Sept. 16, 1874, on which to build his home. He purchased it for $1,000 from J.J. Metcalfe, Palo Pinto County’s first judge.

Jowell hired a stonemason to construct a two-story rock house on the Bluff Creek property. When completed, the two-room house had rifle slits above the main door to protect a horse corral in front of the house. These openings were cut on an angle so an arrow could not enter. A trap door was cut in the first floor ceiling and a ladder was kept nearby so the family could climb to the top floor, pull up the ladder and be safe. A wooden outer staircase was added after the threat of Indian attacks had passed.