The National Ranching Heritage Center is a museum and historical park located on the north boundary of the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock. Dedicated on July 2, 1976, the 30-acre facility was established to preserve the history of ranching, pioneer life and the development of the livestock industry in North America.

   38 authentic ranch structures have been relocated to the NRHC from some of the West's most well-known ranches and show the evolution of ranch life from the late 1700s through the early 1900s. Each building reflects the geography of its original location and the materials available for construction.

Visitors to the National Ranching Heritage Center will see historic windmills, dugouts, barns, corrals and pens, a bunkhouse, one-room school house, blacksmith shop, ranch headquarters buildings, a locomotive, stock cars, depot and examples of such unique early architecture as a cabin made of cactus stalks and mud chinking and an elegant two-story ranch home ordered from a mail-order catalog. Each building has been authentically restored, furnished or outfitted to reflect period correctness.

   Throughout the year, the National Ranching Heritage Center sponsors special events, educational programs and exhibits to promote interest in ranching history and to perpetuate early ranching lifestyles. Annual events include the Boss of the Plains Award Dinner in the spring; history- and preservation-based youth classes in the summer; National Golden Spur Award Dinner and Ranch Day in the fall; and in December Candlelight at the Ranch, a luminaria-lighted greeting card to the community. Other programs and exhibits are scheduled throughout the year.

   Some of the country's largest and most historic ranches were established in the Panhandle and Southern Plains of Texas. A visit to the National Ranching Heritage Center will be an opportunity to walk back in time and experience the real American West that was created by the people who lived that history.

   Hours of operation are Monday - Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, l to 5 p.m. The National Ranching Heritage Center is closed New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We will also be closed December 26, 2006 and New Year's Eve. There is no admission charge, and the facility is accessible to persons with special needs.

   The National Ranching Heritage Center is located east of Indiana on Fourth Street, in Lubbock, Texas. Mailing address is P.O. Box 43200, Lubbock, TX 79409-3200.