The Picture Show Sat July 7, 2012 Portraits: Texas Ranchers
Remember An Epic Drought "Between 1950 and 1960," according to
NPR's John Burnett, Texas "lost nearly 100,000 farms and
ranches," and rural residents who had made up more than a third
of the population dwindled to just a quarter of the population.
They had all moved to towns and cities after an epic, seven-year
drought. For a recent story in Texas Monthly, Burnett teamed up
with photographer Michael O'Brien to gather an oral history of
that drought — asking ranchers what they remember. In Burnett's
radio story, you can listen to the voices of ranchers like Nancy
Nunns, who recalls receiving a raincoat in 1951, and outgrowing
it without ever once wearing it. And in O'Brien's photos, the
voices spring to life. "I traveled 900 miles in 4 days and
photographed 8 ranchers for the story," writes O'Brien by email.
"The farther west we traveled the harsher the land, which was
echoed in the faces of the ranchers." His photographs were
mostly made with a 4x5 v