It was from the clawing scrub brush of the Llanos Mesteños, "the Wild Horse Plains", of South Texas that cattle ranching arose to lay its brand on North America and the world.

Here — only from here, was the American cowboy able to mature to legendary prominence. It was the sharing of time-tested savvy by South Texas vaqueros that pushed boots, beef and saddles the cowboy's way for world consumption.

Like a lasso spun at the heel of the Lone Star State, the Llanos Mesteños South Texas Heritage Trail loops together all the elements of this overlooked region — giving history buffs matchless travel experiences.

The roundabout 300-mile Trail covers tracks laid decades before the American Revolution as odds-defying Spanish and Mexican pioneers bravely claimed ranching lands beyond the edge of a thinly populated frontier.

Trail miles roll with stories. Old-time ranching heritage forms the bedrock of nearly every community along the route. Drivers cover in minutes the same roads that cattle drovers and lumbering freight carts blazed a century or two ago.

The Llanos Mesteños South Texas Heritage Trail is being sponsered by the Rio Bravo Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D) a non-profit support arm of the U.S.D.A. Natural Resource Conservation Service. Servicing 12 South Texas counties, the RC&D goals include helping guide the diversification of the region's traditional rural-based economies. Developing South Texas tourism potential is prioritized to increase appreciation among locals and outsiders for the region's abundant historical and natural assets. Rio Bravo Resource Conservation & Development Council P.O. Box 1006 • Zapata, TX 78076 • (956) 765-6911