About
Sacred Spur ranch was started in 1999 as a barrel horse and reigning horse training facility. We enjoyed exceptional success having won thirteen World Championships over twenty Reserve World Championships and numerous Honor Role and APHA awards.
In 2001, the Texas Young Republicans selected the Sacred Spur Ranch as the site to unveil a saddle to be presented to President George W. Bush. It was quite an honor and enabled us to become a tourist attraction, a venue for exceptional country western music and the best food in East Texas.
The Green Frog Dance Hall which was the building that housed the Saddle for President Bush was originally Hall Lumber Company in Gladewater, TX. We moved it in its entirety to the Sacred Spur Ranch to make it a Western Museum and a venue for conversation, parties and music. I would like to thank David Lloyd for locating the building and facilitating the moving and repair of the building.
The Arena is named The Buzzard Breath Arena after an interview that Howard Cosell had with Jack Lambert who then played for the Pittsburg Steelers. We like the town that Jack told Howard that he lived in, which was Buzzard Breath, Wyoming. We’re not sure if there really is a Buzzard Breath, Wyoming. The Arena has been host to several barrel races with up to three to four-hundred barrel racers and has had World Champion performers on a continuing basis.
Tivios Ballroom was originally a thirteen-stall barn that housed all of the World Champion horses that we own, and was converted into a Western Dance Hall after the death of Tivios Playboy, who was our favorite horse and a friend for twenty-seven years. He is buried in front of the Dance Hall and we will construct a monument for all of his many accomplishments. The barn now is named Tivios Ballroom in his honor. I would like to thank Jerry Armstrong for his help in converting the barn to a dancehall.
The restaurant was started in 2001, but was an open-air shack until 2002 when we constructed a very small dining room and eventually opened it in 2003. It would seat approximately twenty-five people and we were drawing huge crowds so it became imperative that we expand and we did and built a much larger dining room in 2003 and we hosted in 2004 the Original ShebWooley Memorial Film Festival in honor of a true musical and western star. Mr. Wooley was Pete Noland on Rawhide, was in over 80 major movies and wrote “The Purple People Eater” and the theme song to “Hee-Haw”. This was quite an honor for the Sacred Spur Ranch.
The Ranch, The Barn, the Restaurant and the Green Frog have been graced by some of the major country and western recording stars and western movie and TV heroes. Some of the musicians that we have had entertain our customers are Neal McCoy, Ed Bruce, Ty Herndon, Linda Davis, Kacey Musgraves, R. W. Hampton, Derryl Dodd, Paul Overstreet, Jo El Sonnier, The Drew Davis Band, Ricky Lynn Greg, Pauline Reese, James Hand, The Texas Trailhands, The Chisholm Trail Cowboys, Billy Joe Shaver, Bill Mack, Rudy Mata and the Ranch Hand Band, along with true friend and awesome entertainer, Paula Nelson. Some of the western stars who have been to the ranch are Ed Bruce – The Sheriff on Maverick, Robert Fuller – from Wagon Train, Laramie, and The Return of the Magnificent Seven, John Edwards, Will Hutchins who played in the Sugar Foot Series on TV, and James Drury who was and is the Virginian. We were honored to have a real Texas Ranger, Glen Elliot, celebrate his birthday with us and we’re honored to also have United States Congressman, Louie Gohmert on numerous occasions. There are too many others to name and if we forgot anybody we didn’t unintentionally. We thank all performers for the interest they’ve taken in the music and the atmosphere that we are trying to create.
The Ranch also houses the relocated original barn from the Gladewater Rodeo, a 26 stall, round-top barn that was moved in its entirety to a hill overlooking the dancehall and restaurant. We also have a 20-ft tall, 30-ft long original Gladewater rodeo sign that stood on HWY 80 for about 50 years. There are too many antiques, collectables and pieces of memorabilia to list. You have to come to see a truly unique western facility in East Texas.
The Ranch has been featured on the front page of The Houston Chronicle, on the front page of Texas Magazine, the front page of The Longview Journal and was picked up on AP by the New York Times and many other national newspapers. The magazines that we have been featured in include East Texas People Magazine and Charm Magazine.
The Sacred Spur Ranch is driven to provide the very best country and western music, along with food that is prepared in a way reminiscent of steakhouses in the 1800’s. We appreciate all of the support, current and continued, and will strive to expand and improve all venues at the Ranch.
Thank you for visiting our website which is www.sacredspur.net.
-The Sacred Spur Ranch Family