Sold in 2024 · Approximately 3,853 acres · Irion County, Texas
Schlinke Dry Creek Ranch represents a West Texas ranching legacy shaped by generations of ownership and sustained investment in the land. Its history includes a registered Hereford cattle operation and stewardship work recognized by both Texas ranching organizations and the Environmental Stewardship Award Program.
A Family Ranching Legacy
The Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association traces the Schlinke family’s connection to this land to 1902. Carl and Pat Schlinke carried that legacy forward with an emphasis on grass establishment, water development, and careful range management. Their efforts received the association’s Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award in 2021. Read the TSCRA recognition.
The Environmental Stewardship Award Program describes Carl’s return to the family ranch after a 26-year career in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps. Carl and Pat established a registered Hereford herd while continuing the ranch’s conservation practices and improvements. Read the Schlinke family’s award profile.
Awards and Recognition
- 2021 Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award — Presented to Dry Creek Ranch and Carl and Pat Schlinke through a joint effort of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Section Society for Range Management, and Texas Grazing Land Coalition. Award announcement.
- 2021 Environmental Stewardship Award Program Region IV Winner — The Schlinke family’s Dry Creek Ranch was one of seven regional winners for the 2021 award year, recognized at the cattle industry convention in Houston in February 2022. Official winner profile · Texas Beef Council coverage.
Stewardship in Practice
A historical profile published by Corteva documents how the Schlinkes approached the ranch’s water and grazing challenges:
- Water development: A reservoir, six storage tanks, approximately eight miles of pipeline, and nineteen troughs helped capture, store, and distribute water.
- Pasture improvement: The profile reports brush management on approximately 3,000 acres and aeration and seeding on approximately 2,000 acres, followed by prescribed fire and targeted brush control.
- Grazing management: Approximately ten miles of fencing divided the ranch into seven pastures for rotational grazing.
These figures describe the Schlinkes’ documented historical management program. Read Corteva’s stewardship profile.
Landscape and Ranch Map
The supplied ranch photography shows open pasture, rolling terrain, and a wooded creek corridor. The Chas. S. Middleton and Son ranch map identifies approximately 3,853 acres in Irion County, with marked wells, drinking troughs, and water-storage features.
Ranch Photographs
Wooded creek corridor and surrounding pasture.
Open ranch country with rolling hills and a windmill.
Download the Dry Creek Ranch map PDF
2024 Ranch Transaction
Charlie Middleton’s sales record includes the approximately 3,853-acre Schlinke Dry Creek Ranch transaction in 2024. This page commemorates a completed sale and the ranch’s documented history; the property is not being offered for sale here.
View Charlie Middleton’s profile or contact Charlie to discuss other ranch properties.
Sources and Credits
Historical and award information is summarized in original wording from the linked TSCRA, Environmental Stewardship Award Program, Texas Beef Council, and Corteva sources. Awards recognize Carl and Pat Schlinke’s stewardship. Ranch photographs and the map were supplied by Chas. S. Middleton and Son. Transaction year and acreage are drawn from Charlie Middleton’s sales record and the supplied ranch map.