Rancho Estelle
a.k.a. Sublett Farm;Stone Residence;Dorgan Residence
On the Rio Grande River, Big Bend National Park, TXJames Sublett was one of the first settlers in the Big Bend area to actively farm the Rio Grande floodplain on a large scale. In partnership with Clyde Buttrill, he farmed the area and operated the store at what came to be known as Castalon or La Harmonia Farm, several miles downstream.
When the Buttrill-Sublett partnership broke up, Sublett purchased 4 sections of land at the present location and under the name of Grand Canyon Farms, Sublett and his associates operated what came to be known as Rancho Estelle.
Rancho Estelle derives its primary significance from its importance in depicting the floodplain farming activity along the Rio Grande and is a good and representative example of such. Additionally, the Dorgan House has outstanding architectural merit among the remaining structures of its time, type, and place.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.