After the Louisiana Purchase in 1804, Americans believed that the land they earned mostly consisted of barren desert. To their surprise, the mountainous West provides nutritious grasses, perfect for raising livestock. The Federal Government incentivized Westward Expansion with the Homestead Act of 1862. Americans began moving West to start homesteading with cattle ranches. In 1880, a wealthy investor named William Harris, founded the TA Ranch as an alternative source of profit. He hired a ranch manager, Charles Ford, to live at the ranch and raise the cows while Harris enjoyed the profit.

Ford and his family built all the original edifices on the Ranch, including the Ranch House, Cook House, and the Barn. The homestead surpassed all surrounding settlements in quality when he constructed it. Most ranchers built smaller log cabins to be frugal with their resources. The buildings still stand in great condition as a display of Ford’s architectural skill. The Ranch House witnessed dark days during the Johnson County Cattle War, which scattered bullet holes along its Eastern wall. During the battle, Fords wife and child, Charles Ford Jr., hid under the kitchen table from flying ammunition. Billy Irvine fought on the Invaders side of the War alongside Ford and hid in what is now the Dela Gammon Room. A defender of the county not only knocked Irvine’s socks off with his military skill, but he also blew Irvine’s toes off with a rifle.

After the War concluded, the community of Johnson County no longer welcomed Harris and the Fords. Their neighbors viewed them as treasonous for hiring participating on the Invaders’ side of the War. Harris traded the ranch to the Gammon family and fled the county along with the Fords. The J.P and Della Gammon continued homesteading while raising Percheron draft horses. Della Gammon loved displaying her elite class by driving her Model T Ford automobile into town, rather than a horse drawn carriage.