The 7-R Ranch encompasses the lost town of Coalville where you can still smell the campfires of long-gone cowboys and adventurers who forged this continent. Come hear about the legend of the lost gold and look for yourself. It all began when the Texas and Pacific Railroad and the coal and oil booms brought this area to life at the turn of the century. Visit and relax in the many small, quaint towns that dot the landscape. Gordon, Thurber, Ranger, Strawn, Santo, Granbury, Stephenville, Weatherford, and Mineral Wells each provide a unique perspective on the history of the area. All are proud of their "Wild West" lore, and you can still hear the shootouts of yesteryear if you listen carefully.

The 7-R Ranch is closest to Gordon, Texas named for H.L. Gordon, an engineer for the Texas and Pacific Railway during its construction in 1880. The town gained importance when the railroad bypassed nearby Hampton and when Thurber declined years later. The notorious train robber Rube Barrow hit his second train at Gordon in January 1887, successfully taking $4,200 from the express car, a huge sum for the times.

The well-known book, "Fire in a Hole" by Weldon B. Hardman, describes it best:

"When the first surveyors passed through southern Palo Pinto County they discovered out-croppings of coal in many places, the most noticeable being on the west side of Clayton Mountain. To the early settlers the coal was of little value, but when the route of the railroad became known it quickly sprang into the spotlight. The first coal mined at Coalville No.1 was hauled out of the mine in wheelbarrows and dumped into a bin. Then it was hauled on ox-drawn wagons to Gordon where it was piled up on the railroad right-of-way to await the coming of the rails."

If you listen carefully, you can still hear the clank of the oxen shoes on the hard road.