The George Ranch, a cornerstone of Fort Bend County, is celebrating its 200th anniversary. The now 20,000-square-foot historic ranch was first established in 1824 by Nancy and Henry Jones. They were part of Stephen F. Austin's "Old 300" – a group of settlers who established themselves on land near the Brazos River. Austin had received permission from the Spanish government to settle families in Texas and divided the land among nearly 300 grantees, including the Jones family. The Jones family turned to both farming and cattle ranching, growing produce and raising longhorns. But they also relied on slave labor to sustain their operations – a fact that the ranch readily acknowledges today. Houston Public Media's Fort Bend County Bureau reporter Natalie Weber wrote about George Ranch's 200th anniversary. Read the story at houstonpublicmedia.org. #FortBendCounty #GeorgeRanch #FortBend #Rodeo