Spring Branch, Comal County
WWI veteran L.A. Nordan (1896-1969) was a successful oil and gas producer in south Texas. In 1949, he and his wife, Pearl (Neugent) Nordan (1896-1994), established the 711 Ranch in Comal County along the Guadalupe River, 18 miles northwest of New Braunfels. The ranch was named after Nordan's downtown San Antonio business address. He was appointed to the Texas State Parks Board in 1951. The Nordans contributed generously to education, the arts, their church, and medical research. Starting in the 1850s, this area was part of the Fischer Store, Rebecca Creek and Cranes Mill settlements. In eight transactions between 1949 and 1966, the Nordans purchased 51 parcels of property rooted in 35 individual land grants awarded between 1837 and 1888 to Republic of Texas patriots, railroads, Mexican Texans, and German and Swiss immigrants. The ranch extended from North Cranes Mill Road west to Devils Hollow and one mile south of the river over 7.5 miles northward. The Nordans created a world-class ranching operation, producing prize-winning Santa Gertrudis cattle and Columbia sheep. They focused on conservation, wildlife preservation and education. They valued their many talented, long-term employees. The ranch owners took care to preserve Ninteenth-century structures and cemeteries located on the sprawling property. From 1961 to 1963, almost 2,000 acres were acquired by the U.S. government for the Canyon Lake Reservoir. In 1999, some 7,180 acres of ranch land was sold and soon became the Mystic Shores subdivision. The contributions of L.A. and Pearl Nordan significantly added to the rich heritage of the area. (2019)