Beginning in the 16th century, when the territory of modern America began to be mastered by the Spanish and Portuguese colonialists, large batches of cows and horses began to be imported here. Extensive land plots were allotted for keeping and grazing livestock . Such estates, or rather, livestock farms, were called ranches. This word, apparently, has Spanish roots and designates not only the territory allocated for pastures, but also residential buildings for people caring for animals.
Wild West Cowboy Romance
For fans of American Westerns, a ranch is a large peasant house fenced with a wooden fence. Nearby, horses grazed peacefully run by a brave cowboy, periodically engaging in battles with bloodthirsty Indians or competing in shooting and dexterity with the owners of neighboring sites.
This view is close to the truth, but with some reservations. The cowboy was not the owner of the estate, but a hired worker whose duties were to look after cattle, search for runaway animals, drive thousands of herds of cows and bulls to railway stations.
Cowboys began to be hired by rich cattlemen after the end of the US Civil War, which put an end to slavery. Until 1865, all the hard work on the ranch was carried out by slaves, mostly Negroes, who belonged to the white slave colonial owners. And the fate of the cowboys was unenviable: for their work they received a very modest fee, which was spent on buying clothes and drinking.
Differences between a modern ranch and a traditional farm
Today, in some states of America and Mexico there are livestock farms, which, as in ancient times, are breeding cows and horses. Such ranches are equipped with all necessary equipment, nearby fields are sown with grain going to livestock feed.
However, for people of the rich and famous, life on a ranch is a way to break out of the city bustle, to feel unity with nature in comfortable conditions. Now, a ranch can mean an extensive mansion with all amenities, a golf and bowling course, a swimming pool and a helipad.
Of course, the owners of such estates do not think of any agricultural work. For them, a ranch is a suburban residence designed for entertainment and relaxation. Of the famous people, the owners of luxury apartments in nature are former US President George W. Bush, Hollywood stars Stephen Seagal and Julia Roberts, founder of CNN billionaire Ted Turner.
Alawar Ranch Invitation
“Brave Ranch” - this is the name of the interactive Farmscapes game in the Russian version, combining economic strategy, puzzle and search for items. The plot of the quest is straightforward: the player will have to dig up the land, plant plants, collect and sell crops, improve buildings on the plot.
True, to learn what a ranch is, with the help of this game it will not work. Here you do not have to look after cattle or drive horses. A carefully traced ranch is more likely a familiar summer house with a garden and garden beds. Why the developers gave the game such a name remains a mystery. Probably just liked the beautiful and unusually sounding term.