Our story
Six Generations in Parker County
Coalson Acres lies in the rolling hills of northwestern Parker County, about three miles north of Garner on FM 113. The ranch has been home to six generations of the Coalson family, and its story reaches back to 1885.
This page retells that story. It is based on a feature about the family published in Parker County Today, and the original article is available at the bottom of the page.
1885: Starting Over in Texas
The family’s Texas story begins with Vines “Lindsey” Coalson. After the Civil War cost him his home and his living in Mississippi, he left Jackson and took the train to Fort Worth.
From there he went on to Weatherford on foot, a walk of about ten hours, and bought a tract of land known as the Old Horton Place. Large oak trees grew across the property in the sandy loam soil of the Western Cross Timbers.
Children of Vines Lindsey Coalson and Mary Alford Coalson: John Alford “Teen” Coalson, Ala Mae Coalson Morris, Vines Allen Coalson, Toliver Farrell Coalson and Troy Coalson Morris.
Tommie Sawyer Coalson and Mac A. Coalson at Millsap High School, 1958.
Mac and Tommie
Mac Coalson, a grandson of Vines Coalson, and his wife, Tommie, are the patriarch and matriarch of Coalson Acres today. They work the ranch together with their sons, McAllen and Greg.
From 181 Acres to a Family Ranch
The farm that Mac’s grandfather bought covered 181 acres. Through careful purchases over the years, the family has grown it into a ranch of about 1,555 acres in the Bethesda community, roughly 12 miles northwest of Weatherford.
Coalson Cattle Company in Garner, Texas, early 1900s: J.A. “Teen” Coalson, T. Farrell Coalson and Tom Massey, friend and helper.
Mac Coalson, Jonnie Coalson Crum, Margie Coalson Grissom, Alleen Coalson Stringer, Gladys Burgin Coalson and J.A. “Teen” Coalson.
Every Acre Was Bought
None of the ranch came by inheritance. Mac’s father bought the land from Mac’s grandfather, and after his father passed away, Mac, who has three sisters, bought it from his mother.
He began buying land in the 1960s and kept adding to the ranch as the years went by.
The Ranch Today
The Coalsons run cattle and raise cutting horses. Greg Coalson trains, shows and manages the horses, and his son Ian looks after the horses that are not in training, including the breeding program.
McAllen Coalson oversees the deer hunting and breeding operation at Bear Creek Ranch, where his son Raleigh also works. Mac and McAllen are also longtime farm and ranch real estate brokers, and nearly all of their real estate work involves ranches and ranch land.
What Has Changed in Ranching
Asked what has changed the most, Mac points to the cost of land. Near the Metroplex, cattle and horses can no longer pay for the land they graze, although the land itself can grow into a valuable asset over time.
McAllen adds that rising costs and the difficulty of finding good help make it hard for newcomers to get started. Their advice to young ranchers is to be ready for early mornings and late nights, and to be sure of how much they want it.
Working Side by Side
Mac describes working alongside his family as one of the greatest blessings of his life.
When the article was published in 2023, McAllen and his wife, Karla, had three children and two grandchildren, and Greg and his wife, Shelly, had two children and one grandchild.
McAllen Coalson, Tommie Coalson, Mac Coalson and Greg Coalson.
Read the Original Article
This story is based on “Our Legacy: The Coalsons of Parker County,” published in Parker County Today, August/September 2023.