Overview

“It was the summer of 1977, and I was at the Texas Capitol researching voting patterns for the political campaign I was working for,” writes author Norma Schreiner as she describes her meeting with rancher Charles Schreiner III. “I decided to drop by the office of one of my favorite house members, Jim Nugent. . . . Before his staff could announce me, he was bellowing, ‘Norma, come in here. There’s someone I want you to meet.’” So began the tempestuous, yet mostly good-natured relationship between the author and the man she often called “Charlie Three,” scion of the historic Schreiner ranching family of the Texas Hill Country. Their subsequent marriage would last only two years, but that time would place her on the legendary Y.O. Ranch during the centennial of its founding in 1880. Since the 1950s, the ranch began to stock exotic animals for hunting and breeding purposes year-round, a practice that has since become vital to many Texas ranches’ economic survival. Schreiner would see Y.O. as one of the first Texas ranches to add a pair of giraffes that have decedents still on the ranch to this day. Told with candor and good humor, Schreiner’s memoir of her time on the ranch and how those experiences have continued to shape her life to the present makes for entertaining and enlightening reading. A broad audience of general readers interested in Texas ranching culture and Texana will enjoy Eight Miles from the Front Gate: My Life on the Y.O. Ranch with Charles Schreiner III.

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9781648433283

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Reviews

""To my fellow Texans around the world and especially those of us who are lucky enough to live in Texas! This book is a must read! Norma has written about a specific time in my dad's life....she'll make you feel like you were there with them from Guadalajara to Charlie III's hilltop home on the YO Ranch! Longhorns, Texas Rangers, Colt pistols, books about J. Frank Dobie, Joaquin Jackson, Frank Hamer's gun who shot Bonnie and Clyde! Get your hands on the book to read the rest of the story!""--Charles Schreiner IV--Charles Schreiner IV ""A classic Texas tale, captivating as the Lone Star state. Marrying into the legendary Schreiner ranching family, the vast Y.O. ranch at her doorstep, Norma captures a vibrant, disappearing part of our history with humor, savvy and enthusiasm. Thoroughly engaging!""--William Jack Sibley, author The Hang of It and Here We Go Loop De Loop--William Jack Sibley To read Eight Miles from the Front Gate is to step into an adventure story of the Old West. It is mix of history, the whinnying of horses, the smell of camp cooking, the observations of colorful cowboys, and a bygone Texas lifestyle. Norma Schreiner Schmelling shows us all these things and more. Coming from the (relatively) normal world of Austin, she married into a famous family with vast holdings in the Hill Country. How she adjusted to life as doyenne of this estate and the wife of its liege lord is a tale readers may not believe happened in modern times -- but it did, and Norma tells all. Her book is an enjoyment as well as an amazement.""--Chase Untermeyer, Former Texas State Legislator--Chase Untermeyer

Author Information

Norma Schreiner, a sixth-generation Texan, was the fourth wife of Charles Schreiner III. The first woman elected to the board of directors of a livestock association (South Texas Longhorn Association), she is a former lobbyist, political consultant, adjunct political science professor, and corporate executive. She lives in Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas.

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