About Us

Here is how it all began...

Blake Jones and Ribbon Jones who are the grandchildren of Lannie Mecom. The Mecom Ranches and their "Bar Nothing brand" is familiar to ranchers nationwide but mostly in South Texas. But few know the rich history behind the ranches' brand, so let me tell you the story.

The story of the "Bar Nothing brand" begins with Blake's and Ribbon’s great great grandfather, Harvey Mecom, born in Caldwell, Texas, the son of a rancher, farmer, and saloon owner who met and married Louise Elam, a descendant of the first settlers who came to the west along the Medina River called Elam Creek. Harvey and Louise Mecom raised a son, John W. Mecom Sr., John Mecom Senior is Blake's and Ribbon’s great grandfather. Harvey and Louise acquired property, and began business enterprises which included ranching, farming, and heavy construction. The Mecoms owned hundreds of head of livestock which carried the brand including horses, cattle, and working mules. The use of the brand extended from Texas to New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, South Dakota, and Louisiana. A major boost to their prosperity was obtaining the contract to build the first crushed shell roads to the Spindletop oilfield, a job accomplished by more than a hundred mules. In the early 1950s, Harvey Mecom began crossbreeding his Brahman cattle and came up with a 3/8ths - 5/8ths Brahman and Angus cross. The first calf crop produced champion bulls at the Texas stock shows.

The Mecoms' farming and ranching interests extended to the far South Texas border, ending at the Rio Grande. Los Corralitos, is a ranch located in Zapata County south of Laredo. Los Corralitos is the site of a fortified building that evidence suggests may be the earliest ranch with standing structures in the state of Texas. Los Corralitos is a testament to the grit of the early Spanish land grant holders who pioneered the Southwest cattle industry. It may be the "original" Texas ranch.

The ranch was acquired by Harvey Mecom in the early 1900s after leasing it for a number of years. In selling the ranch for the first time since the original Jose Vasquez Borrego Spanish Land Grant, the Vidaurri family requested that the fortified ranch building not be disturbed because beneath its dirt floor was a family cemetery. Moreover, references exist to buried family treasures including a large old Spanish cross adorned with garnets at Los Corralitos. Secured by the hand-shake of Harvey Mecom, the promise to respect this request still holds good to this day. A replica of Los Corralitos has been constructed at the National Ranching Heritage Center belonging to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas as the representative of the early Spanish era. The sunset on the Rio Grande framed by the massive white Spanish Colonial pillars holding the Bar Nothing brand in their arch is a memorable landmark and belongs to South Texas history.

Towards the end of their lives, the Mecoms imported hundreds of Galiceno ponies (a breed developed in the Spanish province Galicia) from the Yucatan in Mexico. The breed of horses was known for its agility, stamina, and compact size. Mrs. Harvey Mecom introduced teams of these ponies to compete in the chuck wagon races at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo in the first years when that event was moved to the Houston Astrodome. These horses also carried the brand.

Moving into the next generation, John Mecom Sr. became one of the renowned Texas and Louisiana "wildcatters." In addition to oil and gas, he remained involved with ranching and the breeding of cattle and horses. This interest developed into his ownership and leasing of hundreds of thousands of acres in Texas, Louisiana, and Colorado. Carrying on the pioneer spirit of his parents, he realized no limits to his vastly diversified business empire, and the Bar Nothing Brand was woven into every aspect of his life.

Today, Lannie Mecom's grandchildren, Blake and Ribbon, have accepted the responsibility for honoring and carrying on the spirit of their grandmother. Both take a lot of pride in continuing the tradition of the Bar Nothing brand. Both siblings are not just in the present era of the family ranching, farming, and hunting businesses, but are also studying at TCU together. Blake is getting a business degree and Ribbon is majoring in ranch management. Blake is with the help of his sister Ribbon taking on their own enterprise of making cool logos for caps with that "Bar Nothing brand".