Scott Grote’s cell phone has been buzzing a lot in recent days after his family was featured on the cover of Texas Monthly. The cover story centered on large Texas ranches, and the Grote spread is pretty big at 1,275 acres.
“Oh yeah, my phone is definitely ringing,” Scott Grote laughed. “People see the cover and then see us at the store: ‘Hey, saw you on the cover.’ It is kinda neat, actually.”
While landing on the cover hits a high water mark for the family, it is actually the family values and friendships that have mattered most to the Grote family.
“The ranch has absolutely molded who I am,” Scott Grote admitted. “It has taught me the importance of stewardship of the land and to have an appreciation for the property, as well as the values you learn — hard work and determination. Those are some of the things we depend on most in life.”
Texas Monthly Deputy Editor Katharyn Rodemann noted that big ranches and Texas are at the core of Lone Star mythology.
“Land has always had a hold on Texans — the scrubby terrain and endless horizons of our state have long informed our identity, our outlook on life, and the stories we tell,” Rodemann said. “In the past few years, Texas has experienced a boom in ranch sales, and we wanted to take a closer look at this phenomenon: where and how and why this land is selling, who are today’s ranch owners, and what notable properties are part of this boom. Our cover package aims to explore this modern land rush while also trying to capture a more timeless truth too—that Texans love, and always will love, their soil.”
Scott and Melissa Grote run the ranch today and live there with their two children, Willow and Gray.
“Our children are the fifth generation of Grote’s to live in this home,” Melissa Grote told Texas Monthly. “There are many benefits to being raised in the country; it helps kids feel connected to something that is larger than themselves.”
The Grote’s understand that there is no “better or worse” when it comes to where one lives, but the family also understands that home is where the heart is.
“We’ve always exposed our kids to the many positive things about city life, but when I ask them where they plan to live in the future, they say the ranch,” Melissa Grote said.
For the Grote family, it all starts with August Grote, who came to Blanco County at the end of the Civil War. The ranch was founded in 1870.
The ranch has raised cattle and sheep and still does to this day; however, the Grote’s of this generation have to be creative to hang onto the large spread. The Grote ranch is in the Texas Hill Country, which has a semi-aired climate. The area has frequently been described as ‘being in a perpetual state of drought, interrupted by times of Biblical flooding.” So making a living strictly from ranching is not so easily done.
“My wife and I both work other jobs so we can maintain the ranch,” Scott Grote said.
The Grote’s know it is their good fortune to continue a way of life that is eroding with the encroachment of an increasingly technological society.
“We keep hearing about the fragmentation of land and how many [ranches] are getting smaller,” Scott Grote said. “It is more and more a dying way of life. There are fewer and fewer people living on ranches and farms.”
The home place only grows more precious for the Grote family and they are thankful for their rural roots.
“This is a great place to grow up,” Scott Grote said of Blanco County. “It is wonderful place to live. I love the small town atmosphere where everybody knows everybody in the area. You have those great relationships with other families that have been built through the years. I suspect that isn’t as easy to do in a big city.”
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