Southfork Ranch
{{Short description|Conference and event center in Parker, Texas, USA}}
{{update|date=June 2012}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
Southfork Ranch is a conference and event center in Parker, in the US state of Texas, {{convert|25|mi|km|abbr=on}} north of Dallas. It includes the Ewing Mansion, the setting for the television series Dallas. A variety of tours are offered to the location.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-26 |title=What to know if you visit the Southfork Ranch |url=https://www.checkoutdfw.com/cities/what-to-know-if-you-visit-the-southfork-ranch/article_7b19426e-0cec-11ed-90fc-27e7e568c046.html |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=Check Out DFW |language=en}}
History
The house was built in 1970 by Joe Duncan and was known as Duncan Acres, named after his family.{{clarify | reason = So when and how did it come to be called 'Southfork'? In particular, was that originally a fictional name created by the series writers?|date=August 2013}} The property was originally {{convert|200|acre|km2}} in size. The "mansion" at Southfork Ranch is a {{convert|5900|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} house with a {{convert|957|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} enclosed garage that was turned into a den/card room.
The ranch appears in the television series Dallas. Exterior shots were filmed on location from 1978 until 1989, though Lorimar Productions also made a studio mock-up of the ranch's exterior (complete with swimming pool) in California in 1978 for use when the weather made it impractical to film on location in Texas. From 1989 the series' production shifted entirely to the California studio set. The reunion movies J.R. Returns (1996) and War of the Ewings (1998) returned to the ranch, as did the non-fiction special The Return to Southfork (2004). War of the Ewings, in 1998, was the only time filming was done inside the real ranch for dramatic purposes. Southfork was again used for the new Dallas series from 2012-2014. Some scenes in the prequel, Dallas: The Early Years, were filmed there in November 1985.
In 1993–94 the ranch was featured in the Little Texas music video "God Blessed Texas".
The ranch is now an event and conference center, owned by Centurion American. It was home to the KLTY-FM radio Christian concert Celebrate Freedom, held annually during the Independence Day celebration, and hosted the 4 July 2009 "America's Tea Party", which an organizer said drew an estimated crowd of 25,000–35,000.[http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/070509teaupdate.f126890.html "More than 25,000 attend Southfork Ranch tea party, organizer says," Dallas Morning News, July 5, 2009.]
In December 2012 a memorial service was held at the Southfork Ranch after the death of actor Larry Hagman, who starred as J.R. Ewing in the series. A memorial book for fans to sign was set up in the "J.R. Ewing room".[http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/celebrity-news/headlines/20121201-southfork-memorial-for-larry-hagman-a-dallas-family-affair.ece Dallas Morning News - Nov. 30 2012 - Staff Writer ALAN PEPPARD: "Southfork memorial for Larry Hagman a ‘Dallas’ family affair"] DallasNews.com - 11:15 PM 01 December 2012
Image:SF27.JPG|Southfork Ranch Main Gate
Image:SF23.JPG|Rear view of mansion
Image:SF12.JPG|Swimming pool at Southfork
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [http://www.southforkranch.com/ Southfork Ranch -- Official Site]
- [https://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&hl=en&ll=33.050319,-96.609027&spn=0.004065,0.007317&t=k Aerial view]
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{{Dallas (TV series)}}
Category:Dallas (TV franchise)
Category:Mass media museums in the United States
Category:Historic house museums in Texas
Category:Museums in Collin County, Texas