April marks the 40th anniversary of “Dallas.” To celebrate the iconic TV series, we're taking you on a tour of Southfork Ranch.
On April 2, 1978, J.R. Ewing and his family showed millions of Americans that yes, everything is bigger in Texas. The family’s fictional mansion, Southfork Ranch, played home to the sagas of the Ewing family for 13 years, from 1978 to 1991. For part of the first season of Dallas, the real-life setting for Southfork was actually the Cloyce Box Ranch in Frisco, Texas, just north of the city. However, production eventually moved to the sprawling North Texas property viewers came to know and love, which was a ranch originally known as Duncan Acres. It quickly became Southfork Ranch and remained so for the duration of the series, several reunion shows, and the 2012 television reboot. It has been open to the public as a tourist destination and event venue since 1985.
The city of Dallas celebrated the 40th anniversary of the iconic show at Southfork on March 30 with cast members Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), and Steve Kanaly (Ray Krebbs). An estimated 1,200 fans enjoyed tours of Southfork Ranch and an exhibit featuring memorabilia like the gun that shot J.R., Lucy’s wedding dress, the Dallas family tree, and Jock’s Lincoln Continental.
If you can’t make it to Southfork for a trip down memory lane (there are daily tours), just turn up the theme song and picture all your favorite moments from inside the famous Ewing Mansion in the photos below.
Photography: (All images) Courtesy Southfork Ranch
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