Bringing Washington Home

In 1953, Senator Lyndon Johnson arrived at the LBJ Ranch on a newly constructed 3,000 foot grass airstrip. Initially built to improve access to the Ranch during floods, the small airstrip soon proved inadequate for Johnson’s rising political aspirations. Within eight years it was lengthened to 6,300 feet to accommodate the increasing number and size of aircraft. Throughout Johnson’s political career, the Ranch drew politicians, businessmen, and entertainers, and inviting these decision makers and prominent guests there fulfilled his desire to talk Washington politics in a Hill Country setting. The airstrip linked those two worlds, staying busy as cabinet members arrived carrying difficult decisions, budget estimates, and crises.

Stonewall, Texas · United States