Howdy, Hank fans! 

Have you heard about the statue in San Angelo's "Heritage Park"??

From the article:

     "SAN ANGELO – Since its creation in 2018, Heritage Park in downtown San Angelo has been guarded by "The Head of Ranch Security," Hank the Cowdog.

     The bronze statue of the beloved children's book character has kept watch over the park for the past year.

     With people noticing the statue, a rumor popped up that Hank had an older connection to San Angelo. Digging through decades-old San Angelo Standard-Times articles, the connection was revealed.

     John R. Erickson, author of Hank the Cowdog and other books, got his literary start with San Angelo's Livestock Weekly in the 1980s and was mentored by Elmer Kelton, a fellow writer at the time. A call to Livestock Weekly confirmed the author's connection.

     Though this connection is here, it is not why the statue was placed in the park on the corner of West Twohig Avenue and Oakes Street. The park honors many historical locals, most of whom were in the ranching and agriculture businesses.

     'Hank embodies the spirit of all ranching, of Texas and the love of the land,' said Candis Hicks, educational and historical curator of the park."

In other news, the Hank statue was placed in the park in conjunction with the use of the "Ranch Life Learning Series" in local area schools! The same benefactor who donated the statue for use in the park also funded the development of the curriculum to accompany the books "which [teach] about these wonderful ranching families that made this possible" as well as help fourth-grade students "practice reading comprehension and writing, both of which are part of the STAAR tests."

For more information about (and some other great pictures of) the statue, check out this article too! And, to learn more about the FREE Ranch Life Learning curriculum, sponsored by the National Ranching Heritage Center, please visit their website here. 

Hope you enjoy, and if you've had a chance to see the statue yourself, be sure to share your pictures with us on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter! We'd love to see them!