PRAIRIE CHAPEL RANCH

'Prairie Chapel Ranch' is a 1583 acre (6.4 km²) estate located seven miles (10 km) northwest of Crawford, Texas considered the Western White House of President George W. Bush.
Bush spends vacation time at the house as well as entertains dignitaries from around the world.
It derives its name from the Prairie Chapel School which was built nearby on land donated by mid-19th century German immigrant Heinrich Englebrecht who also owned the land that now comprises the Bush compound. Englebrecht also donated land for the nearby Canaan Baptist Church (the "Prairie Chapel").

Contents

History

House and Grounds

House

Other structures

Grounds

Activities

Visits from foreign dignitaries

Security considerations

Protests

Future of the ranch

Gallery

References

External links

History

Englebrecht and his heirs raised turkeys and hogs. The original Englebrecht ranch house is about 4,400 feet from the main house on Rainey Road and is now called the "Governor's House" and is used to house second-tier guests. The Bushes stayed in the house during construction of the new house.
In 1999 shortly after earning a $14.3 million profit from the sale of the Texas Rangers, Texas Governor Bush bought the land for an estimated $1.3 million from the Englebrecht family.
Bush was to remove five large hog barns on Mill Road leading into the compound during the construction of a new house, guest house and garage. ^[1]

House and Grounds

House

David Heymann, then an associate professor of architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, designed the four-bedroom ^[2] (although some reports indicate it is eight-bedrooms)^[3], 4,000 ft² (372 m²) honey-colored native limestone single-level home with painted white galvanized tin roof on the site. Heymann said the house which built from the less sought after portion of the local "Leuders limestone." The middle portions of the blocks of stone is a cream colored while the edges are multicolored. "We bought all this throwaway stone. It's fabulous. It's got great color and it is relatively inexpensive," Heymann said.^[3]
In addition there is an open 10 foot (3 m) wide limestone porch that encircles the house. The house was built by members of a religious community from nearby Elm Mott, Texas and wasn't finally completed until after his inauguration because of needed accommodations for security, meeting space, etc.^[5]
Laura Bush said they decided to keep a single level ranch design because "We wanted our older parents to feel comfortable here...We also want to grow old here ourselves."^[3]
The passive-solar house is positioned to absorb winter sunlight, warming the interior walkways and walls of the residence. Geothermal heat pumps circulate water through pipes buried 300 feet (100 m) deep in the ground. A 25,000 US gallon (151 m³) underground cistern collects rainwater gathered from roof urns; wastewater from sinks, toilets, and showers cascades into underground purifying tanks and is also funneled into the cistern. The water from the cistern is then used to irrigate the landscaping around the home.

Other structures

In addition to the house there is a guest house and a garage in separate buildings to the southwest of the main house.
In 2002, the ranch was wired for what Bush described in a 2003 tour of the ranch as "real time, secure videoconferencing" to be used for his briefings from the CIA and Dick Cheney.
Overnight visitors stay in the main house or its associated guest house or the original Englebrecht farmhouse or in a double-wide five-bedroom, three-bath mobile home decorated in an ''early Pottery Barn'' motif according to a staffer^[2]
News reporters -- including the White House Press Secretary stay in hotels in Waco.

Grounds

The land includes seven canyons and three miles (5 km) of frontage along Rainey Creek and the Middle Bosque River. In August 2001 while touring the canyons with reporters Bush noted that the cedars in the canyons would be a good nesting ground for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler although the warblers have not actually been seen on the compound.^[8]
Bush added an 11 acre (45,000 m²) man-made pond that he stocked with 600 largemouth bass and 30,000 bait fish. There are also bluegill and red ear sunfish. The pond has a maximum depth of 17 feet. In May 2006 in a question to what the best moment in his administration, Bush was quoted: "I would say the best moment was when I caught a 7 ½-pound largemouth bass on my lake."^[9]
At the urging of his daughters, the President has also built a large swimming pool ^[10] over the objections of Heymann who thought it wound interrupt the stark views. President Bush calls it "the whining pool" — whine long enough and you get it.^[3]

Activities

One of the most highly prized souvenirs from the compound is a gray Under Armour athletic shirt (retail $19.99) emblazoned with a Texas star encircled by the words ''The President's 100-Degree Club.'' In order to qualify a visitor must run 3 miles, or bike for 10, when the thermometer hits triple digits.^[2]
President Bush uses the compound for vacations, occasional meetings, and entertaining foreign dignitaries. In the less formal setting, dress code for meetings calls for an open collar and no tie. Guests are typically treated to meals of Southern cuisine. When not holding meetings or briefings, Bush spends his time mountain biking, jogging, fishing, bird hunting, and clearing brush.
President Bush has made clear his preference for spending time away from his official residence at the White House in Washington, DC. In 2001, he said, "I think it is so important for a president to spend some time away from Washington, in the heartland of America."^[13]

Visits from foreign dignitaries

Visitors to the ranch have included:

★ Russian President Vladimir Putin, November 2001

★ British Prime Minister Tony Blair, April 2002

★ Saudi King Abdullah, April 2002, April 2005

★ Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, August 2002

★ Chinese President Jiāng Zémín, October 2002

★ Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar, February 2003

★ Australian Prime Minister John Howard, May 2003

★ Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, May 2003

★ Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, July 2003

★ Mexican President Vicente Fox, March 2004, March 2005

★ Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, April 2004

★ Spanish King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía, November 2004

★ Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, March 2005

★ Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, April 2005

★ Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, August 2005

Security considerations

The Federal Aviation Administration has three nautical miles (six km) no fly zone around the ranch full time (designated Prohibited Area 49). When Bush is there, a Temporary Flight Restriction is issued, expanding the radius to 10 nautical miles (19 km), with lesser restrictions extending to 30 nautical miles (56 km), containing some exceptions for Waco Regional Airport nearby.
Bush normally flies in and out of TSTC Waco Airport (the former Connally Air Force Base that is now owned by state technical college) on Air Force One and is shuttled on Marine One to the ranch.

Protests

Protests are frequent outside the compound with one of the most prominent being Cindy Sheehan who spent several months there protesting the Iraq War.^[14][15] She created a peace camp called Camp Casey by pitching a tent by the side of Prairie Chapel Road leading to the compound in 2005 and was joined at one point by filmaker Michael Moore. She announced her intention to stay for the full five weeks or until such a meeting was granted. She also promised that, were she not granted a second meeting, she would return to Crawford each time Bush visited there in the future.^[16] Several cabinet members went out to talk to Sheehan, but she refused stating that she would only talk to the President himself. Toward the end of her vigil, she said she was "very, very, very grateful" Bush did not grant her that meeting because it would have ended the momentum the peace movement gained from the popularity of her demonstrations.^[17] Pro-Bush supporters set up an alternative Camp Reality across Prairie Chapel Road.^[18]

Future of the ranch

Speculation about the future of the ranch is been stirred up in the location of the George W. Bush Presidential Library with reports that the Bushes may be considering a residence in the Dallas, Texas area after the Presidency.
Baylor University in Waco has made a bid for the library. However Southern Methodist University in the Dallas suburb of University Park, Texas is said to be the frontrunner^[19]
Laura is said to have told reporters they are considering buying a home in Dallas and rumors have circulated that it would be the suburb of Highland Park, Texas.^[20]
The Wall Street Journal quoted an unnamed White House official: “They'll have their place in Crawford. He just loves it.”^[21] The Journal noted that in 2007 Bush had not visited the ranch as prior years noting that in 2004 he visited 17 times compared with four times prior to August 2007 in 2007. ^[21]
In the summer of 2007 Bush met on separate occasions with Putin and French President Nicolas Sarkozy at his father’s Bush Compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Even Cindy Sheehan staged a protest in August 2007 at Kennebunkport rather than the Bush ranch – even though George was not even at the compound at the time.

Gallery

References

1. CINDY SHEEHAN Guide to Bush Ranch - ntimc.org - Posted August 7, 2006.
2. Reporter's Notebook; Creatures and Creature Comforts at the President's Ranch - New York Times - August 10, 2006
3. 'Texas White House' a refuge from stress - USA Today - April 13, 2001
4. 'Texas White House' a refuge from stress - USA Today - April 13, 2001
5. http://www.cowboysindians.com/articles/archives/1202/bush.html
6. 'Texas White House' a refuge from stress - USA Today - April 13, 2001
7. Reporter's Notebook; Creatures and Creature Comforts at the President's Ranch - New York Times - August 10, 2006
8. Exchange With Reporters During a Tour of the Bush Ranch in Crawford, Texas - George W. Bush - Transcript - August 25, 2001
9. Best moment as president was catching a largemouth bass, Bush says - Seattle Times - May 8, 2006
10. http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/0814/p1s3-uspo.html
11. 'Texas White House' a refuge from stress - USA Today - April 13, 2001
12. Reporter's Notebook; Creatures and Creature Comforts at the President's Ranch - New York Times - August 10, 2006
13. Videotaped Remarks by the President for Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree - Whitehouse.gov - July 31, 2001
14. 'this link is not working'

15. 'this link is not working'

16. Sheehan Edges Closer To Bush Ranch:
Anti-War Protesters Move To Site Provided By Texas Sympathizer

17. Sheehan Leaves Central Texas Wednesday

18. http://www.crawford-texas.org/id15.html
19. - Bush library in SMU's reach – Dallas News – December 22, 2006
20. Rumors, but no sale yet for potential Bush digs – Dallas News – July 25, 2007
21. Another Downturn: Bush Souvenirs In Crawford, Texas – Wall Street Journal – August 20, 2007
22. Another Downturn: Bush Souvenirs In Crawford, Texas – Wall Street Journal – August 20, 2007

External links

★ July 1999: Locals Hope Bush will create a White House in Texas, from the ''Abilene Reporter-News''

★ December 2000: Home on the Range, from ''TIME'' magazine's Person of the Year story on Bush

★ March 2001: Prohibited Area P-49 established by the FAA over the ranch and enlarged during presidential visits

★ August 2001: No grocery, $5 haircuts - and the Bush ranch, from the ''Christian Science Monitor''

★ August 25, 2001: President Gives Tour of Crawford Ranch, a White House press release

★ December 2002: The Bush Ranch, from ''Cowboys & Indians'' magazine

★ January 2, 2003: President's Remarks on Walking Tour of the Ranch, a White House press release

★ July 29, 2005: Bush plans 50th ranch trip in five years, an Associated Press report published in ''USA Today''.

★ August 18, 2005: Can this bike ride be Bush's tour de force?, A report in ''The Times'' concerning the visit of Lance Armstrong to the ranch.