In the first half of the previous century, the Dutch Branch Ranch totaled over 1,300 acres and was owned by Elliot Roosevelt, son of Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). Much of what used to be Dutch Branch Ranch is now submerged under Benbrook Lake. According to at least one source, however, the original home where Elliot Roosevelt and his family lived remains, and part of the ranch remains active.
FDR, our nation’s 32nd president, was popular for his fireside chats, serving three terms and authoring The New Deal. He served as President from 1933 to 1945. It’s said that President Roosevelt visited Benbrook on at least 4 occasions while serving in office. In 1943, while returning by rail from a meeting with Mexico’s president, FDR stopped the “Whitehouse on Wheels,” a train version of Air Force One, in Benbrook to visit his son.
Elliot Roosevelt, then President of the Texas State Network (a radio broadcasting company), sold the ranch in 1944, and a few years later, oil tycoon Sid Richardson purchased it.
The video below, starting at the 23:45 mark, explains how Benbrook became the “Seat of Power” while the 32nd President visited.
