The story of Emil Henry Marks and the LH7 Ranch records not only the history of a unique family but also the cattle business on the coastal prairies of Texas when ranching was the principal industry of the Houston area. It also chronicles the beginning of the Salt Grass Trail. The family story begins with the birth of August Texas Marks, on a sailing ship off the coast of Galveston on August 15, 1843. His son Emil Henry learned "the cow business" from the back of a horse, memorizing Western ballads at night and learning to recite cowboy poems by the dozens. Marks registered the LH7 brand in Harris County in 1898 and started the ranch with 63 acres west of Houston and a few Texas Longhorns. The LH7 became one of the first Gulf Coast ranches to breed Brahman cattle from India, crossing them with Longhorns. By the early 1930s the LH7 was running 6,670 head on 36,000 acres. Branding day on the LH7, drawing cowboys from neighboring spreads and spectators from Houston, quickly grew from a neighborhood event into a nationally known annual rodeo held for thirty years.