The Ranch is named for Daniel J. Moran, who was chairman of Continental Oil Company (later to become Conoco, Inc.). He owned the 6,871-acre (27.81 km2) ranch from 1935 until his death in 1948; Presbyterians purchased the ranch in 1949, the year after his death,[1] for $562,500; Mrs. Moran then gave a gift back to the church of $50,000. Eventually the State of Texas bought 6,500 acres (26 km2) of the ranch from the Presbyterians, and later expanded that portion with additional purchase of adjacent land.[3] That land is now the Kerr County Wildlife Management Area, administered by Texas Parks & Wildlife. Now the entire Mo-Ranch covers 500 acres (2.0 km2).[citation needed]
By 2019 the Mo Ranch camp organization began doing off-site camping programs in the Rio Grande Valley region; historically many residents there chose not to travel to Kerr County for the camp as some members of families lacked immigration visas and therefore could be detained at in-country immigration checkpoints set up in the region.[4]
