BLYTHEWOOD – Once upon a time, in the heart of downtown Blythewood, there was a dude ranch – the JJ Ranch – where it seemed almost everyone wore cowboy hats, rode horses, and lived a fairytale life on the range.
But the JJ Ranch was not a fairytale. It was a real-life cowboy version of Camelot.
When Jimmy and Sybil Jennings rode in to town in 1958 with a trailer full of horses, they had a dream in mind that would very quickly change Blythewood’s culture …and change it forever.
No one knew exactly where Jimmy Jennings came from, but it was soon evident that he was an experienced horseman and something of a pied piper. He and Sybil were looking for just the right place to build a dude ranch. They found that in Blythewood. As the ranch developed almost overnight in the center of town, the townsfolk were drawn to it.
Not only were Blythewood families soon wearing chaps and boots and embarking on days-long trail rides with the Jennings, but people from across the state, as far away as Myrtle Beach and the upstate, flocked to Blythewood’s JJ Ranch for riding lessons, trail rides and cowboy camaraderie. It was, by all accounts, a world of fun.
Some families, who still live in Blythewood, told The Voice that they moved to Blythewood to live near the ranch.
“The JJ Ranch certainly made a difference in the town,” said lifelong Blythewoodian Jim McLean. “Before it came, there was only one horse in town that I know of. But the Jennings changed Blythewood into a horse town, and after the ranch and the Jennings were gone, we remained a horse town.”
Like Camelot, the JJ Ranch dream ended tragically and all too soon. Now it is legend. But for those who were part of it, the JJ Ranch was not, like Camelot, just a beautiful story in a book.
It really happened.
On Friday, Sept. 6, the town will come together on the 60th anniversary of the Jennings’ deaths to recall that dream of living the cowboy life, and to celebrate and remember the lasting influence of the JJ Ranch on Blythewood. The event, titled Remembering JJ Ranch, will be hosted by the Blythewood Historical Society at the Langford-Nord Home located at 100 McNulty Road in downtown Blythewood.
A former JJ Ranch ‘cowboy,’ Jim McLean, will present the program about the JJ Ranch and the Jennings.
Also on the program will be retired USC Gamecock Equestrian Team Head Coach Boo Major, who learned to ride at the JJ Ranch when she was about three years old.
There will be photos and shared memories of the ranch, as McLean explains how the ranch changed the culture of the town forever.
The program begins at 7 p.m. and will include refreshments and visiting with special guest, Jennings’ daughter Josie.
For information about the event call 803-333-8133.