Fort Worth Crash Kills ‘Texas Lil,' Who Built Fame on Dude Ranch That Mysteriously Burned Down

The woman known as "Texas Lil" for her dude ranch that famously burned died in a Fort Worth crash Thursday. Lynda Arnold, 78, was driving southbound on U.S. 287, near Bonds Ranch Road north of Saginaw, when she slowed to enter the crossover lane, Fort Worth police spokesman Sgt. Marc Povero told The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Another vehicle heading southbound struck Arnold's vehicle from behind.She died at the scene, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner. Arnold gained fame as the owner of a 192-acre near Northlake that hosted a cast of rotating characters, according to The Dallas Morning News archives. She owned it for 27 years before defaulting on a $2 million loan and losing it to foreclosure in October 2005, court records showed. The next month, arson decimated three buildings at the ranch. Police arrested Arnold 12 days later. She told authorities that her memorabilia was destroyed in the fire, but police said they later found them in her storage trailer, according to an arrest affidavit.In February 2005, a Denton County grand jury decided not to indict her on felony charges of evidence tampering related to the blaze.  Continue reading...