Other West Texas towns, including Muleshoe, Farwell, and Bovina, also advertise their common heritage with the XIT. Although dances and other social gatherings were commonplace at Channing during holidays and special occasions, other extracurricular diversions were easily attainable in the rail towns springing up outside the ranch boundaries. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Consequently, Campbell resigned and returned to his family and business interests in Kansas. accessed February 28, 2021, who persuaded management that any good Considered the largest cattle ranch in the world, the XIT also leased land in the Dakotas and in Montana. At any rate, Joe Collins, who brought in the second herd, served briefly as range foreman but was shortly afterward replaced by Berry Nations. Show Prices . Font size: Straight-shooting lawmen like Ira Aten were frequently hired as section foremen. Although legend persists that the brand signified "ten in Texas" since the land covered all or portions of Dallam, Hartley, Oldham, Deaf Smith, Parmer, Castro, Bailey, Lamb, Cochran, and Hockley counties, that theory is doubtful; some speculate that it really meant "biggest in Texas." Yes, I would like to begin receiving history-rich content, news, and updates from TSHA. Babcock returned to Chicago to report that claims for the spread, which extended some 220 miles north to south on the New Mexico border, were accurate in regard to soil, grass, water, timber, rock, and shelter. Escarbada, in the southwest corner of Deaf Smith County, ran graded cattle. $1.07 per acre for the land that would become The brand In turn, the ranch created wealth for some and promoted the expansion of railroads, new towns, farms, and jobs. Join TSHA to support quality Texas history programs and receive exclusive benefits. During the reign of the ranch, the herd varied between 125,000 and 150,000 head—excluding ranges in Montana to which the ranch had expanded. The Our wide selection of ranches offer fly-fishing, cattle ranching, horseback riding, large and small game hunting, and more making for an outdoor recreationist’s dream. Phone Number (406) 856-4073 Call Now! Laura V. Hamner, Short Grass and Longhorns (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1943). Font size: The TSHA makes every effort to conform to the principles of fair use and to comply with copyright law. Handbook of Texas Online, Campbell, in the meantime, set about contracting for longhorn cattle in Central and South Texas. the Capitol Freehold Land and Investment WiFi and parking are free, and this motel also features a 24-hour front desk. Because of such difficulties, in addition to droughts, blizzards, prairie fires, and declining markets, the XIT operated largely without profit throughout most of its lifespan. The ranch then sold off a large portion of its holdings in Texas. In 1887 reports of inconsistencies in the XIT's management, including inferior cattle and the presence of wanted outlaws on the range, led to an investigation conducted at the syndicate's request by state Senator Avery L. Matlock from Montague. and Company, 1949. Consequently the XIT men, along with certain "hired guns," often formed vigilante posses that struck back at known rustler abodes. In addition to its vast Panhandle acreage, the XIT maintained maturing grounds for its cattle in the northern Plains, first in South Dakota and later, in 1889, on a range north of Miles City, Montana. Upcoming Sales. James D. Hamlin, The Flamboyant Judge: As Told to J. Evetts Haley and William Curry Holden (Canyon, Texas: Palo Duro, 1972). George W. Littlefield was the first large purchaser, buying 235,858 acres. Haley, J. Evetts. Company Address. Experimental "poor farms," as the cowboys called them, were set up, one about seven miles south of Channing and another at the short-lived townsite of Parmerton near Bovina. They had been driven from the Fort Concho area by Abner P. Blocker, who reportedly devised the XIT brand with his boot in the dust when Campbell sought a design that could not be changed easily. acreages to farmers from 1901 to the 1950s. For eleven consecutive years, 12,500 cattle were driven annually to these northern pastures and fattened for the Chicago markets. This was anciently the territory of the Querecho Indians and Teyas. It all began when the Capitol building in Austin, Texas burned to the ground. During the Civil War, Captain Richard King, the founder and owner of the King Ranch, had to flee to Mexico to avoid arrest by Union troops. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading XIT: A Story of Land, Cattle, and Capital in Texas and Montana. Previous: Wildlife and Agriculture | Contents | Next: © 2011 University of Nebraska–LincolnImages are Cattle Empire: The Fabulous Ranch. Each division had a section headquarters, a foreman, its quota of employees and horses, and its specific characteristics. Ruck Tanner, foreman of the Rita Blanca division, was elected Hartley County's first judge. Babcock went to Texas to conduct a survey of the property. reset. Many people have been under the impression that the Capitol Syndicate was an English concern, but it was not. On the strength of a letter he carried from Gen. Philip H. Sheridan to the post commander, he was furnished a four-mule ambulance, a wagon to haul camp equipment, and a small wall tent. Fort Concho in 1885 and the number maintained the declining prices of cattle, the XIT was dismantled XIT: A Story of Land, Cattle, and Capital in Texas and Montana is a captivating, well-documented, and richly detailed history of nineteenth-century ambition, investment, and industry. Best Ranches in Montana, United States: See traveler reviews, candid photos and great deals on ranches in Montana on Tripadvisor. To better promote its real estate, the Syndicate established the office of land commissioner in 1905, selected F. W. Wilsey for the position, and stationed James D. Hamlin at the rail town of Farwell to represent the owners. In turn, Schnell transferred three-fourths interest to Taylor, Babcock, and Company of Chicago, which organized the Capitol Syndicate, in which Charles B. Farwell, John V. Farwell, Col. Amos C. Babcock, and Col. Abner Taylor of Illinois were leading investors. IX IX Ranch produces exceptional quality livestock and is dedicated to long-term value creation for our shareholders, management, employees, and customers. This was the XIT Ranch, composed of a vast body of land. producing profitable & functional genetics for commercial cattlemen since 1981. Even so, under his rule, the XIT reached its peak with 150 cowboys who rode 1,000 horses and branded 35,000 calves in one year. Apr 19, 2018 - Explore richard granado's board "XIT Ranch" on Pinterest. Watch Now. Cross fences divided the ranch into ninety-four pastures, and 1,500 miles of fencing had been completed. An experienced rancher and breeder and longtime friend of Taylor and the Farwells, Campbell received his nickname from the Bar BQ brand he used at his ranch on Medicine Lodge Creek in the Indian Territory. The location of what is now the XIT West Ranch Headquarters was an early headquarters of the XI Ranch. For eleven consecutive years, 12,500 cattle were driven annually to these northern pastures and fattened for the Chicago markets. Show Prices . Free Wifi . The current owners are the second owners in the ranch… Once the biggest ranch in the world, the XIT spread over 3 million acres and stretched nearly 200 miles long and up to 30 miles wide from Hockley County on the south all the way north to the Oklahoma border. At one point the ranch had over 150,000 head of cattle! The voluminous XIT Ranch records are housed in the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, and the old general office building still stands in Channing. That land became the XIT Ranch, briefly one of the most productive cattle operations in the West. Several months later Schnell assigned the rest of his contract to the syndicate after rumors surfaced that he had bribed one of the capitol commissioners and had tried to bribe designing architect Elijah E. Myers. For more information please contact Digital Initiatives at the Montana State University Library or Leila Sterman, Scholarly Communication Librarian. 4310 N HIGHWAY 47 Custer, Montana, 59024 . During the 1880s, the ranch was the largest ranch in the world under fence. The last of the XIT cattle were sold on November 1, 1912, and land sales subsequently increased through the Capitol Reservation Lands, the new trust formed by the Farwell Estate in 1915. The IX Ranch is a legacy ranch – it is huge, has a long history of stable ownership and a respected reputation in reputation ranch country. The ranch covered parts of ten High Plains counties. As homesteaders began pouring in, a land rush occurred during the early 1900s. At the time, just following the costly Civil War, Texas found itself cash poor but land rich. The XIT Ranch existed from 1885 to 1912, yet from Texas to Montana the operation left a deep imprint on community culture and historical memory. By the late 1890s the clamorings of British creditors were rising, and the Capitol Syndicate began the gradual process of selling out. As a result it became the center of ranch activities, and the main XIT headquarters, containing twenty-two rooms, was established there. Norman: University of Oklahoma See what Buyers are saying about Judd Ranch. The ranch also had 325 windmills and 100 dams to regulate the water supply. The XIT Ranch came into being and succeeded, Miller shows, only because of the work of accountants, lawyers, and managers, overseen by officers and a board of seasoned international capitalists. Upper Canyon Outfitters & Guest Ranch. Because of the high price of land and Charles E. McConnell, XIT Buck (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1968). Beginning in 1889, a program of breeding and herd improvement was launched with the introduction of Hereford, shorthorn, and Aberdeen-Angus cattle to the XIT. the Texas Panhandle and had 575 miles of outside Certainly the operation of such a huge spread meant coping with unceasing problems. There were no funds to rebuild a new capitol. Frustrating delays in drilling wells, especially during XIT's earlier years, sometimes resulted in cattle dying from lack of sufficient water. © their respective owners. Nordyke, Lewis. That land became the XIT Ranch, briefly one of the most productive cattle operations in the West. To secure the enormous amount of finances necessary for developing the ranch, John Farwell went to England and late in 1884 succeeded in forming the Capitol Freehold Land and Investment Company of London. Missouri Western State College. On July 1, 1885, the first herd of 2,500 head arrived at Buffalo Springs. Presenting 20 wonderful facts, this website is short and concise, with correct information, and a bibliography citing all the sources I used to get the information. Enlightened utilization and conservation of natural resources and superior economic returns are the primary bench marks of accomplishments. The Capitol building, completed XIT RANCH in Custer is a company that specializes in Forestry Services. By 1929 some 450,000 acres were still owned by XIT Ranch; by 1943 that acreage had been reduced to around 350,000. By the time Henry S. Boice succeeded A. G. Boyce as general manager in 1905, much of the XIT land was already being divided into small tracts and sold to farmers. Of this amount, the Capitol Syndicate's expenditures were $3,224,593.45; about $500,000 was assumed by the state. William E. Halsell started his Mashed O Ranch out of the old Spring Lake division by buying 184,155 acres; John M. Shelton developed the Ojo Bravo division as the Bravo and JJ ranches. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. XIT was the idea of Ab Blocker, a trail driver The romance of the XIT Ranch, enhanced by the spread's sheer size, lives on in western lore. Like his predecessor, Boyce insisted on strict adherence to the ranch laws as set up by the syndicate, including prohibitions against gambling, drinking alcoholic beverages, abusing stock, and killing beef without permission. Syndicate Company in 1882. And it was the largest fence-building project in American history. La Rita Performing Arts Theatre is minutes away. with a headquarters at Channing. The XIT Ranch eventually grazed cattle as north as Montana. The XIT stretched for more than 200 miles in The eighth division, Alamasitas, which came about with the building of the Pecos and North Texas line in 1898, was centered at Bovina. View deals for XIT Ranch Motel, including fully refundable rates with free cancellation. iron, but also be difficult to brand over by Ranches developed in the 1800s as the days of open range ended and cattleman began buying out the claims of settlers and fencing the land into pastures with the introduction of barbed wire in 1874. Cowhands were paid from twenty-five to thirty dollars a month. After 1887 large-scale buying ceased, and the herd as carried averaged 150,000 head. A from the United States and Britain. In Dalhart memories of the ranch are kept alive in the XIT Museum and the famous "Empty Saddles" monument, as well as the annual XIT Reunion, complete with parade and rodeo. In addition to its vast Panhandle acreage, the XIT maintained maturing grounds for its cattle in the northern Plains, first in South Dakota and later, in 1889, on a range north of Miles City, Montana. The Handbook of Texas is free-to-use thanks to the support of readers like you. Since the land that the syndicate was to receive as payment was in the unsettled Panhandle area, the syndicate established the XIT Ranch to utilize the land until it could be sold. William S. Mabry, surveyor from Tascosa, and C. R. Vivian, the Oldham county clerk, accompanied Babcock, along with several area cowboys and a Mexican cook. The northern and southern regions consists of eight pastures or divisions known as Buffalo Springs, Middle Water, Ojo Bravo, Alamasitas, Rita Blanca, Escarbada, Spring Lake, and Yellow House. The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry. Ranch. Considered the leased land in the Dakotas and in Montana. last XIT cattle, 13,560 head, were sold in November The destruction of the old capitol building by fire on November 9, 1881, made construction of the new building urgent, and early in 1882 Mathias Schnell of Rock Island, Illinois, accepted the contract in return for the land. The XIT ranch was located in the western edge of the Texas Panhandle. The land the XIT was established on was sold History of the XIT Ranch. Buy XIT: A Story of Land, Cattle, and Capital in Texas and Montana by Miller, Michael M. online on Amazon.ae at best prices. Company, Ltd., in 1885, which included investors Back to Montana State … building in Austin. in exchange for constructing a new capitol Its central Montana location is 80 miles northeast of Great Falls and adjacent to the town of Big Sandy. The XIT Ranch was a real ranch in a real part of Texas with real cowboys managing it. brand should be easy to make with a simple Buffalo Springs, near the Oklahoma border in Dallam County, was used as a steer pasture; Middlewater, in Hartley County twenty-one miles southwest of present Dalhart, was reserved for culls and undesirables; Ojo Bravo (Bold Spring), in Hartley County south of the Romero community and considered the prettiest part of the ranch, grazed high-grade cattle; and Rita Blanca, west and south of Channing, was utilized as a beef ranch. This became by the state of Texas to the Chicago-based Capitol In 1879 the Sixteenth Texas Legislature appropriated three million acres of land to finance a new state Capitol building and appointed a Capitol Board composed of the governor, comptroller, treasurer, attorney general, and land commissioner to sell the land and contract for the building. During the inspection tour the party had discovered a mistake in earlier surveys, notably that made by John H. Clark in 1859; subsequently the syndicate took measures that eventually saved for Texas a strip of land on the New Mexico line measuring a half mile or more in width and 310 miles long. Ultimately, the enterprize ran its course and the British creditors ran out of patience. Judd Ranch. In 1909 nearly all of the British bonds that had helped start the enterprise were redeemed in full, much to the satisfaction of the English investors. They don’t have a sign, the relevent people find them. million acres across ten counties on the Llano Spring Lake, in northern Lamb County, was a breeding pasture, while Casas Amarillas (see YELLOW HOUSE RANCH), was a general pasture in southern Lamb County. This “worthless” piece of land became the fabled XIT Ranch. 3,000,000 acres of which the State of Texas traded for its huge granite capitol building, and 500,000 acres which the capitol Syndicate purchased. For convenience the ranch was cut into the southern areas reserved for cattle and steer raising, which gradually transition northward until the cattle are two years old and ready to be driven. Since the XIT dominated politics in several counties, many of its employees were elected to public offices. One fence ran 150 miles without a turn. Under his direction, Mabry surveyed a fence line for a horse pasture at Buffalo Springs, the ranch's first designated headquarters, and late in the spring of 1885 the first pasture fence was completed. the XIT. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/xit-ranch. By attracting wealthy British investors like the Earl of Aberdeen and Henry Seton-Karr, a member of Parliament, Farwell returned with the equivalent of roughly $5 million in American currency. However, the "small men," including several XIT cowboys triumphed. of the Llano Estacado. The old Escarbada division headquarters, where Ira Aten and his family resided during his stint as foreman, is now part of the Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock. By the turn of the century 325 windmills and 100 dams had been erected on the XIT ranges, all at a cost of around $500,000. On the strength of Babcock's suggestions, it was decided to fence the entire range and erect windmills. A The XIT Ranch encompassed more than three B. H. (Barbecue) Campbell of Wichita, Kansas, was chosen by Farwell to be the XIT's first general manager. XIT: A Story of Land, Cattle, and Capital in Texas and Montana: Miller, Michael M.: Amazon.sg: Books Our records show it was established in Montana. He arrived at Mobeetie in March 1882 and sought transportation facilities to the tract from nearby Fort Elliott. cowboys, was organized into seven divisions While the state capitol had cost more than $3,000,000 instead of the original projection of $1,500,000, the cost of the land being sold was increased, and the corporation fulfilled its contract. Just north of Terry was the final outpost for the XIT Ranch out of Texas, during the remaining years of the open range.
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