At its largest, the King Ranch never covered more than a third the size of the storied XIT—a Panhandle ranch that no longer exists. Recent Post by Page. Among the famous ranch brands of Texas are the T Anchor, JA, Diamond Tail, 777, Bar C, and XIT.And the greatest of these was XIT—The XIT Ranch of Texas. Over a period of 3 months, some 10,000 to 12,500 steers were moved from the Yellow Houses 1000 miles north to Cedar Creek. The ranch employed more than 100 cowboys, and was organized into seven divisions with a headquarters at Channing. "It showed there need not be a conflict between now and the future," he wrote. Consider the following: - The name, XIT, supposedly stands for 10 counties in Texas. Quick View. [2][6]:116,241–245, The original plan of the Capitol Company was colonization, with ranching viewed as a temporary use of the land until farmers arrived. By 1900, the ranch had 335 windmills averaging 34 feet high, with 12–18 foot wheels, producing water from an average depth of 125 feet. [2][6]:217, Recognizing that their earlier surveys exceeded the stipulated areas by 2-4 percent, the state of Texas sued the Syndicate in 1918, claiming the excess was 57,840.5 acres. XIT RODEO more info. ft.). This was anciently the territory of the Querecho Indians and Teyas. Today at 6:28 PM. Large tracts were sold to cattlemen such as George W. Littlefield, who bought 235,858.5 acres of Yellow Houses in 1901. Peebles Bits and Spurs. Agricultural Cooperative. With the breakup of the XIT Ranch, the general office became a private residence for decades. Live Music is a big part of the XIT RODEO & REUNION For a complete list of performers that have been featured at past events click … [2], Total expense for the Capitol building materials and labor amounted to $3,744,630.60, of which the Syndicate Company paid $3,224,593.45. And while Ab Blocker’s off-the-cuff invention of a brand that was difficult to alter seemed effective, the XIT became one of the most famous examples of possible alterations in cowboy lore. [6]:218–225, The family of Minnie Lou Bradley, who went on to establish the Bradley 3 Ranch in Childress County east of Amarillo, made large purchases of XIT land. I thought about Wally-docking, but there's *yet another* free city p ... ark here in Hereford. The original XIT Ranch, sprawling over 3,000,000 acres across 10 counties, had 23 rules. Each calf was branded with XIT on its side, the last numeral of the year on its shoulder, and the number of the division on its jaw. However, Blocker recommended the XIT for two reasons: it would require only one iron—a bar—to apply, and it would be difficult for rustlers to alter. It's three million acres sprawled from the old Yellow House headquarters, near what is now Lubbock, Texas, northward to the Oklahoma Panhandle, in … Campbell in July of 1885. Since 1936, cowboys and their families who worked the XIT Ranch have been gathering at an annual reunions to reminisce about life on the ranch. Though the northern portion of the ranch had plenty of water near Buffalo Springs, the portion south of the Canadian River needed wells, which were also surveyed in by W.S. 2 reviews of Xit Ranch Motel "This is by far the most disgusting establishment I've ever seen. In remembrance of the massive ranch, the City of Dalhart hosts the XIT Museum and the annual XIT Rodeo and Reunion held the first Thursday through Sunday of August. [6]:126–128,136–137,141, Though the original stock consisted of Texas Longhorn cattle, in 1889, work started to improve the herd by introducing Hereford cattle and Polled Angus cattle. This trust, Capitol Reservations Lands, operated until 31 Dec. 1950. XIT 1885. The state legislature had set aside more than three million acres in the northwest corner of the Panhandle and was taking bids. Grass-Fed 10 lb Monthly Delivery . The celebration includes three days of junior and professional (PRCA) rodeo events, the world’s largest free barbecue, three nights of live music, a mud bog competition, an antique tractor-pull, and other activities. Check out the link to XIT’s watchTVeverywhere Platform above! The 1,586 sq. sale. The legend behind this brand is not what you think. 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 first 22,000 cattle arrived from Fort Concho in 1885 and the number eventually grew to 150,000. It stretched from the Oklahoma state line all the way down thru the middle of Hockley County, was nearly 200 miles long and 30 miles wide; when entirely fenced in the late 1890's it contained over 18,000 miles of barbwire. The vacant lot last sold on for , with a recorded lot size of acres ( sq. The brand itself came into existence when the famous drover Ab Blocker delivered the first herd of cattle to newly installed ranch manager Col. B.H. The XIT Ranch was a cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle which operated from 1885 to 1912. In 1881, the state of Texas was cash poor and infrastructure-needy. Shelton. Additionally, 100 earthen dams were constructed. Matlock chose A.G. Boyce as his general range manager. [6]:53, Though Mathias Schnell won the contract for constructing the new building in January 1882, by May he had assigned all interest to Taylor, Babcock and Company. That trail was used from 1886 until 1897. The 10-12 cowboys working a division in the winter increased to 25-30 in the summer. It was not a financial success, he said, but the ranch was significant. Mabry surveyed in the four-wire barbed wire fence line, and by 1886, 781 miles of fence were in place, including a 260 mile long west line and a 275 mile long east line. The XIT Ranch - supposedly XIT means 10 (X) counties in Texas -- it was the largest ranch under fence in U.S. & probably the world in 1880's (3 million acres!!) The XIT ranch was located in the western edge of the Texas Panhandle. They included prohibitions against carrying arms (No. XIT 1885 Organic Whole Bean Coffee. [2] In 1882, in a special legislative session, the 17th Texas Legislature struck a bargain with Charles B. and John V. Farwell of Chicago, Illinois, under which a syndicate led by the Farwells, with mostly British investors, agreed to build a new Texas State Capitol in Austin and to accept the 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km²) of Panhandle land as payment. For a half century, the giant XIT Ranch windmill stood as one of the tallest structures ever built on the Llano Estacado. Among the famous ranch brands of Texas are the T Anchor, JA, Diamond Tail, 777, Bar C, and XIT.And the greatest of these was XIT&;The XIT Ranch of Texas. This home was built in 1996 and last sold on for. Rule number 22 stated that the aim of the ranch was “sterling honesty and integrity,” which is still our guiding principle today. The massive ranch stretched through ten counties in Texas, and at its peak regularly handled 150,000 head of cattle.