This is the wild story of how texas traded land for their texas capitol building. It was not the first ranch in west texas, but after its formation in the eighteeneighties it became the largest single operation in the cow country of the old west and covered more than. The development and operation of this pastoral enterprise and its relation to the history of texas is the subject of this great and widely discussed book by j. The matador ranch is the third historic texas ranch that once had more than a million acres inside its fence lines. The xit was once one of the largest ranches in texas, comprising 3 million acres along the texasnew mexico border in the panhandle area of the state. At one point the ranch had over 150,000 head of cattle. Monumental in scope, infinitely detailed, the book presents the history of the llano estacado and traces the development and operation of a 3,000,000 acre ranch. And the greatest of these was xitthe xit ranch of texas. I tell them the xit was a cattle ranch, and this was the main office for it. Some may call it a legend, others a figment of someones imagination, but the story of the xit ranch is true. The xit ranch of texas and the early days of the llano jstor. It is also a history of the texas panhandle, the santa fe trail, native americans, and the texas longhorn.
Also covered is the transition from ranching to farming in that region. Evetts haley is a historian of the school that believed the facts of history were worthy of accurate historical narrative. How texas traded land for a state house and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. In these classic works, haley argues that, contrary to popular perception, ranchers and railroads played a major role in encouraging farmers to. This is the paper that inspired annes ten in texas novel. The xit ranch was located in the western edge of the texas panhandle. Xit ranch sells its last head of cattle nov 02, 1912. In the late 1920s, the farwell estate commissioned j. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the xit ranch of texas and the early days of the llano estacado the western frontier library series. Texas state historical association tsha, 1999 ff englisch, aufgerufen am 21. Among the famous ranch brands of texas are the t anchor, ja, diamond tail, 777, bar c, and xit. And the early days of the llano estacado the western frontier library series volume 34 9780806114286 by haley, j. One of the most fascinating chapters in texas history has virtually been lost in modern times, especially for the 21st century texas reader. In the 1880s the xit ranch grew to become the single largest cattle operation in the old west spanning more than three million acres.
The final piece of xit land was conveyed to another owner in 1963. Evetts haley learn the tale of ups and downs of one of americas greatest ranches, the xit or ten in texas. 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. Finding a home on the range in the panhandle town of. The xit was established at a time when traditional ranches preferred the old openrange concept with huge pastures and little fencing. The almost forgotten last major texas cattle trail sylvia gann mahoney 54. The destruction of the old capitol building by fire on november 9, 1881, made construction of the. Haley laboriously documents the sources that he needed, some of them obscure and in dusty minutes, but the xit ranch fills the texas panhandles early history with a stirring and memorable quality seldom accorded modern history writing.
Find the xit ranch of texas and the early days of the llano estacado by haley, j evetts at biblio. In contrast, the xit divided the vast 3,050,000 acres into seven divisions under the supervision of range and wagon bosses and used 6,000 miles of barbed wire in fencing the outside boundaries and divisions. The acquisition of three million acres of rangeland in the panhandle, the construction of a state capitol building, and the creation of the xit ranch is a big, fantastic story that could only happen in texas. It has been more than 30 years since a book has come out on the famous xit ranch of texas.
What the xit ranch of texas constituted when it was published was a detailed, multifaceted history of not only the giant ranch, but also an allencompassing history of. The brand was to thwart cattle rustlers, but i have no history of the actual reading of the x i t. Many people have been under the impression that the capitol syndicate was an english concern, but it. The xit ranch extended from the northwest corner of the texas panhandle south for more than 200 miles along the new mexico border, covering parts of 10 counties across the sparsely settled staked plains. It is one volume that, more than any other, portrays the earlyday cattle business of the west. And the greatest of these was xit the xit ranch of texas. This worthless piece of land became the fabled xit ranch. During the reign of the ranch, the herd varied between 125,000 and 150,000 headexcluding ranges in montana to which the ranch had expanded. James evetts haley after the publication of his book on the history of xit ranch. The texas legislature appropriated the remote panhandle acreage to. Later, the elenora was renamed the throckmorton ranch and mount albin became the flat top ranch.
The xit ranch of texas and the early days of the llano estacado the western frontier library series by haley, j. The book was meticulously researched from original ranch records. Xit ranch texas early days llano estacado abebooks. People come to the door and say, we seen this from the road. A guide to the james evetts haley and xit lawsuit scrapbook. Xit ranch of texas and the early days of llano estacado.
Now texas writer dede casad brings this mystique of this historic. Haleys first book and is typical of his fine research and writing. Xit ranch the handbook of texas online texas state. University of oklahoma press, 1953 dlc 53008818 ocolc1848529. Evetts haley to write its colorful history, the xit ranch of texas 1929. The xit ranch was a real ranch in a real part of texas with real cowboys managing it. Nordyke s cattle empire 1949, which is written more like a novel, remains the standard account. The transformation of the xit ranch texas history and. Established in 1882, the xit ranch was owned by members of the capitol.
The xit ranch of texas and the early days of the llano estacado 34 by j. The land was set aside for a chicago syndicate that would construct the new building. Can you tell me how the famous xit ranch in texas got its. The massive king ranch in southeast texas, south of present day corpus christie, the waggoner ranch which was in northern texas near the oklahoma border and the ja ranch in the palo duro canyon area south of present day amarillo one of the interesting. Appropriately named the xit museum, the historic venue is sponsored by the dallamhartley county historical association and archives a remarkable collection of xit ranch artifacts and interpretive exhibits. The xit ranch of texas and the early days of the llano estacado.
But during that time cattle prices began plummeting and the ranch was plagued by wolves, cattle rustlers making life on the ranch extremely tough. After visiting the texas property for the first time, they divided the land into three ranches that swenson named after his children. Historys caretaker at first i kept the xit office open every day, but no one stopped. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. See more ideas about ranch, texas history, texas panhandle. Xit ranch of texas and the early days of the llano estacado. And it was the largest fencebuilding project in american history. Hortense warner ward, cattle brands and cow hides dallas. Evetts haley, the xit ranch of texas and the early days of the llano estacado chicago.
Starting in 1901, the capitol freehold land and investment companyas the xit ownership was knownbegan selling land and by 1950 had completely liquidated. Evetts and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. The original ranch property three million acres was granted by the state of texas in exchange for construction of a new state capitol building in austin, a unique deal in the history of the united states. The last xit cattle,560 head, were sold in november 1912, and the vast ranch was sold in large parcels to other ranchers and in small acreages to farmers from 1901 to the 1950s. Evetts haley 1977, paperback, reprint at the best online prices at ebay.
See more ideas about texas history, texas and west texas. Life on the xit ranch of texas 1 by cordia sloan duke and joe b. A ranch the size of the historic xit deserves a museum all its own, a courtesy provided by the plains trail region community of dalhart. The romance of the xit ranch, enhanced by the spreads sheer size, lives on in western lore. This was anciently the territory of the querecho indians and teyas. The ranch also had 325 windmills and 100 dams to regulate the water supply. The first cattlemostly longhornsarrived on the xit ranch in 1885.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This was the xit ranch, composed of a vast body of land. Thumbnail history of the xit ranch the xit ranch in the 1880s was the largest range in the world under fence and it all laid in the texas panhandle. The book will be valuable not alone to the schools and the students therein, of texas history, but also to every. The xit museum, located in dalhart, texas, documents the the history of the xit ranch as well as the local history of the dallamhartley county area. This history of the xit ranch is very much a history of texas, and indeed of the entire american west. There are varied exhibits ranging from the history of the xit ranch and how it funded the state capitol in austin, how the cowboys lived and drove cattle north. Readers would be well served to supplement this book by reading classics on panhandle ranchers such as j. This is a free museum in downtown dalhart, though donations are welcome. The old famous ranches of texas include the massive xit ranch in the texas panhandle.
During the 1880s, the ranch was the largest ranch in the world under fence. Xit museum dalhart 2020 all you need to know before. It was not the first ranch in west texas, but after its formation in the eighteeneighties it became the largest single operation in the cow country of the old west and covered more than three million acres, all fenced. Its three million acres sprawled from the old yellow house headquarters, near what is now lubbock, texas, northward to the oklahoma panhandle, in an irregular strip that was roughly 30 miles wide.
Frantz 1981, paperback, reprint at the best online prices at ebay. The xit ranch of texas and the early days of the llano. The xit ranch of texas is more than the history of the worlds largest ranch. In 1879, the state of texas was looking for funds with which to build the capitol building. Uncommonly good collectible and rare books from uncommonly good booksellers.
The xit ranch of texas and the early days of the llano estacado the western frontier library series book 34 english edition ebook. They were wellcontained within the 1500 miles of fence. On this day, the xit ranch of texas, once among the largest ranches in the. And the greatest of these was xitthe xit ranch of texas it was not the first ranch in west texas, but after its formation in the eighteeneighties it became the largest single operation in the cow country of the old west and covered more than three million acres, all fenced. Twothirds of the ranch had been sold by 1906, and by 1912, the last xit cattle had been sent to market. The xit ranch in the 1880s was the largest range in the world under fence and it all laid in the texas panhandle. The xit ranch of texas and the early days of the llano estacado the western frontier library series book 34 kindle edition by haley, j.
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