The XIT Ranch was a cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle which operated from 1885 to 1912. Comprising over 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km²) of land, it ran for 200 miles (300 km) along the border with New Mexico, varying in width from 20 to 30 miles (30 to 50 km). The massive ranch stretched through ten counties in Texas and at its peak regularly handled 150,000 head of cattle. "XIT" Stands for "Ten In Texas" using the roman Numeral "X".
History
The XIT ranch was located in the western edge of the Texas Panhandle. This was anciently the territory of the Querecho Indians and Teyas. In 1879, the 16th Texas Legislature appropriated 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km²) of land to finance a new state capitol. 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. The ranch stretched across all or portions of the counties of Dallam, Hartley, Oldham, Deaf Smith, Parmer, Castro, Bailey, Lamb, Cochran, and Hockley. Total expense for the capitol building amounted to $3,744,630.60, of which the Syndicate Company paid $3,224,593.45.
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. This company was composed of Colonel Abner Taylor of Chicago, Colonel A.C. Babcock of Canton, and John V. and Charles B. Farwell of Chicago. Taylor was assigned company representative in June. Babcock inspected the capitol tract that same year, setting out from Tascosa on 23 March and arriving at the Yellow Houses on 27 April. His inspection noted the 1880 J.T. Munson survey used to define the capitol lands, and the northwest boundary of the state was defined by John H. Clark's 1859 survey. Clark's line defining the 103rd meridian, approved by Congress in 1891, turned out to be about one half mile west of the true meridian. The issue was not settled until John V. Farwell and President William Howard Taft were instrumental in passing a joint resolution in 1911 by Congress honoring the Clark line. This action saved Texas a strip of land one half mile wide and 310 miles long.
Development
In order to raise the capital needed to fence the ranch, build houses and barns, provide water, and purchase the cattle, John V. Farwell formed the Capitol Freehold Land and Investment Company, Limited, in London. The money was raised through the sale of debentures paying 5 percent interest. Directors of the company included John V. and Charles B. Farwell, Walter Potter, Henry Seton-Karr, Sir William Ewart, Edward M. Denny, Baron Thurlow, and the Marquis of Tweeddale, while the Earl of Aberdeen and Quintin Hogg were trustees. The company existed until 1909, when all bonds had been redeemed.
Company headquarters were located in the northern boundary of the ranch, at Buffalo Springs, with George Findlay directing business. Colonel B.H. Campbell became general manager and Berry Nations range foreman. The ranch started operations in 1885, purchasing cattle and moving them onto the ranch. By 1887, the herd was maintained at between 125,000 and 150,000 head, or about per head. W.S. Mabry surveyed in the four-wire barbed wire fence line, and by 1886, of fence were in place, including a long west line and a long east line. Cross fences were added by the late 1890s to make 94 pastures, bringing the total to of fence. A telephone line connected Tascosa to Alamocitos in 1888. 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 Mabry. By 1900, the ranch had 335 windmills, producing water from an average depth of . Additionally, 100 earthen dams were constructed.
Trail driver Ab Blocker devised the XIT brand. The branding iron was simply made with a five-inch-long (15 cm) straight bar, applied five times. Yet, the XIT brand was not immune from "brand burning" by rustlers, which involved burning the original brand into another brand. Cowboy legends also kept alive the myth that the brand means "Ten (in Roman numerals) In Texas." 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.