![]() ![]() By 1900s, there were around 325 windmills and 100 dams erected on the XIT ranches, cross fences divided the ranch into ninety-four pastures and 1,500 miles of fencing has been completed.By November 110,721 cows have been purchases for over 1 million dollars. By 1886, 781 miles of the XIT Ranch has been fenced-in.On July 1, 1885, the first herd of 2,500 buffalo arrived in the XIT Ranch, from Buffalo Springs, in Texas.They weren’t able to make a profit, and their cattle were constantly stolen by rustlers, and eaten by predators, mainly wolves, making a further loss. During the late 1880s, cattle prices fell drastically.At its peak the XIT Ranch employed 150 men. Unlike most ranches, which usually had a boss or foreman, the XIT has a president board of director, financial officers, bookkeepers, general manager, range bosses, wagon bosses, straw bosses, as well as cowboys, cooks and wranglers.Today, there is more than 6,000 miles of wire surrounding the ranch! The barbed wire surrounding the XIT ranch has been there since the ranch was started in 1885.The reward was 3,000,000 acres of land in North Texas (XIT Ranch). The Farwell brothers from Chicago entered the contest and won. The Texas government held a contest to decide who could make the best capitol for the state.The brand ‘XIT’ was the idea of Ab Blocker, a trail driver who persuaded management by telling them that it would be hard for cattle rustlers to change their brand and make it their own.The ranch employed more than 100 cowboys, and was organized into seven divisions with a headquarters at Channing.The first 22,000 cattle arrived from Fort Concho in 1885 and the number eventually grew to 150,000.The XIT Ranch still stands today, however much smaller, with a museum and many activities in Dalhart, Texas.However, because it was unused and there were several buffalo and cattle grazing the lands, they decided to make it a Ranch. The XIT Ranch was originally made off of public lands owned by the government.In 1963, the last parcel of land is owned by Hamlin Y. By 1929, the XIT Ranch owned about 450,000 acres (compared to 3 million), while 14 years later, in 1943, they only owned 350,000 acres.Because of the constant increase in prices of land, the land of the XIT was sold, and on November 1st, 1912, the XIT Ranch sold it’s last cattle.In order to mark their cattle from the rest, the XIT Ranchers simply write ‘XIT’ on their cattle, because they have no specific symbol.They are Dallam, Hartley, Oldham, Deaf Smith, Panner, Castro, Bailey, Lamb, Cochran, and Hockley. XIT stands for “Ten in Texas” because it stretches along 10 counties in Texas.This Ranch was founded in 1885 by Charlie V.There are more than 150,000 cattle and 1,000 horses in the XIT Ranch! However, they have no (zero) goats or sheeps.It stretches along the Texas Panhandle, and extends into the Oklahoma Panhandle. During the 1800’s, the XIT Ranch was the largest fenced Ranch in the world, with over 3,000,000 acres.
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