upright=1.5|thumb|right|Cowboys at the XIT Ranch in 1891

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&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of land, it ran for 200 miles (300&nbsp;km) along the border with New Mexico, varying in width from 20 to 30 miles (30 to 50&nbsp;km). The massive ranch stretched through ten counties in Texas and at its peak regularly handled 150,000 head of cattle. The brand "XIT" was chosen for its difficulty to alter thus thwarting rustlers.

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&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of land to finance a new state capitol. 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. by Congress honoring the Clark line. This action saved Texas a strip of land a few miles wide and 310 miles long. The last of the XIT cattle were sold on 1 Nov. 1912.

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File:XIT_Brands.jpg|Display of local brands at the XIT Museum in Dalhart, Texas: Note the XIT brand at the center of the display (2002)

File:CanadianValley_2002.jpg|Oldham County ranch land in the Canadian River Valley between Vega and Dalhart (2002)

File:Farwell, Texas name monument.JPG|Monument in Farwell, Texas, noting the Farwell brothers as receiving the land which became the XIT in exchange for constructing the Texas State Capitol building

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See also

  • Ira Aten
  • Patrick H. Landergin

References

Further reading

  • Cordia Sloan Duke and Joe B. Frantz; 6,000 Miles of Fence: Life on the XIT Ranch of Texas; Austin: University of Texas Press; 1961.
  • The XIT Museum
  • XIT Rodeo & Reunion
  • Photos of the XIT Ranch hosted by the Portal to Texas History