WHAT DO YOU KNOW about the XIT ranch?

WHAT DO YOU KNOW about the XIT Ranch? Because Texas had been a republic prior to statehood, it owned its land that was abundant especially in the relatively unpopulated western areas. The first primitive capitol building was destroyed by fire. So in 1882, the State Legislature appropriated three million acres of state land in the panhandle of Texas to finance a new capitol. Mathias Schnell of Rock Island, Illinois formed the Capitol Syndicate (*) of wealthy investors from Chicago to London to purchase the vast amount of undeveloped range land. Many never intended to be ranchers but that is what they became.__________ It was U.S. investor, Col. Amos C. Babcock’s party that went to survey the property on the border of New Mexico. At Fort Elliott he was given a four mule ambulance, a wagon to haul camping equipment and a small tent. With him was his surveyor, a county clerk, several cowboys and a Mexican cook. They traveled 950 miles and it took 36 days to inspect the land. Babcock returned to Chicago recommending that the land be stocked with cattle and fenced.__________ Another investor, John Farwell went to England in 1884. He formed the Capitol Freehold Land an Investment Company of London adding the wealthy British investors. He returned with five million American dollars to buy Longhorn cattle and windmills.__________ B.H. Campbell of Kansas was the ranch’s first manager. His personal cattle brand and nickname was “BarBQ” but the ranch’s herd was branded with XIT. It is believed the brand signified “ten in Texas” because the ranch covered 10 counties in the state.__________ Containing 150,000 head of cattle required 781 miles of fencing. By 1887, the first ranch house had been built and many divisions created, each with an individual activity assigned to it. Each section had headquarters and a foreman with cowboys and horses. Channing, a new town on the Ft. Worth and Denver Railway was the major shipping port. A twenty two room structure was built there as the main Headquarters for XIT.__________ Reports made about inferior cattle breeding and rustling of cattle caused the resignation of BarBQue Campbell. He returned to Kansas. Albert G. Boyce became the tough new manager. He made ranch laws that included no gambling and drinking and no killing beef without permission. Nights spent in the town of Channing by the cowboys were curtailed and by 1889 the ranch was thriving.__________ Settlers began coming into the area, ranch employees were being elected to county positons. Populations in the counties grew as did problems on the ranch. Cowboys were making only $25 to $30 a month but earning extra money for predator wolf’s pelts. There was fence cutting and cattle rustling. XIT men and hired guns formed vigilante posses. There were droughts, blizzards, prairie fires and declining markets causing the XIT to operate largely without profit. In the late 1890s British creditors were clamoring. __________ The Capitol Syndicate formed a real estate office, divided XIT into small tracts and began selling out. The last cattle were sold in 1912 and the last parcel of land in 1963. Carole Sikes 7/22__________ Ref. Texas State Historical Association Handbook, article by H. Allen Anderson (*)The syndicate of investors provided $3,224,593.00. The state added a half million dollars to complete the contract to build the beautiful pink granite Capitol building in Austin, larger than the U.S. capitol.