The XIT Ranch of Texas: From Booming Beef Bonanza to Bye-Bye Bovine Business
Howdy, partners! Gather 'round the virtual campfire and listen to a tale of the wildest ranch in the West (well, maybe not wildest, but definitely one of the biggest). This story's got land deals, longhorns, and enough twists and turns to make a rattlesnake dizzy. We're talking about the legendary XIT Ranch of Texas, so saddle up!
From Humble Beginnings to Herding Herd-loads of Cattle
Back in 1885, the Farwell brothers from Chicago dreamt big. They struck a deal with the state of Texas: build a fancy new capitol building in Austin, and in return, they'd get a whopping 3 million acres of land in the Texas Panhandle. That's right, folks, this ranch was practically the size of Rhode Island (with a whole lot less coastline and chowder).
The Farwell boys weren't afraid of a little elbow grease (or should we say, chaps grease?). They stocked the XIT with enough longhorns to make a stampede look like a stroll through the park. We're talkin' **150 cowboys, 600 horses, and a cattle herd numbering in the 150,000s. Yeehaw!
Busts, Rustlers, and Business Blues
But hold your horses, partners, because this ain't all sunshine and six-shooters. Cattle prices took a nosedive in the late 1880s, leaving the XIT Ranch with a financial saddle sore. Cattle rustlers saw their chance to snag some free steaks, and those pesky Mexican wolves weren't exactly helping matters.
"Drought, debt, and dang varmints!" That's what the wranglers might have been grumbling under their breath.
The XIT Fades, But the Legend Lives On
By 1912, the XIT decided to call it quits on the cattle business. The land was slowly sold off over the next few decades, with the very last parcel finding a new owner in 1963.
Today, you won't find a million-acre XIT Ranch on the map anymore. But the legend lives on! There are still ranches in the area that carry the XIT name, and the spirit of the Wild West (well, maybe not Wild West, but definitely West) still roams the Panhandle.
So next time you're chowing down on a juicy steak, take a moment to remember the XIT Ranch – a tale of ambition, bovine bounty, and a reminder that even the biggest ranches can't outrun the changing times.
