The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-11-22
THE GREAT PASTURES OF TEXAS
Enormous Areas that are Under the Control
of a Single Management.
TSt. Louis Globe Democfat. |

Very few people at distace in thinking
Of western Texas, understand that nearly
the whole of it is atpresent fenced up in
mammoth pastures, yet such is the case.
Many of them are larger than ordinary
counties, and some of them embrace
large parts of three or four counties.
Just west OF BelcherYille, Texas, come
the Silvertiein, the lkard, and Worsham
pastures. This latter contains $4,000 acres,
and has one line of fence twenty-three
miles long. Pastures of about this
size continue in almost unbroken sue
cession until we reach Armstrong County.
There we find what is known as the
Goodnight range, the southern boundary
of which is a little string of fence eighty
three miles long. Charley Goodnight,
as tie owner is familiarly known, is
considered one of the richest men IN the
Panhandle, but I really feel sorry for
his boys if he ever sends them out on
a hot :fternoon to stop hog holes in that
line OF fence. It is hardly likely that this
is the case, however, as all fences in this
country are built to turn cattle and with
out reference to hogs. There is little
railway station called Goodnight which
consists of the Goodnight residence and
the depot. Mr.. Goodnight lives in almost
baronial style. His park contains deer,
a drove of elks, and one of the few herds
of buffaloes to be found in the United
States.
Another fair-sized holding of land is
that of the Espinella Cattle Company.
This contains over 100000 acres and
takes in parts Of Dickens, Crosby, and
Emma Counties. If the land were in the
form of square it would be about fifty
miles each way. The Matterdore is
smaller, but still includes rather more
than 100000 acres These are both
owned by syndica les, with headquarters in
London, and they are only two selected
at random out of large number. They
have their bearing on State politics
If it were not for the Railroad 'Commls-
sion, the uniform Text Book bill, and
the alien landhoider question, Texas
politics would not be worth shucks.
The largest of these alien land hold
ing belongs to what is called the Capitol
syndicate, A few years ago the old Capitol
at Austin burned down, and it was decld-
ed to build another on a magnificent
scale. An English syndicate agreed to
put it up, and in payment therefor they
received 100000 acres of public lands
Does the reader realize how big 3,OOO,-
900 acres of lands is? Imagine slice OF
land twenty-four miles wide and extending
across the State of Missouri at its north
ern border. Such strip would include
the whole northern tier of counties, anC
would be larger than several States of the
Union. This would be about the extent
of the Capitol syndicate's pasture. Few
people have any idea that there is such {
thing as single pasture, in one body anG
within one fence, larger than some State:
in the Union, yet such is the fact. tMort
than that, it is owned by foreign syndi
cate. It takes in half the Deaf Smith
County and parts of several others.
Another large pasture is that OF thu
x. 7. T.. Cattle Company. 1tbegins witt
the Colorado line and extends severa
counties back this way. The Fort Worth
and Denver Railroad runs through it
Some idea of its size nay be gathered
from the fact that the regular night ex
press train enters on the south side of tb
pasture at HOS, and, after continuou
running, leaves it at 3:20 next morning
A pasture which it takes an express trail
three hours and a quarter to cross woult
be considered large in some countries.