Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-11-19
GREAT PASTURES OF TEXAS.
Enormous Areas that Are Under the
Control of n Single Management.

st. Louis Globe-Democrat
Very few people at n distance, IN think
ing of Western Texas, understand that
yearly the whole Of Il is at present fcuo-
Cd NJ In mammoth pastures, yet such
IL the case. Many of them arp larger
than ordinary counties, and some Of
them embrace lsr1so parts o. three or
four counties,
Just west Of Belcheryiile Texas. come
tho Silycrsteiu, the Hard and the Wor-
sham pastures, This latter contains 10
900 acres, and has one llnc Of fence
twenty-three miles long. Pastures OF
about this size continue In almost unbrok'
On session until we reach Armstrong
county. There we find what Is known
as tho Goodnight ranch, the southern
boundary Of which ~ little aifing Of
fence eiFllythree miles long. Charley
Goodnight the owner Is famllnrly
known ~ considered ono Of the richest
mon IN the Panhandle. but / really feel
sorry for his boys II hc ever sends them
out on a hot afternoon 70 stop hog
holes In that line Of fence. II rs hardly
likely that this IL the case, however,
as all Of the fences 81 this country nr0
built TO turn cattle and without refer
ence to hogs. There Is little station
called Goodnight. which consists Of the
Goodnight residence and the depot. Mr..
Goodnight lives in almost baroninl style.
His park contains deer a drove Of cltE.
and one Of tho few herds Of buffalo 10
be found In the United States.
Another fair-siged holding Of land Is
that Of the Sspueln cattle company
This contains over 100000 acres, and
takes Ia parts Of Dickens, Crosby aud
Emma counties, II the land were In tho
form Of square, 1t would be about
fifty miles each way. The Mntn10r is
smaller. but sin includes rathnr more
than 100000 acres Those are both
owned by syndicateg with headquarters
In London, and they are only two se-
| lecied Of random ont Of large number
They have their bearing In politics II
| ii were not for the rnilr1ad commission,
the uniform text book bill and the allen
| land holder question, Texas pollties would
not not be worth ghucks.
The largest Of these allen land hold
| ings belongs TO what IL called the Capt.
| tol Ryudicate A few years ago the Old
| capitol at Austin burned down, and II
was decided 10 build another on mag
nldeent scale. An English syndicate
agreed 10 put II mp, aud 10 payment
therefor they received 3.OOO,O0O acres
of public lands. Does the reader real
he how dig 3.OO0.OO0 acres OF land isi
| miles wide aud extending clear across
| the state Of Missouri nt u northern bOr-
| dor. Such strip would include tho
whole northern tier Of counties. and
would be larger thnu teFrfnl hihief OF
| Tho Union. This would DC about the
extent Of the Capitol syndichte's pasture,
| Few people have any idea that there
| Is such a thing as single pasture ia
| one body and within one fence larger
| than some states IN the Union, yet such
Is the fact. il takes IN hnlf Of Denf
Smith county, and parts OF several 9th
| crH.
Another large pasture Is that Of the
X. /. n cattle company. II begins with
| tbe Colombo line md extends several
counties back this way. The Fort Worth
| Some idea Of its sze may be gathered
| from The fact that the regular night
| express train enters on the south side
| of the pasture al # 90. and, after con
| tlnuons running. leaves u al 3s2O next
| morning, a pasture which u tnkes an
| express train three hours and ahar-
/ Ter 10 cross would be considered large
/ Ia some countries.