The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-02-01
A RANCH That is A RANCH.
uore Than Three Million Acres in Area, Of
Value Ten Million Dollars.

vt vi
uore Than Three Million Acres in Area, of
Value Ten Million Dollars.
Chicago Record: The largest ranch
n the world is to be found in Texas.
This immense domain is known as the
x. l. T. ranch, and is owned by Chi
ago capitalists.
This ranch IS so extensive that some
states could not contain it. Connect-
cut, for example, could not hold it by
.everal thousand acres. The two states
If Rhode Island and Delaware COM
Dined could not contain this great
ranch, which consists of more than
100000 acres, or almost 5000 square
niles.
needed Il new state capitol, the legis-
ature adopted novel plan to get it.
A promise was held forth that vast
:ract Of unappropriated land would be
given in, exchange for a suitable gran
tc building at Austin. Among those
tempted by this offer We're ex-senator
Charles b. Farwell and his brother
Iohn, who ultimately formed syndi-
:ate in Chicago and took upon them
selves the responsibility of erecting the
proposed capitol. In due time they
.ane into the possession of this domain
known as the X. l. T. ranch.
The ranch IS situated in the extreme
northwest corner of the panhandle of
Texas. and covers or touches nine diff
.erent counties. It's northern boundary
IS mo Mans Land" now part of the
territory of Oklahoma, and Its western
limit is the line between Texas and
New Mexico. In width from east to
WesD 1t averages about twenty-five
miles. In length it is about 200 miles.
The land lies in what is known as the
~ fo rod nj, y, i,rl,,1 1lptn
IS mostly of a black or chocolate color
very fertile-and covered with thick
coat of buffalo or mesquite, grama and
other grasses, which cure, on the
ground and furnish winter as well as
summer pasture for stock of all kinds.
At the southern end of the tract the
altitude Is about 1890 feet and at the
northern end about 4.700. The climate
IS pronounced to be very delightful, the
air being bracing, though dry.
When the Farwells obtained the land
they inclosed it with substantial
barbed wire fence. There are many
ross fences upon it, separating the ter
:itory into from twenty to thirty large
divisions, besides many small ones. To
make these fences it required 1,b00
miles of barbed wire. The syndicate
also built ranch houses, bored and dug
wells, of which there are now $50, aver
aging 120 feet in depth, and having
earthen or wooden reservoirs and
drinking attachments. erected wind
inills over the wells: built dams across
arroyos to conserve the rainfall, and in
various other ways made the place
suitable for successful ranch ON a
large scale. They placed cattle upon
1t as fast as it could be put in safe con-
dition to receive them. and haye since
continued to add to the herd from time
to time by purchase and breeding until
they have at present about 125000 cat
tie, besides l,600 horses. The calf crop
branded in 1899 exceeded $4,000 head.
The whole property is valued at S10,-
100000.
I, Mr.. Boyce has supervision over the
whole property, being assisted by seven
Coremen, each one of whom is repspon-
sible for one Of the principal divisions.
Each Of these divisions of itself would
form large ranch.
When cattle have reached such a
Size as to become marketable they are
sent to Chicago. Not al are slaugh-
tered there, however, as many go still
farther east and are eventually shipped
to distributing points in Europe.
One of the surprising things in con-
nection with this huge enterprise is the
fact that all the duties are performed
by force of about 125 men, or on an
average, only one m.n for every $4,000
acres. There are houses, barns, etc, at
the seven divisions. as we'll as line
lamps, where there are small buildings.
The men assigned to the camps repair
the fences, oil the hundreds of wind
mills and busy themselves in other
work of this sort. Some of the squads
have no house in which to sta,., but
ore provided with a chuck wagon to
moi ON
from place to place. All are fed by the
company, each division having freight
wagons to haul supplies from points on
the railroad where they are bought.
One might naturally imagine that tho
yearly loss Of cattle would be enormous
on; such a ranch. AS a matter of fact
1t Is not, being claimed In this instance,
Snly from 2 to per cent. This loss
Is chiefly due, not to disease. but to the
occasional severe weather in winter.