Montana Ranches / The XIT

The famous XIT Ranch in the Texas Panhandle was one of the largest cattle ranches in the world. The very existence of this ranch and the 3 million plus acres it consisted of was responsible for the building of the Texas state capitol building in Austin. Texas was in great need for a new capitol building and the funds necessary for it's construction were acquired by selling this large acreage in the Panhandle region. The acreage was so vast that the XIT ranch range was between twenty and thirty miles in width.

Visit the XIT Museum

American cowboy, circa 1888

If your western road trip happens to take you to the Texas Panhandle region, a stop at the XIT Museum in Dalhart Texas is a good addition to your Texas vacation planner.

Dalhart is located about 85 miles northwest of Amarillo at the junction of Hwy 54 and Hwy 385.The XIT Museum was built in 1952, about forty years after the ranch ceased operations. Exhibits at the museum tell the story of life on the ranch, the large influence the railroad had in building the Panhandle settlements and the story of the county sheriffs who tried to keep law and order in a booming ranching region. The XIT Museum is also very involved in educational programs for students.

The XIT in Montana

Being a part of the Montana ranches is an interesting part of the XIT Ranch history. What was often overlooked was the XIT expansion north into the Wyoming and Montana area. This area specifically was ground zero during the Sioux War about a decade prior. This was the country where the Custer's Battle of the Little Bighorn took place in June of 1876.

 It was only after the Sioux War concluded and the Indians were on reservations that the cattlemen even had the opportunity to graze their herds this far north. Cattlemen had been aware for some time of the good grazing grasses found in Montana and Wyoming. The XIT entered Montana when John V. Farwell, head of the Capitol Syndicate, a group of British investors who owned the XIT, bought a ranch in 1890 in Custer County Montana, about sixty-five miles north of present day Miles City. This was the headquarters for the Montana XIT and to this was added 2 million leased acres.

The northern end of the XIT range was the Missouri River and the southern border the Yellowstone. Ten thousand head of steers were then sent north out of Texas. The difference of course for the cowboy was that there was little to do during the winter months until spring although most cowboys stayed in the XIT bunkhouses during the off season.

Old time cattle branding in the American west

You will find our article at tripsintohistory.com  Cattle Drives and Cowboys interesting as it separates the truth from the fiction as to the everyday life of the western American cowboy.

The excellent book, Historic Ranches of the Old West, by author Bill O'Neal, points out the opportunities the Montana cowboys enjoyed over their XIT Texas counterparts. By the 1890's the XIT Texas ranch was fenced and cross fenced. Open range ranching however was still going on in Montana and this appealed to many Montana cowboys.

Open Range Ranching

The open range method of ranching was disappearing rather fast and the Montana set up allowed cowboys to relive the way ranching was first conducted. Author O'Neal also points out the the massive XIT Ranch at it's peak in Montana had about 65,000 steers and 1,000 cows on the range. The cows were used for beef at the line camps. Another terrific book regarding the old ranches of the American west is The Cattle Kings, by author Lewis Atherton. Atherton goes into detail about the Montana cattle operations and the Montana Club.

The Montana Club was like many other private cattlemen clubs in the west except in Montana mining was very important thus the Montana Club was comprised of operators of both mines and ranches.Today, The Montana Club Building in Helena, Montana is the oldest private members only Club West of the Mississippi still in operation. The club began in 1893. The Original Montana Club had a library, card rooms, and reception rooms. The building was burned in a 1903 fire and was rebuilt the same year.The new building was designed by architect Cass Gilbert. If your western trip takes you to Montana, The Montana Club is located at 24 West Sixth Avenue Helena, MT.

See our Western Trips article on the link below...

A Little Known Old Wild West Show / Buckskin Bill

The Oncoming Settlers

XIT Cowboys, 1891

After the turn of the century, even the old Sioux lands in Montana were beginning to see more and more settlers arrive. This had been a steady process and by 1909 settlers were encroaching on the XIT's leased range.

In addition to this, the XIT land was being sold part by part in Texas. The XIT owners, the Capitol Syndicate, had always planned for the eventual Texas land sell off which would pay off bond holders. This was a major part of the original business plan for the ranch. As more Texas land was being sold to settlers, the cattle count dropped and the need for sending cattle northward to Montana ceased. In October 1909, the XIT Montana operations sold off the last of their holdings in the region.

The XIT Ranch sold off the last of it's Texas cattle in November of 1912 and shortly after that the last of it's property was sold.

(Article copyright Western Trips. Photos and images in the public domain)