He made frequent trips to his ranches on his own custom-designed railroad car, carrying him from Fort Worth to Paducah, Texas. He was director and principal stockholder of the First National Bank of Fort Worth and President of the Ardmore Oil and Gin Milling Co. Since 1900, Burnett had maintained a residence in Fort Worth, where his financial enterprises were headquartered. They had one son, Burk Burnett, Jr., who died in 1917. Burnett and Ruth later divorced, and he married Mary Couts Barradel in 1892. Only their son Tom lived on to have a family and build his own ranching business. They had three children, two of whom, sadly, died young. Loyd, founder of the First National Bank of Fort Worth. In his personal life, Burnett, at age 20, had married Ruth B. These two large purchases, along with some later additions, amounted to a third of a million acres. The 8 Ranch became the nucleus of the present day Four Sixes TM (6666) Ranch. A purchase around 1900 of the 8 Ranch near Guthrie, Texas, in King County from the Louisville Land and Cattle Co., and the Dixon Creek Ranch near Panhandle, Texas, from the Cunard Line marked the beginning of the Burnett Ranches empire. The only protection the cowman had was the private ownership of land. In fact, it was Roosevelt, during a trip to Texas in 1910, who encouraged the town of Nesterville to be renamed “Burkburnett” in honor of his friend.Īs the 19th Century drew to a close, the end of the open range was apparent. The friendship which developed between Burnett and the President grew. The highlight of the visit was an unusual bare-handed hunt for coyotes and wolves. Burk Burnett, his son Tom, and a small group of ranchers entertained the old Roughrider in rugged Texas style. In the spring of 1905, Roosevelt came west for a visit to the Indian lands and the ranchers whom he had helped. Roosevelt gave the ranchers two more years, allowing them time to find new ranges for their herds. Burnett traveled to Washington, D.C., where he met with President Theodore Roosevelt to ask for an extension on the lease. The much-needed lease continued until the early 1900s at which time the federal government ordered the land turned back to the tribes. As a sign of their regard for Burnett, the Comanches gave him a name in their own language: “MAS-SA-SUTA,” meaning “Big Boss.” Where other cattle kings fought Indians and the harsh land to build empires, Burnett learned Comanche ways, passing both the love of the land and his friendship with the Indians to his family. The cattle baron had a strong feeling for Indian rights, and his respect for these native peoples was genuine.
Quanah grew to be a great leader of his people and eventually a friend of white leaders and ranches in the Southwest.īurnett kept running 10,000 cattle until the end of the lease. She married Peta Nocona, war chief of the Noconi band of the Comanches. Quanah’s mother was the white woman, Cynthia Ann Parker, who was captured in a raid on Parker’s Fort in 1836. Not only was Burnett able to acquire the use of some 300,000 acres of grassland, he gained the friendship of the Comanche leader. So Burnett negotiated with legendary Comanche Chief Quanah Parker (1845-1911) for the lease of the Indian lands. He was one of the first ranchers in Texas to buy steers and graze them for market. The next year, he sold the cattle for a profit of $10,000. Burnett survived the panic of 1873 by holding over 1,100 steers he had driven to market in Wichita, Kansas, through the winter. With the title to the cattle came ownership of the brand. Burk, 10 years old at the time of the move, began watching the nature of the cow business and learned from his father.Īt age 19, Burk went into business for himself with the purchase of 100 head of cattle, which were wearing the 6666 brand. His parents were in the farming business, but in 1857-58, conditions caused them to move from Missouri to Denton County, Texas, where Jerry Burnett became involved in the cattle business. 1, 1849, to Jeremiah and Mary Turner Burnett, Samuel Burk Burnett became one of the most well known and respected ranchers in Texas.
0 kommentar(er)
