Almost as large as the XIT ranch of old Texas.The XIT Ranch in the 1880s was the largest range in the world under fence and it all laid in the Texas Panhandle. It’s three million acres sprawled from the old Yellow House headquarters, near what is now Lubbock, Texas, northward to the Oklahoma Panhandle, in an irregular strip that was roughly 30 miles wide.
It covered portions of ten counties which apparently helped perpetuate the misbelief that the brand -XIT- stands for “Ten In Texas”. The brand, in fact, was originated to thwart rustlers.
In 1885 the first cattle, long of leg and long of horn, rolled onto the XIT. Thousands of hooves drummed up the trail and the longhorns were pushed on to the No. 1 division headquarters at Buffalo Springs, 32 miles north of Dalhart, now easily available by modern highway. Once the ranch ran 150,000 head of cattle.
***XIT, The brand, in fact, was originated to thwart rustlers.***
Rustlers found a way to modify the brand to a star with a cross in the center.
There’s a station in Oz that’s 5,849,600 acres. That’s a big ranch.