6666 Dixon Creek Ranch
Panhandle, Carson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Takes name from creek where noted buffalo hunter and scout Billy Dixon established first dugout home on High Plains, 1874. Ranch founded, 1882, by Francklyn Land and Cattle Co., English firm backed by Cunard Steamship Co. Fenced, 1884, with barbed wire hauled here from railroad at Dodge City; posts were of Palo Duro Canyon cedars. Purchased in 1903 by S. Burk Burnett (1849-1922), trail driver, rancher; an organizer and for 45 years on executive board, Texas Cattle Raisers Association. Host during 1905 wolf hunt to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. (1965) (Ranch not open to public.)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Panhandle ranch takes its name from Dixon Creek, where the famed buffalo hunter and scout Billy Dixon dug the first High Plains home in 1874. Founded in 1882 by an English cattle company backed by Cunard steamship money, the spread was fenced in 1884 with barbed wire hauled from the railhead at Dodge City. Cattleman Burk Burnett bought it in 1903 and, two years later, hosted President Theodore Roosevelt for a celebrated wolf hunt.
Why it matters
The ranch's arc from buffalo range to barbed-wire empire captures the swift transformation of the open plains into the modern cattle industry, complete with foreign capital and a visiting president.
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Related people
- · Billy Dixon
- · S. Burk Burnett
- · Theodore Roosevelt
Related events
- · 1905 wolf hunt
Themes & tags
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