6666 Ranch
Guthrie, King County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1868, Samuel “Burk” Burnett (1849-1922) purchased 100 head of cattle branded with the “6666” (Four Sixes) mark from Frank Crowley of Denton and established a ranch in Wichita County. In 1893, Burnett began moving his operations further west. After buying the 141,000-acre “8” ranch in southeast King County from the Louisville Land and Cattle Company, he began moving cattle here in 1900. He registered his “6666” brand in the King County Courthouse in 1903 and sited the ranch headquarters in the town of Guthrie. In 1917, Burnett began construction on a distinctive ranch house headquarters. He started his cattle empire through the importation of purebred Hereford and Durham bulls. The resulting offspring soon became consistent winners as feeder cattle in livestock shows nationwide. The 6666 Ranch quarter horses also became renown throughout the southwest. Buildings on the ranch for cowboys and cattle included barns, corrals, bunkhouses and line camp quarters. The most operationally significant were the main residence (or headquarters) and the supply house in Guthrie, which served as a store, bank and social gathering point. Burnett dug water wells and installed windmills to provide water for livestock on the rangeland. Fine cattle and champion horses still graze the lands of the 6666 Ranch and King County. The 6666 Ranch, which encompasses 275,000 acres, represents both the past and present. The foresight of Burk Burnett and the management and support of descendants secured the ranch’s place in the ranching history of the state and nation.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1868 Samuel "Burk" Burnett bought 100 head of cattle carrying the "6666" brand and launched a ranching dynasty, moving his operations west into King County around 1900 and registering the famous Four Sixes brand at the county courthouse in 1903. From headquarters at Guthrie, Burnett imported purebred Hereford and Durham bulls whose offspring won livestock shows nationwide, and the ranch's quarter horses became renowned across the Southwest. Now spanning 275,000 acres and still run by Burnett's descendants, the 6666 remains a working monument to the cattle frontier.
Why it matters
The great Texas ranches turned the open range into an industry and a legend, and the enduring 6666 bridges the vanished cattle frontier with the living business of American ranching.
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Related people
- · Samuel "Burk" Burnett
- · Frank Crowley
Themes & tags
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