Colonel C. C. Slaughter
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Christopher Columbus Slaughter was the first native born cattle king of Texas. While living on the west Texas frontier he was a ranger, Confederate beef supplier, and trail driver. His ranching empire, including the Long S and Lazy S ranches, totaled over one million acres. In the early 1870s he moved to Dallas, where he founded, and was an officer in, three early banks. An initiator of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Assn., he was also noted for his philanthropy to Baptist schools, churches, and hospitals, especially Baylor Hospital.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Christopher Columbus Slaughter, the first native-born cattle king of Texas, ranged the west Texas frontier as a ranger, Confederate beef supplier, and trail driver before building a ranching empire of more than a million acres. In the early 1870s he moved to Dallas, where he founded and led three early banks and helped launch the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Renowned for his philanthropy to Baptist schools, churches, and hospitals, he left a mark on both the open range and the growing city.
Why it matters
Slaughter bridges the frontier cattle era and the rise of urban Dallas, embodying how ranching fortunes seeded Texas banking and civic institutions.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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