Spring Lake Pasture Division of the XIT Ranch
Hart, Castro County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Encompassing land in ten counties of the Texas Panhandle, the XIT Ranch was established through the exchange of public lands to finance construction of the State Capitol. In 1887, it was divided into seven divisions, the largest of which, the Spring Lake Pasture Division, covered parts of Parmer, Castro, Bailey, and Lamb counties. Its northern boundary line, near this site, ran across what is now U.S. Highway 385. Noted for breeding Hereford cattle, the Spring Lake division also served as an election polling place for citizens in Castro, Bailey, and Lamb counties. (1991)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The vast XIT Ranch, sprawling across ten Panhandle counties, was created when Texas traded three million acres of public land to finance construction of its new State Capitol. In 1887 the ranch was split into seven divisions, the largest being the Spring Lake Pasture Division covering parts of Parmer, Castro, Bailey, and Lamb counties. Famed for breeding Hereford cattle, the division also served as a polling place for the region's scattered voters.
Why it matters
The XIT Ranch is one of the legendary cattle empires of the American West, and a striking case of how public land financed the institutions of a young state.
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Irrigation Well in Lamb County
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In 1902, ranch hands dug this well by hand to water the crops, cattle, and household of Ewing Halsell, son of land promoter W. E. Halsell. Only thirty feet deep but six feet across, it fed an irrigation ditch that carried water half a mile to the headquarters of the "Mashed O" Ranch on the dry Texas high plains. It marks one of the first attempts to irrigate this arid corner of Lamb County.
Spring Lake
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Long before fences crossed the High Plains, this spring on the Llano Estacado drew Native hunters who camped and watered here while pursuing the great buffalo herds. In 1882 Tom Lynch trailed cattle up from New Mexico and the surrounding country turned to open range, and after the Capitol Syndicate acquired the land the site became headquarters of the largest division of the sprawling XIT Ranch. The State of Texas raised this marker in 1936 during the Texas Centennial to fix that layered history in place.
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