Tom Lloyd Burnett
Iowa Park, Wichita County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The son of noted rancher Burk Burnett, for whom the nearby town of Burkburnett (18 miles northeast) was named, Tom L. Burnett (b. 1871) became one of the leading area cattlemen. Trained on his father's 6666 (four sixes) Ranch, Tom later owned the local Triangle Ranch, as well as range land in Cottle and Foard counties. A prominent civic leader and philanthropist, he was known for his friendliness to Indians, including the famous Chief Quanah Parker. His support of area rodeos earned him the nickname, the "Rodeo King". Tom Burnett died in his residence at this site in 1938.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Son of the noted rancher Burk Burnett, Tom L. Burnett was raised on the famous 6666 Ranch and became a leading cattleman in his own right, running the Triangle Ranch and range land across several North Texas counties. A civic leader and philanthropist, he was known for his friendship with Native people, including the celebrated Comanche chief Quanah Parker, and for his backing of area rodeos, which earned him the nickname the "Rodeo King." He died at his residence on this site in 1938.
Why it matters
Burnett embodies the ranching dynasties that defined North Texas, and his ties to Quanah Parker mark the complicated meeting of cattle empire and Comanche country on the southern plains.
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Related people
- · Tom L. Burnett
- · Burk Burnett
- · Quanah Parker
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Van Dorn Trail
Iowa Park, TX
In September 1858, Brevet Major Earl Van Dorn led 200 troopers of the elite 2nd U.S. Cavalry across this stretch of North Texas, blazing the county's first important wagon road as he pushed toward Comanche country. Ahead rode young "Sul" Ross with 100 reservation scouts guided by the loyal Tonkawa chief Placido. The campaign that followed brought sharp fighting near Rush Springs and later victories in Kansas, and the trail's deep ruts, cut by army supply wagons, later guided pioneer settlers into the region.
Felix L. Lindsey
Wichita Falls, TX
Born in Kentucky in 1847 to a mulatto mother and a full-blood Creek father, Felix Lindsey carried food to Union troops as a boy during the Civil War before joining the U.S. Army in 1882 with the 10th Cavalry "Buffalo Soldiers" at Fort Davis. His unit pursued Geronimo across Arizona in 1885, where he was wounded three times before a leg injury ended his career in 1893. He then settled in Wichita Falls, married, raised nine children and ran a cleaning business until his death in 1939 at age 92.
Burnett Horse Ranch
Burkburnett, TX
In the 1870s cattleman Samuel Burk Burnett launched his famous 6666 (Four Sixes) ranch in Wichita County. When drought struck the 1880s, Burnett and neighboring ranchers leased vast grazing lands from the Comanche and Kiowa across the Red River in Indian Territory, and he acquired land for a dedicated horse ranch during the outfit's greatest years of expansion and selective breeding. His son Tom kept ranching in the county after headquarters moved to King County; the family sold the horse ranch in 1906.
First County Officials
Wichita Falls, TX
The first Anglo-American settlers reached Wichita County in 1856, but frontier conflict with Native peoples—for whom the county was named—delayed its formal organization until 1882. That year residents finally seated a full slate of officials, from Judge James S. Akers and Attorney Robert E. Huff down to the inspector of hides and animals. The roster captures the moment a raw frontier district became a functioning county.