6666 Ranch
The Four Sixes Ranch, stylized as 6666 Ranch, is a ranch in King County, Texas, as well as Carson County and Hutchinson County.
Location
[edit]The main section of the ranch is located near the town of Guthrie in King County, Texas.[1][2] It spans 350,000 acres (550 sq mi; 140,000 ha) of land.[3] The main ranch house is off U.S. Highway 82.[4] The Dixon Creek section spans 108,000 acres (169 sq mi; 44,000 ha) of land in Carson and Hutchinson counties.[4] The Dixon Creek runs through this section of the ranch near Panhandle, Texas.[5][6]
History
[edit]
The ranch was established by Samuel Burk Burnett in 1900 after he purchased the land from the Louisville Land and Cattle Company.[3][7] Legend has it that he won the ranch from a card game, where he scored four sixes.[3] However, Burnett and his descendants have denied this folklore tale.[3] Instead, the name comes from the first herd he raised on the ranch, which was branded "6666".[3]
Burnett raised purebred Herefords and Durham bulls, which won national prizes at livestock shows all over the United States.[4] He also bred purebred quarter horses.[4] In 1918, 2,000 head of cattle were killed by a blizzard.[4] Three years later, in 1921, oil was found on the ranch, thus turning it into a very profitable enterprise.[4]
After Burnett's death in 1920, the ranch was inherited by his granddaughter, Anne Valliant Burnett Tandy.[7] She purchased Grey Badger II and Hollywood Gold, two show horses which lived on the ranch.[4] By 1936, there were 20,000 Hereford cattle on the ranch.[4] In the 1960s and 1970s, the barn on the ranch was used in advertisements for Marlboro, the cigarette brand.[3][4] In 1975, scenes of the movie Mackintosh and T.J. were filmed on the ranch.[4]
In 1980, the ranch was passed on to Burnett's great-granddaughter, Anne Windfohr Marion, and his great-great-granddaughter, Wendi Grimes.[4] Marion co-managed the ranch with her fourth husband, John L. Marion.[3][7] They bred Brangus cattle with Herefords to produce the Black Baldy, a cattle breed resistant to cedar flies.[4] A hundred broodmares are bred on the ranch every year.[7]
As of 3 December 2020[update], the ranch was being sold in accordance with the will of owner Anne Burnett Marion, who had died in February that year; it was listed on the market for a total of $347.7 million.[citation needed] In May 2021, a buyer group represented by screenwriter Taylor Sheridan purchased the ranch.[8][9]
Paintings depicting portions of the ranch have been painted by Tom Ryan and Mondel Rogers.[4] A barn from the ranch has been moved to the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas.[4]
In popular culture
[edit]An unnamed television series based on the ranch was introduced as a backdoor pilot, during the fourth season of the drama series Yellowstone, released November 7, 2021, via the Paramount+ streaming service.[10] Signs of the ranch can also be spotted in the drama series Landman.
Involvement in Sports
[edit]6666 Ranch has sponsored the 23 car for Ryan Hunter-Reay, driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, in the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series.
References
[edit]- ^ Tom Ryan & The 6666 Ranch of King County, Texas, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum: Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center
- ^ About 6666 Ranch
- ^ a b c d e f g Erin Davies, "The Biggest Ranches", Texas Monthly, August 1998
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n H. Allen Anderson, "FOUR SIXES RANCH". Handbook of Texas Online, accessed November 09, 2014. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ H. Allen Anderson, "DIXON CREEK (CARSON COUNTY)", Handbook of Texas Online, accessed November 11, 2014. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ Chappell, Henry and Wyman Meinzer. 2004. 6666: Portrait of a Texas Ranch. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Press.
- ^ a b c d "American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum: 6666 Ranch". Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- ^ Dan Solomon (7 May 2021). "Historic 6666 Ranch Almost Twice the Size of Chicago Gets the Perfect Steward". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ KCBD Staff (3 May 2021). "Historic west Texas 6666's Ranch sold to 'Yellowstone' creator". www.kcbd.com. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ "Yellowstone: 6666 Release Date, Cast, And Plot - What We Know So Far". looper.com. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
External links
[edit]
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|