View source for XIT Ranch

The original home of the XIT was at Dalhart, Tex. It was owned by the [[Capitol Land and Cattle Co.]] In Montana the headquarters were on [[Cedar Creek]] near [[Fallon, Montana]]. At one time it was the largest cattle outfit in the United States, and the company's holdings covered ten counties in the Texas panhandle. It was given this land for building the capitol at Austin, Tex.

The company built miles and miles of fence, then stocked the ranch with cattle that were trailed in. [[Ab Blocker]] was the trail boss. He was asked about the brand. He studied a bit, then with his boot heel he marked out an XIT in the dirt. He said, "That would be a good brand. Get branding." Old Ab began roping. He was one of the best ropers in Texas.

[[Bob Fudge]] said of Blocker, "Ab and his brother, [[John Blocker|John]], were the best ropers that ever hit the trail from Texas to Canada. Ab was also named the best 'trail boss' ever to bring cattle up the trail."

The Blocker Loop was used in catching cattle by both front feet, throwing them to the ground and holding them there. It was invented by Blocker and was a certain way of twisting the wrist as the rope left the hand. It was famous along all the cattle trails to Montana.

The horses which our outfit sold to Cheetum were also branded over. They were held in bunches by us cowboys. Then Ab Blocker roped them around the neck or by the feet. He roped by the hind foot. That took daring and skill but he had lots of both. Some of the horses which he roped were heavier than the horse he was riding. The horses would be thrown to the ground and branded in the same manner as cattle were branded.

When the XIT ranch was fully stocked, the cowboys had branded 65,000 head of calves. A lot of men were employed by the company. Each unit had a boss. Some of the wagon bosses were [[Bob Duke]], Ab Blocker, [[Scandlas John]]. and [[Milt Whipple]]. More range was needed. Like other large southern spreads the company began trailing cattle to Montana. The trail was long, dusty and sometimes treacherous. It took real cowboys to make that trip successfully. The herds of about 2,500 head would leave Texas in early April. Usually they got to the Montana headquarters north of Fallon about the first of July.

Four herds of 2,500 two-year-old steers came over the trail in 1895 or 1896. They were the last cattle trailed north by the company. The trail bosses were [[Gene Ellison]], [[Tom Skenes]], Milt Whipple, and Scandlas John. The northern range foreman was [[0. C. Cato]]. This range was between the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers and east of the Musselshell River in Montana.

For many years the company ran two roundup wagons. [[Henry Ross]] was one boss. [[Rufe Morris]], Bob Fudge and [[L. D. MacMakin]] were others. Different times my work as a rep was with those men. One time I recall Rule's wagon and my work with other reps, [[Joe Darcy]], [[Bill Haley]], [[Gill Fukay]], 'Possurnface' [[Jack Lennon]], 'Whiskey' [[Dick Howden]], 'Teepee' [[Dick Tepole]] and [[George Twible]]. [[John Williams]] was the cook.

Working with Fudge's wagon were [[Charlie Clements]], [[John Marsh]], [[Al Petit]], [[Ed Valentine]], N----- Newt Glendenning, [[Ben Bird]], [[Skion Robinson]], [[Emmet Glidewell]], [[Andy Jones]], and 'Montana Bill' Roberts.

With MacMakin's wagon were [[Billy Sanders]], 'Smoky' Nichols, 'Black' [[Lee Warren]], [[Frank Evans]], Al Petit. Smith was the cook.

Other cowboys with whom I worked with the XIT wagon outfits were [[Jeff Nicks]], [[Lou Wesner]], 'White' [[Lee Warren]], [[Dan Garrison]], [[Tommy Garrison]], [[Smith White]], [[George King]], and [[Jesse Slaughter]].

When working the range, Rufe Morris generally worked from the mouth of the Yellowstone to the [[Redwater Creek]], [[Cherry Creek]] and sometimes [[Custer Creek]]. Fudge would work up the Yellowstone to [[Muggins Creek]], then down to [[South Sunday Creek]], Custer Creek and then get the [[Little Dry]], [[Big Dry]] and finish on [[Hungry Creek]]. Shipping was over [[Northern Pacific Railroad]] from [[Fallon, Montana]] and [[Miles City, Montana]]. After the [[Milwaukee Road]] was built in 1908 shipping was from [[Saugus, Montana]] too. We liked that very much, as we no longer had to swim across the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers.

The best beef herd that I ever saw was when the [[-X-]] outfit closed out. They throwed all their cattle on the general roundup on Cherry. Custer. and Cedar Creeks. The first roundup was on Cedar Creek. We cut over a thousand Black Angus steers from one roundup outfit. They were five years older or more. At that time the "X" outfit year-branded all their calves. The year figure was put on the right hip just below the X. Thus the age was told at a glance. Many steers were more than eight years old. The year had been good. They were all fat. They were mighty waspy to handle. too! They would often stampede, day or night! Over 16,000 cattle from the XIT were shipped that fall.

We hated to see the wagons pull in that fall. We knew that was the end of one of the best cow outfits that ever ran cattle on any range. It was time to say goodbye to cowboy friends, a sad time.