6666 Ranch

Duane's take

Well, friend, what I'm about to tell you comes straight off the official historical marker; this is Duane's telling of the story of the 6666 Ranch. Pull up a chair by the fire, because this one's got the makings of a Texas legend from the very first brand. It starts in 1868, with a young man named Samuel Burk Burnett.

He was born in 1849, which means he was barely nineteen years old when he made a purchase that would eventually reshape the ranching map of this entire state. What did he buy? One hundred head of cattle, branded with four sixes: the 6666 mark, from a man named Frank Crowley, out of Denton.

Now, most nineteen-year-olds are still figurin' out which direction is west. Burk Burnett was building an empire. He took those cattle and established a ranch right there in Wichita County.

But Burk Burnett was not a man who stayed put. In 1893, he began moving his operations further west. He had his eye on something bigger.

He bought the 141,000-acre "8" ranch in southeast King County; bought it straight from the Louisville Land and Cattle Company; and by 1900 he was moving cattle onto that land. Three years later, in 1903, he walked into the King County Courthouse and registered his 6666 brand, making it official. He sited the ranch headquarters right in the town of Guthrie, and that supply house in Guthrie became something more than a storehouse; it served as a store, a bank, and a social gathering point for the whole surrounding country.

That's the kind of operation that puts down roots. Then in 1917, Burnett began construction on a distinctive ranch house headquarters: the kind of structure that tells you whoever built it wasn't planning on going anywhere. And he wasn't.

Now here's where the cattle operation gets interesting. Burnett built his herd through the importation of purebred Hereford and Durham bulls, and the offspring of those animals became consistent winners as feeder cattle in livestock shows nationwide. Nationwide, friend.

Not just county fairs. And the 6666 quarter horses? They became renowned throughout the southwest.

The ranch buildings reflected the full scope of the operation: barns, corrals, bunkhouses, line camp quarters. Wells were dug, windmills were installed to carry water out across the rangeland to the livestock. Every detail attended to.

Burk Burnett passed in 1922, having built something that 100 head of cattle and one young man's determination could eventually become. But the story doesn't end at a gravestone. The foresight he showed was matched (and sustained) by the management and support of descendants who carried that legacy forward.

Today, the 6666 Ranch encompasses 275,000 acres of King County. Fine cattle and champion horses still graze those lands. What started with a brand bought from Frank Crowley of Denton grew into one of the most significant ranches in the history of Texas, and the nation.

Some brands just have a way of lasting.

What the marker says

In 1868, Samuel “Burk” Burnett (1849-1922) purchased 100 head of cattle branded with the “6666” (Four Sixes) mark from Frank Crowley of Denton and established a ranch in Wichita County. In 1893, Burnett began moving his operations further west. After buying the 141,000-acre “8” ranch in southeast King County from the Louisville Land and Cattle Company, he began moving cattle here in 1900. He registered his “6666” brand in the King County Courthouse in 1903 and sited the ranch headquarters in the town of Guthrie. In 1917, Burnett began construction on a distinctive ranch house headquarters. He started his cattle empire through the importation of purebred Hereford and Durham bulls. The resulting offspring soon became consistent winners as feeder cattle in livestock shows nationwide. The 6666 Ranch quarter horses also became renown throughout the southwest. Buildings on the ranch for cowboys and cattle included barns, corrals, bunkhouses and line camp quarters. The most operationally significant were the main residence (or headquarters) and the supply house in Guthrie, which served as a store, bank and social gathering point. Burnett dug water wells and installed windmills to provide water for livestock on the rangeland. Fine cattle and champion horses still graze the lands of the 6666 Ranch and King County. The 6666 Ranch, which encompasses 275,000 acres, represents both the past and present. The foresight of Burk Burnett and the management and support of descendants secured the ranch’s place in the ranching history of the state and nation.