A Legacy Branded on the Plains

The 6666s Ranch Built a Legacy of Innovation in Becoming a Symbol of Ranching Excellence in Texas

by Dolores McCall Mosser

It was BIG NEWS on January 22, 2022, when the “Sale of the Century” was announced. The legendary 6666 (Four Sixes) Ranch with 266,255 acres, superior cattle and horses, and oil leases in King, Carson, and Sherman Counties of the Texas Panhandle, was sold to a group headed by screenwriter/producer Taylor Sheridan. The asking price for the ranch was in the neighborhood of $350 million. Sheridan was news-worthy due to his wildly popular television series, “Yellowstone” and spin-off “1883,” as well as an upcoming series based on the Four Sixes.

According to the ranch website, the Four Sixes Ranch is “a historic Texas ranch built on a legacy of people with passion, quarter horses with pedigree and cattle with heritage” as well as, having “a family legacy of cattle, horses, oil and stewardship” and lastly, promoting “brands with a background.”

Fittingly, the history of the Four Sixes Ranch runs as if “scripted” in Hollywood. These dynamic, successful, and powerful individuals with unique talents and abilities could, in fact, encompass an entire issue of Authentic Texas magazine. The “cast” includes:

Left Four Sixes founder Burk Burnett on horseback | Courtesy University of North Texas Libraries Right Comanche leader Quanah Parker and his friend Burk Burnett | Courtesy TracesofTexas, x.com

Captain Samuel “Burk” Burnett (1849-1922) Born in Missouri, Burk’s family sought a better life in Texas and arrived in Denton County in 1858. His father engaged in the cattle business and at the age of nineteen, the young cowboy began his ranching empire with the purchase of 100 head of cattle each branded with four sixes (6666). He now owned his first herd and the brand; the following year (1869) Burk married Ruth Loyd.

Ruth was the daughter of Martin B. Loyd, the first permanent banker in Fort Worth which was at that time a thriving supply center on the Chisolm Trail. With the marriage of Ruth and Burk, a union of Loyd money and Burnett cattle was created. In 1877, Loyd and his associates organized the First National Bank of Fort Worth and in 1883, Burk was named to that bank’s Board of Directors. The two families shared great influence in the Texas cattle industry and a new venture, horse racing. The marriage produced three children, however, the only surviving child was their son, Thomas Loyd Burnett. Burk and Ruth would later divorce.

Burk was an advocate for long-term grazing prior to taking cattle to market. His first big payoff was in 1874, when his fattened steers sold for a profit of $10,000. Burk wanted to increase his herds, so he looked across the Red River to Indian Territory comprised of lush Oklahoma prairies. Negotiations with Quanah Parker, the prominent leader of the Comanche Nation, resulted in a lease of 300,000 acres of grassland to graze 10,000 head of cattle and a long-lasting liaison, both business and personal.

In turn, the Burnett/Parker alliance led Burnett into an equally important relationship with President Theodore Roosevelt. In the early 1900s, Burk travelled to Washington and met with Roosevelt to discuss private land-leasing in Indian Territory. In 1905, Roosevelt came to visit Indian Territory. Burk and Tom organized a wolf hunt during the President’s visit. Tom Burnett took great pride in owning the saddle Roosevelt used during the hunt. In 1910, Roosevelt encouraged the citizens of nearby “Nesterville” to change the town’s name to “Burkburnett” to honor the cattleman.

In the early 1900s, with open range grazing ending in Texas, Burk expanded his ranching operations into the Texas Panhandle by obtaining the Figure 8 Ranch at Guthrie and the Dixon Creek Ranch near Panhandle. Being 30 miles from the nearest community created the need to provide ranch supplies and necessities for his cowboys, so Burk oversaw the building and stocking of the Four Sixes Supply House. (Today, that supply house welcomes visitors and is the starting point for taking a tour of the ranch; see information below.)

In 1917, Burk built a home called “the Big House” in Guthrie. With a goal to build “the finest ranch house in West Texas,” the large quarried-stone and three-storied building cost a staggering $100,000. The elegant home, designed for entertaining guests, was filled with fine art and family treasures, and served as a comfortable home and office for the ranch manager.

The long-term friendship between Burk and Quanah Parker was manifested in a collection of gifts from Parker and the Comanche Nation to the Burnetts for the friendship they showed to their Native American neighbors. For many years, the Comanche art and artifacts adorned the walls of the Big House. Today, the collection is owned and exhibited by the National Ranching Heritage Center (NRHC) at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. A duplicate of Burk Burnett’s bedroom from the Big House is a permanent exhibit at the NRHC.

Lastly, as an added finale, Burk’s ranches would yield rich oil reserves from beneath the vast grasslands. Samuel “Burk” Burnett was well on his way to creating a vast fortune as well!

Thomas Loyd “Tom” Burnett (1871-1938) Tom Burnett was a cowboy. He learned the ranching business from the ground up, working the Indian Territory lands near the Wichita Mountains. His first ranching assignment came at the age of 16. Like his father, Tom had close relationships with Quanah Parker and the Comanche. He was managing the 50,000-acre Burnett Ranch in Burkburnett when he married Olive Lake (1891). This marriage would add a dramatic twist in the Four Sixes saga.

Tom inherited great wealth when his Grandfather Loyd died in 1912. The Loyd legacy included immense landholdings in the Wichita Falls area and prized horses. The Loyd’s “L” brand, like the 6666, is still used today. Tom bought more land, and his wealth greatly increased when oil was also discovered on his ranch properties. Like his father, Tom knew cattle and horses and was respected by his workers because he was respectful of them. He was destined to grow his family legacy and prominence in Texas history. A daughter, Ann Valliant Burnett, was born in 1900.

Before Burk Burnett died in 1922, Tom and Olive divorced, setting the stage for an amazing turn of events. Unhappy with the dissolved marriage due to his endearment to Olive, Burk willed the bulk of his estate in a trusteeship for the children born to his granddaughter Anne. Tom received $25,000 a year and Olive received a life trust.

Left The original Four Sixes main house | Courtesy 6666Ranch.com Right Cowboys eat together from the Four Sixes Ranch chuck wagon. | Courtesy University of North Texas Libraries

Tom expanded his own properties, including the Triangle Ranch of Iowa Park and Paducah, to 100,000 acres. He discovered new interests – rodeo promotions, improving cattle genetics, and raising Palomino horses that he featured in fairs and rodeos. He was a major stockholder in the Iowa Park State Bank. Tom supported many civic events, community causes, and initiated a school lunch program during the Depression of the 1930s.

Tom Burnett died in 1938, leaving his estate to his only child, Anne Valliant Burnett. He was greatly admired in the cattle world, and was said to have lived his life as a true representative of the “Old West” showing his love of country and people, while exhibiting the value of holding firm to your word and your ideals.

In true Hollywood style, we now come to another twist in the Four Sixes Saga. The three dynamic men – Burk, Loyd, and Tom – each played a role in the growing enterprise of Texas ranching and the Burnett Empire. Leadership now comes under the control of two equally strong, ambitious, and generous women. The “Annes” were set to “take the stage,” or perhaps “take the reins” is a better description, and lead the Four Sixes into another version of itself.

Left Anne Valliant Burnett Tandy | Courtesy 6666Ranch.com Right Anne Burnett Windfohr Marion | Courtesy 6666Ranch.com

Anne Valliant Burnet Tandy (1900-1980) was a unique woman of her time. “Miss Anne” as she was lovingly called, was her parent’s only child. She was trained to know about cattle, horses and of course, fine art! Her role was to take all that she had been given – wealth, education, connections, and intuition to bring the Four Sixes into a modern world.

Anne attended schools in the East and was well versed in high society, however, she never forgot her rural roots in the world of ranching. From her country club home in Fort Worth to homes in Iowa Park and Guthrie, Miss Anne could help wrangle cows before serving High Tea. Anne knew Angus cattle and she was devoted to the Quarter-horse. As a child, she interacted with the Comanche and the cowboys who respected that this “cowgirl” would be the “Big Boss” someday.

Miss Anne’s honors and accomplishments are also legendary. She was a supporter of animal husbandry programs, especially for Quarter Horses. She was voted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame after her death in 1980.

Anne Burnett Windfohr Marion (1838-2020) Anne Marion rode as “tall in the saddle” as her famous mother and was called “Little Anne” as a child. She grew up ingrained in high society and tall grass. She learned about horses, cattle, and philanthropy just as other children were learning household chores. Marion served as President of Burnett Ranches, LLC; President of the Burnett Foundation and Burnett Companies; and was a chairman of Burnett Oil Co. Inc.

When her mother, Miss Anne, died in 1980, Marion received the inheritance set up for her by her great-grandfather Burk Burnett: the massive Four Sixes Ranch. Growing up on her family’s ranches allowed her to be grounded in the business of hard work and she credited her grandmother Olive Lake Burnett with teaching her many important life lessons.

Ann loved art, art history, and John Marion, chairman of Sotheby Inc., an international auction house in New York. They married in 1988. Together, they brought quarter-horse racing back to the Four Sixes by purchasing racing champion, Dash for Cash, in 1993. In 1995, Anne Marion donated a life-size bronze of the racing champion to the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum in Amarillo.

In 1997, Anne and John Marion founded the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe. As an art patron, Anne was devoted to “artful” causes. It was also said that her devotion to the Four Sixes was only equaled by her great-grandfather, Burk Burnett.

Left The historic Four Sixes Supply House | Courtesy Chas. S. Middleton and Sons Farm-Ranch Sales Right Cowboys herding cattle in pens at the Four Sixes Ranch | Courtesy Chas. S. Middleton and Sons Farm-Ranch Sales

When the Triangle Ranch was sold, Marion donated the Burnett home to Iowa Park as a site for a new library. She served as a trustee to numerous art institutions and university boards including Texas Tech University and always praised the hard work of those that surrounded her. Marion died at the age of 81 in 2020.

The Burnett family and the Four Sixes Ranch touched many communities – small and large. Traveling along Texas Highway 114 takes you through the expansive rolling prairies below the Caprock, including King County. One must remember that “the Four Sixes is King County and King County is the Four Sixes!” So slow down and enjoy your time there.

Among the things to see – lush pastures, ranch buildings, an airport, and hopefully, herds of cattle and horses and perhaps, cowboys working livestock. Stop at the 6666 Supply House in “downtown” Guthrie. Enjoy the walking trail and see the Quanah Parker Trail Arrow erected by the Texas Plains Trail Region and King County officials. Visit the new King County Courthouse and inquire about seeing the Museum in the Old Courthouse next door. And do take a tour of the legendary Four Sixes Ranch!