Historic west Texas 6666′s Ranch sold to ‘Yellowstone’ creator

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The legendary 6666′s Ranches, first established in 1870 and now spanning hundreds of thousands of acres across west Texas, are now under contract after being up for sale since December 2020. The ranches are were on the market for a total of $347.7 million.

Reports are that the buyer could be the screenwriter/producer Taylor Sheridan. Sheridan’s Paramount+ Western series “Yellowstone” shot segments last year on the ranch’s Guthrie and Borger County divisions. The actual offer on the historic ranch is not known.

Sam Middleton, Owner/Broker of Chas. S Middleton and Son Farm - Ranch Sales, announced the 6666′s Ranches sale in a release in December.

According to The Texas Spur, “Sheridan is the face of the buyer group,” said Middleton, who said that the new owners plan to continue running the working ranch and to offer employment to all employees. “It’s all one deal, 266,000 acres with all three ranches . . . cattle, horses, equipment, furniture, brand, name, everything.”

Sheridan, reached by The Texas Spur through his Los Angeles manager while traveling, said, “I can’t comment on a pending transaction but I will say this: the legacy of the 6666 Ranch and Miss Marion’s vision for the ranch are vital not only to the ranch itself, but the rich heritage of ranching in Texas.”

He added, “This legacy is so important to me I chose to highlight it in the upcoming season of ‘Yellowstone’ and will continue to further the legacy and preserve its operations in a manner consistent with that great vision.”

This is the first time the ranches have been under contract in “its storied history.”

These ranches are comprised of three separate divisions for a total of 266,255± acres. The 6666′s Ranch located at Guthrie, Texas contains 142,372± acres. The Dixon Creek section spans 114,455± acres of land in Carson and Hutchinson counties. The third division is Frisco Creek, with 9,428± acres located in Sherman County.

The 6666′s Ranch began with Captain Samuel Burk Burnett, who became one of the most influential and prosperous cattlemen in the history of Texas, after he purchased the land from the Louisville Land and Cattle Company.

At the age of 19, Burnett purchased 100 head of cattle which had been branded with the 6666′s brand, soon to be the namesake of the 8 ranch he then purchased near Guthrie in King County. Soon after, he purchased the Dixon Creek Ranch in the Texas Panhandle and also began to expand the 8 Ranch into what now is known as the 6666′s Ranch.

The impressive main house, built in 1917, still stands at the 6666′s Ranch.

After Captain Burnett’s death in 1920, he willed the bulk of his estate to his daughter, Anne Valliant Burnett. Oil was discovered on the property in 1921 and business expanded greatly.

By 1936, there were 20,000 Hereford cattle on the ranch, as well as purebred quarter horses.

In February of this year, the descendent of Captain Burnett, Anne Burnett Marion passed away. The terms of her will dictated all of her ranching operations would be sold.

To learn more about the history of the 6666′s Ranches, visit the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock.

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