Education for the future

While the 6666 Ranch is in the business of marketing cattle and horses, the ranch finds importance in the future education about the ranch and ranching itself. 6666 Ranch is a well known contributor to the Texas Tech National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas as well as the education of students. The NRHC houses one of the original iconic red 6666 barns, as well a library named in the honor of Burk Burnett. The library also offers an elementary curriculum focusing on the ranch and it's history. In an effort to insure the future education of equine care the 6666 Ranch also offers internships within their horse division for undergraduates who wish to build on their agricultural based education with hands on experience.Along with their offers to educate the 6666 Ranch makes great strides in researching, veterinary medicine, and the future of both equine and cattle genetics. The 6666 Ranch has come far in its 140 years of business and has made every effort to preserve and improve it's legacy and future. Through its views on improving the future of education and research the 6666 Ranch has also shown a desire to improve the world as a whole.

reference-
1.http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ranchhc/index.html
2.http://www.6666ranch.com/index.html

Strides in the Cattle Industry

Though the 6666 has made the most notable progress with Horse production, cattle have always been an integral part of the 6666 Ranch. In 2008 Joe Leathers was named General Manager of the 6666 Ranch and became the 6th man to oversee the ranch in 140 years. Leathers emphasizes cattle program growth and range management along with overseeing his duties to the horse program as well. Leathers said in an interview the 6666 Ranch has," started a brush control program paid for out of our pocket, and essentially we have cleared and put back into production 160,000 acres"^1. This program began without any government regulation or incentive but rather to increase the production of the land. According to Leathers this brush control program has increased and restarted the flow of natural springs, increased natural wildlife population, and increased land capability from 1 head/40 acres to 1 head/30 acres. These changes in methods have allowed for an increase in their Angus cattle beef production. Leathers says the ranch constantly strives to improve cattle genetics, which has improved feed lot gains and marketability of 6666 cattle. In regard to the changes made on the ranch Leathers states," you cant stay in business staying status quo"^1. As can be seen from a 140 year legacy the 6666 Ranch has managed to stay ahead of the curve and continue to produce quality beef to the American people. As lifelong cowboy and 6666 employee Boots O'Neal puts it," were in the business of turning grass into beef"' ,and as seen for the 6666 Ranch business is good.^2 These changes toward smarter healthier and friendlier business practices show that the 6666 Ranch is able to adapt to current market demand and needs while holding true to the values and roots of western heritage.

reference-
1.Joe Leathers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSklWMNR4pE&feature=related
2.Boots O’Neal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0flE3NbFKE&feature=related

The Cowboys

Horses and cattle are not the only top quality stock on 6666 Ranch, but cowboys as well. 6666 Ranch employees are considered to be some of the most skilled and top paid working cowboys. Having only six men serve as Ranch Foreman the 6666 Ranch prides itself on loyal cowboys and strong work ethic.The 6666 Ranch is very selective in hiring new cowboys and only hires top quality hands. Unlike many working cattle ranches today squeeze chutes are not a common sight on the 6666. During branding season, cowboys work cattle by hand, exactly like it was done when the ranch started. Work on the 6666 starts at 5:30 A.M.  and during the spring round up," cowboys will work over 6,000 head of calves plus vaccinate and spray just as many mother cows".^1.Cowboys each morning pick their mount from the remuda (herd of horses) ranking by seniority, for horse of choice for the days work. Ideal cow horses for 6666 cowboys are of medium build, muscled, must have speed, and have to be cowboy gentle said former 6666 Foreman Mike Gibson. During branding season you wont see a to go order from Mcdonalds or a lunch sack either, cowboys eat off a chuck wagon just like they have for over 100 years. Traditions such as these are important to the 6666 culture and from the view they make things work pretty well. These cowboys have evolved to a certain degree, today they use gas heated fire brands as opposed to wood fired brands, this is due to ease and speed in reheating a brand once it has been used. Also the chuck wagon on the 6666 today while still serving up cattle trail traditional meals such as beef and beans, has many of the cooking amenities of the modern kitchen. This can be partially attributed to the increased volume of mouths to feed on the 6666 Ranch. Though times and technology has changed the 6666 Ranch and it's working cowboys have held true to their roots.

reference-

6666’s Ranch, Guthrie,Texas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv4_9vaVGFo

6666 & AQHA

The death of Miss Anne in 1980, while tragic did not stop the growth of the 6666 horse program, if anything it only made it grow more. Ranch ownership was passed down to Miss Anne's only daughter Anne Marion. In the years since her mothers death Mrs. Marion has made great strides in building on the 6666 horse program and the American Quarter Horse Association.In 1991 Mrs. Marion founded the AQHA Hall of Fame & Museum in Amarillo,Texas, and has been noted as one of AQHA's top contributors. In 1993 as a part of her plans to expand on the horse culture of the 6666 Ranch Mrs. Marion reintroduced racing into the ranch breed stock. The 6666 Ranch has been honored by the AQHA with the Best Remuda award ,and the Inaugural AQHA Legacy Award for 50 years of Quarter Horse breeding. Along with their high financial standing with the AQHA, 6666 Ranch also has many places in the AQHA Hall of Fame & Museum. Included in this are four 6666 AQHA stallions who have earned a spot in the Hall of Fame, one being "Special Effort" the AQHA's only Tripple Crown winner. Artifacts and memorabilia from the Burnett family can be found on display at the AQHA Hall of Fame & Museum, along with a bronze statue of 6666 stallion Dash For Cash at the entrance to the museum. The 6666 Ranch and the AQHA have been heavily dependent and tied to one another for the expansion of the Quarter Horse breed and the breeding of good horses, a relationship that will last for many years to come.

reference-

Burnett Ranch History. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V9WrH91mg8

Anne Burnett Tandy Obituary

Anne Burnett Tandy, 74,Manager Of 208,000-Acre Ranch in Texas

    FORT WORTH,Jan 1(AP)- Anne Burnett Tandy, supervisor of the vast 6666 Ranch in northwest Texas died of cancer today at her home.She was 74 years old.
    Mrs. Tandy who carried on the tradition if her West Texas pioneer family in managing the cattle ranch, was the widow of Charles David Tandy, founder of the Tandy Corporation, which owns the Radio Shack retail stores.
    She supervised the 208,000-acre 6666 Ranch that surrounds Guthrie in King County and the two Triangle Ranches in Wichita County and the Panhandle. The ranches were founded by Mrs. Tandy's grandfather Capt. Burk Burnett.
    Mrs. Tandy was the director of the First National Bank of Fort Worth, director if the Southwest Exposition and Fat Stock Show and a trustee of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art. Mrs. Tandy leaves a daughter.

Mrs. Tandy as noted in her obituary was a very active and well noted woman in the western world. As noted in the book Best Remudas Anne Tandy was inducted into the AQHA hall of fame on it's 50th anniversary in 1990. Her legacy lives on both as a part of the 6666 Ranch and as a part of western culture to this day.

AP. Anne Burnett Tandy, 74 Manager of 208,000-Acre Ranch in Texas. New York Times . January 2,1980.               B15.

Jennings,Jim. “ Best Remudas”. Albany, Bright Sky. 2006

6666 on the bigscreen

Cow's and horses are not the only thing to gain national attention from the 6666 Ranch. The ranch has also served a purpose for arts and culture. The work of western artists Tom Ryan and Mondel Rogers have been heavily influenced by the landscape found on the 6666. The Old Eight camp on the ranch were used as sets for two Roy Rogers films, Mackintosh, and T.J. The 6666 was also home to a well remembered advertising collection, The Marlboro Man. During the time of creating the television commercials and printed ads, a number of 6666 cowboys played the roll of the Marlboro Man, as well as the 6666 Ranch serving as backdrops for the advertisements. Though not necessarily a noted piece of ranch history or an excellent public relation in this day in age, the rugged traditional nature of 6666 cowboys did serve as the face for one of the most famous advertisement series in history. Though the ranch is not likely to serve the same roll for any future films the 6666 legacy has proven to stem out agriculturally, industrially, and even into pop culture. For a better understanding and view of the mentioned advertisements please view the following youtube link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clIfZfP3y5k

For more information on these works and 6666 Ranch History visit the Texas State Historical Association
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/apf01

Some things Never Change

While there have been many changes in the past 140 years somethings may never change on the 6666. Mack trucks have replaced cattle drives and trains, e-mail has put an end to the telegraph, and in many places ATV's. helicopters, and pick up trucks have replaced the horse and saddle. However as for life on the 6666 the view during branding season is not much different than it would have been in 1870. Nothing can attest to that better than the work of Tom Ryan. Ryan  a western photographer and historian spent time on the 6666 in the early 1960's catching a glimpse of cowboy life. His art work is on display at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City,OK. Ryan was able to capture views of working cowboys on the 6666 that depict a lifestyle that would have been parallel if not exact in nature to the generation before them and that before them. In his work Ryan was able to show how though times had drastically changed the traditions on the 6666 would not. Below are some images from Ryan's collection, courtesy of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

  Getting ready for lunch, 6666 Ranch, King County, Texas, September 1968.
Tom Ryan Papers
Box 53, Folder 28

Getting a drink in the middle of the stream, 6666 Ranch, King County, Texas, ca. 1960s.

Tom Ryan Papers
Box 83, Folder 2

http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/research/cms/Exhibits/TomRyanThe6666Ranch/tabid/436/Default.aspx

The Horses

While Burk Burnett always saw a good horse as an integral part of ranch operations, the world renowned 6666 horse did not come until after 1922. Upon Burnett's death the Ranch was passed down to his granddaughter Anne Burnett Tandy. While maintaining the legacy her grandfather started Miss Anne as she became know in the horse industry had a vision of making horses as much apart of the ranch as the cattle. As detailed in the book Best Remudas, " in 1940 the AQHA founders were her dinner guests the night before the meeting that originated the Association".^1. Now the horse division is run by D.V.M. Glenn Blodgett, he is held," responsible for breeding some of the best known stallions in the entire Quarter Horse Industry". Under the direction of Dr. Blodgett and the foundings of Miss Anne the 6666 Ranch was a recipient of the Best Remuda award given by the American Quarter Horse Association to the highest regarded Quarter Horse ranches.

1.Jennings,Jim. “ Best Remudas”. Albany, Bright Sky. 2006

Burk Burnett Cattleman and Gunfighter

Burk Burnett was often noted as being a man of strict morals and shrewd business practice. In some circles he is also known as a skilled gunman and a force to be reckoned with. Among Burnett's legacies was his support in 1877 when he met with others at; "Graham, in Young County, and formed the organization that would become the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association".^1 An organization which is still active and growing to date. Of his less noted accomplishments were the killings of two noted cattle thieves on the North Texas plains, Jack King and Parley Sayers. The first took place on June 7, 1879 when Burnett was confronted by Jack King who had been found in possession of  an estimated 20 cattle branded with the 6666 brand after a brief confrontation King dismounted his horse and charged toward Burnett when he was brought down by a gunshot to the head. Later in  life at age 63 in 1912 Burnett was again confronted by Parley Sayers in the lavatory of the Goodland Hotel dining room in Paducah,Texas. Witnesses say Sayers reached for his gun, but was outdrawn by Burnett and killed by a single shot to the chest. In both instances Burnett turned himself into local law enforcement and stood trial for murder. In both cases Burnett was acquitted on grounds of self defense. In the case of Jack King, Burnett was even noted as having done a service to the public during the reading of the verdict. Though other stories have been told around the campfire of Burnett having killed other men these two were the only official shooting ever reported.

1.DeArment,RK.” The Gunfights of Pioneer Cattlemen: Burk Burnett”. Wild West 18(2005).32-36.

Overview of the 6666

The 6666 Ranch was founded by Burk Burnett in 1868 with the purchase of 100 head of cattle wearing the 6666 brand. At age 19 Burnett was already a wise and able cattleman. in 1873 he became the first rancher to practice grazing cattle near the market as opposed to the drive and sell technique. From 1880 to 1905 Burnett was able to lease some 300,000 acres from the Comanche Tribe in the Oklahoma Territory for grazing. The Ranch now has it's headquarters in Guthrie Texas, with its two ranches being the 6666 ranch located in Guthrie and the Dixon Creek Ranch in Panhandle,Texas. Adapting to market demands the 6666 ranch has raised cattle herds ranging from Texas longhorns, Durham,purebred Hereford, Hereford-Angus Cross( black baldys), and now raises strictly purebred Angus cattle.The ranch now maintains a herd of an estimated 7000 head of productive cattle. It is most famed for it's horse lineage and well proven cow horse remuda has made up some of the most famous bloodlines in the cutting, ranching, and quarter horse industries. Another well noted source of income for the 6666 ranch came with the discovery of oil on the Dixon Creek Ranch which has been a steady source of income since 1920. In 100 years time the 6666 Ranch has only seen 6 Ranch Managers, and still holds true to ranching's time honored traditions of fire branding, and during working season cowboys on the 6666 still eat from a chuck wagon. All of this information can be contributed to the 6666 Ranch website and it's overview of the ranch history for more information visit the following link.
http://www.6666ranch.com/the-6666-story.html

Introduction

To understand Texas Ranching,Texas History, or the horse industry of today, it is important to understand the 6666 Ranch. In the upcoming posts I'm going to compile research rooted from numerous sources to uncover the history of the ranch, it's practices, and it's people.For general purposes this blog can be used as a small database to links of several educational sources on the past present and future of the 6666 Ranch.