BRAND “X”
Following a fire in 1881 that burned the state capitol building to the ground, the State of Texas, finding itself land-rich and cash-poor, granted three million acres of land at one dollar per acre to a Chicago corporation to pay for the construction of a new state capitol building. This new ranch, the XIT, covered parts of 10 counties across the Texas Panhandle, and was fenced with over 3,000 miles of barbed wire. A ranch the size of the historic XIT deserves a museum all its own, a courtesy provided by the Plains Trail Region community of Dalhart. Appropriately named the “XIT Museum”, the historic venue is sponsored by the Dallam-Hartley County Historical Association and archives a remarkable collection of XIT Ranch artifacts and interpretive exhibits. In addition, the museum features several period rooms including an early pioneer kitchen, a living room, and chapel. Other permanent exhibits highlight the area’s wildlife, a history of the railroad in the Panhandle, and a special exhibition on the long line of Dallam-Hartley county Sheriffs. But the XIT doesn’t end with the past. The museum sponsors a robust schedule of education and community outreach programs designed to bring history alive.
Related
Plains Trail Region
88th Annual XIT Rodeo and Reunion
2050 E. John Todd Rd. Dalhart, Texas 79022 Website
88th Annual XIT Rodeo and Reunion2050 E. John Todd Rd.
Dalhart, Texas 79022