How Big Is the Legendary 6666 Ranch in Texas?

Just how big is the 6666 Ranch located in Texas? Also known as the Four Sixes Ranch, the history of this ranch runs deep, established in 1870. From Marlboro ads to current television series, the 6666 Ranch remains an important staple in both popular culture and the ranching business in general. But just how large is this ranch, especially when we consider the fact that everything is bigger in Texas?

Today, we’ll take an in-depth look at just how large the legendary 6666 Ranch is. We’ll also address the history behind this star-studded location as well as the animals that this ranch has raised over the decades. But, before we get into the inhabitants of these many acres, just how many acres make up the Four Sixes Ranch? Let’s find out!

How Big is the 6666 Ranch? 

The 6666 Ranch is currently 260,000 acres in size. This wasn’t always the case, as the ranch was once over 330,000 acres in its heyday. However, this is still a whopping size– New York City is less than 200,000 acres alone. If you can believe it, the 6666 Ranch is only the 9th largest ranch in the entire state of Texas.

The 6666 Ranch is technically comprised of two different properties. These include the Four Sixes Ranch and the Dixon Creek Ranch. However, these two ranches come together to form the impressive figure we see today. A property known as the Triangle Ranch was once part of this conglomerate, but has since been sold. 

But what exactly is the 6666 Ranch and how much history does it hold? Let’s learn about this Texas institution in detail now.

Where is the 6666 Ranch?

Located in three separate Texas counties, the 6666 Ranch is close to the cities of Panhandle and Guthrie. The counties that the land resides in include King, Hutchinson, and Carson. That’s just how large this ranch is: it needs at least three counties to hold it! 6666 Ranch also has a supply store located in Guthrie, a location where you can purchase many offerings and souvenirs without having to visit the ranch itself.

History of the 6666 Ranch

Established in 1870, the Four Sixes Ranch began under the watchful eye of Samuel Burnett. While the story of the ranch’s name is often discussed as something of a tall tale (a name established through a card game, for example), the Burnett family can easily clear the air. The ranch was started with only 100 cattle, all purchased from a man named Frank Crowley. Crowley had branded all of his cattle with a “6666” brand, beginning the Four Sixes Ranch legacy.

Burnett purchased these cattle and the literal 6666 brand from Crowley at this time. The young entrepreneurial rancher was only 19 years of age. While he began the ranch with 100 cattle (having moved wild longhorn cattle before this point), Burnett increased his number of cattle quickly. By introducing different cattle species, Burnett began breeding them and creating stronger, more profitable cattle.

Burnett also had a soft spot for horses, maintaining a small collection of paint horses until his death in 1923. Horses didn’t become a priority for the ranch until 1932 when George Humphreys began managing it alongside the Burnetts. Because of Humphreys’s efforts as well as many other skilled horse experts, 6666 Ranch has earned a reputation for their horse breeding programs. The ranch has nearly 50 famous horses attributed to its name, some even involved in racing.

The Burnett family has maintained the ranch for generations. However, the property was recently sold to someone outside of the family in 2020. Still, it remains an important piece of land to this day, both for its history and what it has to offer the ranching community. The 6666 Ranch still breeds cattle and horses as well as maintains a revolutionary veterinary facility.

Animals of the 6666 Ranch

Given that cattle is what the Four Sixes Ranch is known for, what types of animals have lived or currently live on the ranch? Here is just a snapshot of some of the most important cattle and horses found on the 6666 Ranch over the decades!

Herefords

Originally from Britain, Hereford cattle are among the most popular beef cattle breeds to this day. In fact, Hereford, Texas is named after these cattle. Hereford is even the beef capital of the world! Purebred Herefords were mainstays of the 6666 Ranch until the 1970s.

Quarter Horses

As previously mentioned, horses were important to Samuel Burnett. However, a purebred quarter horse breeding program began on the ranch after his death. In fact, this breeding program began in the 1960s after many racing horses had been bred with some success. The quarter horses bred and raised on 6666 Ranch have wonderful traits, utilizing bloodlines that tend to manifest in gentleness and good cow sense.

Brangus and Angus Bulls

The most common cattle found on the 6666 Ranch today has to be Angus cattle. However, the ranch once bred Brangus cattle, a cross between Angus and Brahman cattle. Given that the Four Sixes Ranch has always sold beef, they keep a number of Angus cattle on site for this purpose. Angus bulls replaced all Herefords on the ranch.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Billy Hathorn / CC BY 3.0 – License / Original