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Cattle Barons and Land Owners

C.C. Slaughter: The Dallas Banker Who Ran a Million-Acre Cattle Kingdom

A drover turned Dallas banker, Slaughter assembled more than a million acres across West Texas and earned the title Cattle King of Texas.

Who Was C.C. Slaughter?

Christopher Columbus Slaughter, called C.C. or Colonel Slaughter, was born in 1837 in Sabine County, Texas, and became one of the largest cattle owners in West Texas. He was also a Dallas banker, a devout Baptist and a man who preferred business suits to cowboy hats. He never lived on his ranches, and his family lived in Dallas.

Newspapers and neighbors called him the Cattle King of Texas. An East Texas Historical Association feature says he controlled over a million acres by 1906.

From East Texas Drover to Long S Owner

Slaughter was educated at Larissa College in Cherokee County and then returned to the family farm. He earned a reputation as an expert drover, and his father trusted him to move the family's herd of nearly 100 cattle to Freestone County. In Palo Pinto County the family sold beef to the Fort Belknap and Brazos River Indian Reservations.

After the Civil War he and his father drove herds to Kansas City, where beef brought more than $40 a head. George Slaughter turned more to his Baptist ministry after 1870, and C.C. took over the cattle business. In 1876 he moved his herd to Mitchell County and set up the Long S Ranch near the underground spring source of the Colorado River.

How Big Did the Long S Get?

As open range gave way to barbed wire, Slaughter bought 250,000 acres in Cochran and Hockley Counties. In 1897 he doubled that by buying another 250,000 acres and leasing nearly 300,000 more from neighbors. He divided the land into six pastures, and his son George Morgan Slaughter managed daily operations.

By 1906 he controlled over a million acres and almost 50,000 head, stretching more than 200 miles between Big Spring and the New Mexico border. The same source gives around 40,000 head at the turn of the century, so figures differ by date. Some sources call the operation the Lazy S as well as the Long S, and a Wikipedia biography gives his life dates as 1837 to 1919.

The Herefords of the Long S

Demand for purebred beef led Slaughter to switch to Herefords, beginning with a herd from Charles Goodnight. His bulls included the 1893 Chicago Exposition champion and Sir Bredwell, the 1897 Omaha Livestock Exposition champion.

Breeding at that scale worked because of how he organized land. Six pastures made it easier to separate herds and manage grass. The National Ranching Heritage Center lists a Long S Whiteface camp among its historic ranch structures.

The Key to Slaughter's Success

Slaughter's record shows a mix of trailing skill, early land purchases and cash from other businesses. He treated the ranch as an investment managed from a city office, and he handed the daily work to trusted family members and managers.

Not everything worked. A plan in 1908 to sell the land to a limited partnership for small farms failed and the land reverted to him, and by the 1930s most of the ranch was divided and sold.

  • Learn the trail. He was known as an expert drover before he owned a ranch.
  • Buy land as fencing arrived. He acquired 250,000 acres twice, in blocks, as open range closed.
  • Improve the herd. He moved to Herefords and bought show-winning bulls.
  • Use family and managers. George Morgan Slaughter ran daily work, and Jack Allen managed until 1915.
  • Fund it with banking. Dallas banking income was a second source of wealth.

Dallas, the Baptist Church and the Business

Slaughter earned a fortune in banking and kept his family in what the article calls an opulent Dallas house. His father's ministry shaped his own devout Baptist life.

In 1908 he divided much of his land and sold most of it to a limited partnership hoping to create small farms. The venture failed and the land came back to him.

Decline, Death and Legacy

Jack Allen managed operations until 1915, when a broken hip led Slaughter to hand the business to his son George. Slaughter died in January 1919, and by the 1930s most of his land had been divided and sold.

His papers are held at Texas Tech's Southwest Collection. For more Texas ranching history, see the ranching section on farm.FM or read a related story about West Texas ranching.

Timeline

  1. 1837Born in Sabine County, Texas
  2. 1870Takes over the cattle business as his father turns to ministry
  3. 1876Moves his herd to Mitchell County and sets up the Long S
  4. 1893His bull wins at the Chicago Exposition
  5. 1897Doubles holdings with 250,000 more acres
  6. 1906Controls over a million acres and almost 50,000 head
  7. 1908Land sale to a small-farm partnership later fails
  8. 1919Dies in January

Frequently asked questions

Who was C.C. Slaughter?

Christopher Columbus Slaughter (1837-1919) was a Texas drover, rancher and Dallas banker who built the Long S Ranch and became known as the Cattle King of Texas.

How much land did C.C. Slaughter own?

One account says he controlled over a million acres and almost 50,000 cattle by 1906. Another gives about 40,000 head around 1900, so numbers vary by date.

What cattle did Slaughter raise?

He switched to Herefords, starting with Charles Goodnight's herd. His bulls included a 1893 Chicago Exposition champion and Sir Bredwell, the 1897 Omaha champion.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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