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Henry C. Hitch Sr. Turned a Panhandle Ranch Into a Feedlot Pioneer

The son of a No Man's Land rancher who farmed wheat, survived the Dust Bowl and built one of the Panhandle's first modern feedlots.

Who Was Henry Charles Hitch Sr.?

Henry Charles Hitch Sr. (1884-1967) took a ranch built on open range and turned it into a modern farming and feeding business. He was the son of rancher James Kerrick Hitch, who had built a large cattle operation in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum says that at 18 Henry managed a family ranch in Liberal, Kansas, overseeing 2,500 cattle.

The Oklahoma Historical Society's Hitch family entry refers to him as Henry Hitch. When his father died in 1921, he took over the family interests while also running his own 10,000-acre ranch, and he steered the business through three very different decades.

Ranch Farming and Wheat After World War I

Henry expanded the family business into what the encyclopedia calls ranch farming, including wheat. High prices during World War I helped make Texas County one of the nation's largest wheat growers. After the postwar agricultural depression, Henry made the operation more efficient and mechanized.

The museum's biography says that when his father died he inherited 20,000 acres of Oklahoma ranchland, while the encyclopedia mentions his own 10,000-acre ranch, so sources differ on how the family's acreage is counted. The museum adds that he drilled irrigation wells and ditches to farm 9,000 acres of grain and feed.

Surviving the Dust Bowl Years

During the Great Depression and the drought of the 1930s, Henry practiced pasture conservation, leased land for oil exploration and greatly reduced the cattle herd. The encyclopedia says the herd was rebuilt during World War II.

Leasing land for oil and shrinking the herd were the two documented responses. The record does not explain his reasoning, but the herd was rebuilt once wartime conditions changed.

The Key to Hitch's Success

Henry's record shows a manager who changed the ranch's business model several times: range cattle, then wheat, then irrigation, then feeding. The sources are summaries rather than financial histories, so the points below stay with documented actions.

The Oklahoma Historical Society calls diversification a central family principle, and the museum's biography supports that view with specific ventures.

  • He learned management young: he ran a 2,500-head family ranch at 18.
  • He mechanized after the postwar slump: the encyclopedia says he made the operation more efficient and mechanized.
  • He irrigated: wells and ditches let him farm 9,000 acres of grain and feed, according to the museum.
  • He cut the herd in the Depression: he reduced cattle numbers, practiced pasture conservation and leased land for oil.
  • He built feeding capacity: the family opened a feedlot in 1953, and the museum says one lot had room for 60,000 head.

The 1953 Feedlot and Cattle Marketing

In 1953 the ranch built a feedlot to diversify further. The museum credits Henry with building some of the area's first modern feedlots. His businesses included Master Commodities, Inc., which held a seat on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for trading live cattle futures.

Under his son Henry Hitch Jr., known as Ladd (1918-96), the family opened three high-capacity commercial feedlots by the mid-1970s. The encyclopedia says the enterprise then included about 10,000 acres of farmland, a cattle-buying company, a company financing feeder cattle operations, a commercial cow herd and pig production, all headquartered in Guymon.

Civic Roles and Recognition

Henry belonged to several cattlemen's associations and led a local credit association. He served as a trustee of Oklahoma City University and of the IOA Boys Ranch. Governor Henry Bellmon appointed him an Oklahoma Ambassador, and he sat on the original board of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.

In 1956 he was one of 29 American agriculturists selected to visit Russia. The museum inducted him into its Hall of Great Westerners in 1972, ten years after his father.

Learn More

Read the museum's Henry Charles Hitch Sr. biography and the Hitch family and ranch entry for the primary summaries.

For more on feeding and marketing beef, see the agribusiness section of farm.FM and a farm.FM story about feedlot country.

Timeline

  1. 1884Born
  2. c. 1902At 18, manages a family ranch in Liberal, Kansas, overseeing 2,500 cattle
  3. 1921His father dies; Henry takes over the family interests
  4. 1930sCuts the herd, practices pasture conservation and leases land for oil during the Depression drought
  5. 1953The ranch builds a feedlot
  6. 1956One of 29 agriculturists chosen to visit Russia
  7. 1967Dies
  8. 1972Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners

Frequently asked questions

Who was Henry C. Hitch Sr.?

Henry Charles Hitch Sr. (1884-1967) was an Oklahoma Panhandle rancher and feedlot pioneer, son of rancher J.K. Hitch, who expanded the family business into wheat, irrigation and large feedlots.

What did Henry Hitch do during the Dust Bowl?

He practiced pasture conservation, leased land for oil exploration and greatly reduced the cattle herd, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society. The herd was rebuilt during World War II.

When did the Hitch Ranch build its feedlot?

The ranch built a feedlot in 1953. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum says he built some of the area's first modern feedlots, one with room for 60,000 head.

When was Henry Hitch inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners?

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum lists his Hall of Great Westerners induction as 1972.

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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