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Cattle Barons and Land Owners

J.K. Hitch and the OX Brand: Ranching Across No Man's Land

A Tennessee-born cattleman who followed the grass into the Oklahoma Panhandle, then bought land as the open range disappeared.

Who Was James Kerrick Hitch?

James Kerrick Hitch, known as J.K., was a Tennessee native who founded one of the best-known ranching families of the Oklahoma Panhandle. He lived from 1855 to 1921 and spent his working life moving west with the cattle business, from southwestern Kansas to the grassland of what is now Texas County, Oklahoma. The family operation grew into an enterprise headquartered in Guymon.

The best short account is the Oklahoma Historical Society's Hitch family entry, which traces three generations of the business.

How the Hitch Ranch Began in Kansas and No Man's Land

From 1876 Hitch worked in the cattle business in southwestern Kansas with his father-in-law, Henry Westmoreland. In 1884 or 1885 he pastured a herd on Coldwater Creek, a tributary of the Beaver, or North Canadian, River in present Texas County. That country was unoccupied open range in No Man's Land, also called the Public Land Strip, and the museum describes it as unorganized land.

In 1890, when the Strip opened for settlement, Hitch and his family claimed land. By 1900 the operation ran about 10,000 head on 40,000 to 50,000 acres, a size that was possible only while grazing land was still largely open.

The Winters That Taught Him to Cut Hay

The harsh winters of the late 1880s killed cattle across the plains, and the Oklahoma Historical Society says Hitch learned during that period to plant and cut hay for winter feed. It was an early step from pure range grazing toward raising feed, which later generations of the family expanded into wheat and feedlots.

A herd law in 1902 required cattlemen to fence their land, which changed how ranching worked on the Panhandle.

The Key to Hitch's Success

Hitch succeeded by adapting each time the rules of range ranching changed, rather than holding to the open-range model that built his first herds.

The sources give his methods but few financial details, so the lessons below stay with what is recorded.

  • He followed the grass: he moved from Kansas to Coldwater Creek, then to unclaimed range in No Man's Land.
  • He claimed land when it opened: the family took claims in 1890 when the Strip opened for settlement.
  • He learned winter feeding: hay production after the harsh late-1880s winters reduced his exposure to storms.
  • He bought relinquishments: from 1895 to 1910 he bought land from failed homesteaders, building holdings of 12,080 acres south of Guymon.
  • He spread across state lines: he invested in ranches in Hansford County, Texas, and Seward County, Kansas, and the OX brand appeared on herds in three states.

Buying Out Failed Homesteaders

After the 1902 herd law and the arrival of farmers, open-range ranching was in decline. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum says Hitch responded by buying land from homesteaders who had failed. The encyclopedia calls these purchases relinquishments and dates them from 1895 to 1910.

The strategy converted a ranch that had depended on public grass into one that owned its base. The family business continued after J.K. died in 1921.

Passing the Ranch to the Next Generation

After J.K. Hitch died in 1921, his son Henry took over the family interests while also running his own 10,000-acre ranch. Henry expanded into what the encyclopedia calls ranch farming, including wheat, mechanized the operation, and in 1953 built a feedlot on the ranch. Later family leaders added commercial feedlots and other enterprises headquartered in Guymon.

Henry's own career is summarized in the museum's Henry Charles Hitch Sr. biography.

Honors and Further Reading

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum inducted J.K. Hitch into its Hall of Great Westerners in 1962. Its inductee biography summarizes his career. The encyclopedia lists a 1979 book, Panhandle Pioneer by Donald E. Green, among its sources on the family.

For more on ranch families who adapted as the open range closed, see the ranching section of farm.FM and a farm.FM story about Panhandle ranching.

Timeline

  1. 1855Born in Tennessee
  2. 1876Begins cattle work in southwestern Kansas with father-in-law Henry Westmoreland
  3. 1884-85Pastures a herd on Coldwater Creek, in present Texas County, Oklahoma
  4. 1890No Man's Land opens for settlement; Hitch and family claim land
  5. 1895-1910Buys relinquishments from failed homesteaders, reaching 12,080 acres south of Guymon
  6. 1900Runs about 10,000 head on 40,000 to 50,000 acres
  7. 1902A herd law requires cattlemen to fence their land
  8. 1921Dies; son Henry takes over the family interests
  9. 1962Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners

Frequently asked questions

Who was J.K. Hitch?

James Kerrick Hitch (1855-1921) was a Tennessee-born rancher who began in Kansas, moved to the Oklahoma Panhandle in the 1880s, and founded the Hitch Ranch near Guymon.

How big was the Hitch Ranch?

By 1900 J.K. Hitch ran about 10,000 head on 40,000 to 50,000 acres. Later he held 12,080 acres south of Guymon that he had bought from failed homesteaders.

What was the OX brand?

The OX mark was the Hitch cattle brand. According to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, it appeared on herds in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas.

When did J.K. Hitch join the Hall of Great Westerners?

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum lists his Hall of Great Westerners induction as 1962.

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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