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Burk Burnett and the Four Sixes: A Texas Ranching Dynasty

From a teenage trail boss to the owner of 200,000 fenced acres, Burk Burnett set up the ranch that still carries his brand.

Who was Burk Burnett?

Samuel Burk Burnett, called Burk, is the man behind the Four Sixes, the 6666 Ranch, one of the best-known brands in Texas. He started as a boy on cattle drives and finished his life with ranches on both sides of the Red River and an estate that was valued at somewhere between 15 and 20 million dollars, according to a HistoryNet account of the Burnett family. He died in 1922.

His story combines range cattle, a long friendship with Comanche leader Quanah Parker, and a move away from the oil boom that grew on his own doorstep.

Early life and the first trail drives

A Fort Worth Star-Telegram feature, reproduced on Fort Worth Texas magazine, says that at eighteen Burnett led a herd of 1,700 longhorns to Abilene, reportedly the youngest trail boss on the Chisholm Trail at the time. Osage raiders stole 20 horses during the drive. He kept going, and the men walked by day so the remaining horses were saved for night emergencies.

In 1873 he drove 1,100 steers to Wichita, Kansas, all branded 6666. The popular story that he took the brand from a winning poker hand of four sixes is called likely only a legend. In 1874 he moved the family to Wichita County, where he set up his headquarters. His business partner and father-in-law was Martin B. Loyd.

How did Burnett and Quanah Parker work together?

After the drought of 1881, Burnett worked with Comanche Chief Quanah Parker to lease about 300,000 acres of tribal land across the Red River, enough pasture for roughly 30,000 head of cattle. The lease brought the tribes nearly $20,000 a year. Burnett earned the Comanche name Mas-sa-suta, reported to mean Big Boss.

The arrangement grew into a lasting friendship, and Burnett men hunted as Quanah's guests. It was also a business deal on land that the Comanche held only after losing most of their territory. Readers should hold both facts together.

The Key to Burnett's Success

Burnett's record shows a rancher who looked for grass before he looked for land titles, and who bought big when the chance came. He used leases to scale up fast and bought outright when he could.

He also read the market for land. When oil derricks started crowding the ranch near Wichita Falls, he moved the cattle operation west.

  • Start with a brand and keep it: the 6666 brand, first used in 1873, still identifies the ranch.
  • Lease before you buy: the Quanah Parker lease gave him about 300,000 acres of grass for 30,000 cattle after the 1881 drought.
  • Buy whole ranches: in 1904 he bought the S Ranch in King County, 141,000 acres with 15,000 head, and with adjoining purchases passed 200,000 fenced acres.
  • Diversify geography: the same year he bought the roughly 107,500-acre Dixon Creek Ranch in Carson County.
  • Move when the land changes: the oil boom at Burkburnett pushed his operations farther west.

The ranches he built

Burk Station, near Wichita Falls on the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad, covered about 30,000 acres. In 1904 Burnett bought the S Ranch in King County, which with nearby purchases became the core of the Four Sixes that most people know. The 6666 Ranch is in King County today, according to the Texas Spur obituary of his descendant Anne Marion.

The town of Burkburnett grew into an oil boom town near his old headquarters, a reminder that the same land that fed cattle also held oil.

Succession, the will and legacy

Burnett died in 1922. His will left his son Tom a reported 25,000 dollars a year, with the bulk of the estate going to his granddaughter Anne Burnett Tandy, who was then a young woman and became one of the richest in the country. The Four Sixes later passed to Tandy's daughter, Anne Marion, in 1980.

After Marion's estate sold the ranch, a reported price of 192 million dollars, it went to a group led by Taylor Sheridan. Burk Burnett Park in Fort Worth is named for him.

Learn more about Burk Burnett and the Four Sixes

For wider ranching coverage, browse the farm.FM ranching section or read a farm.FM story about the Four Sixes Ranch.

Timeline

  1. 1849Born, per hall of fame rosters
  2. 1867Leads 1,700 longhorns to Abilene at about eighteen, reportedly (approximate year)
  3. 1873Drives 1,100 steers branded 6666 to Wichita, Kansas
  4. 1874Moves the family to Wichita County
  5. 1881Drought; later leases about 300,000 acres from Quanah Parker
  6. 1904Buys the S Ranch in King County and Dixon Creek Ranch in Carson County
  7. 1922Dies; estate goes largely to granddaughter Anne Burnett Tandy
  8. 1980Four Sixes passes to Anne Marion

Frequently asked questions

Who was Burk Burnett?

Samuel Burk Burnett (1849-1922) was a Texas cattleman who founded the Four Sixes (6666) Ranch. He began as a young trail boss and later leased Comanche land from Quanah Parker and bought the S Ranch in King County.

Why is it called the Four Sixes?

The name comes from the 6666 brand Burnett used on cattle he drove to Kansas in 1873. A popular story about a winning poker hand of four sixes is called likely a legend in one account.

How did Burk Burnett know Quanah Parker?

After the 1881 drought Burnett leased about 300,000 acres from Quanah Parker for cattle. The business tie became a lasting friendship, and the Comanche called him Mas-sa-suta, reported to mean Big Boss.

Who inherited Burk Burnett's ranch?

His estate, reported at 15 to 20 million dollars, went mostly to granddaughter Anne Burnett Tandy. Her daughter Anne Marion took over the Four Sixes in 1980.

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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