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Tom Burnett: From Burk Burnett's Son to a 449,000-Acre Rancher

Burk Burnett's son built his own ranching empire, drilled for oil on it, and looked after cowboys through the Depression.

Who was Tom Burnett?

Thomas Loyd Burnett, usually called Tom, was the younger of two sons of Burk Burnett, the founder of the Four Sixes. He is sometimes treated as a footnote to his father, but at his peak he owned 449,415 acres and ran between 4,000 and 6,000 Hereford cattle, according to the Wikipedia biography of Burnett. The middle name appears as both Loyd and Lloyd in different sources.

He was born in Denton County in 1871 and moved with his parents to Wichita County in the mid-1870s. He died of a heart attack on December 26, 1938.

Early life and the Big Pasture years

Burnett attended a private academy in St. Louis and then the Virginia Military Institute. He worked as a cowhand and then as wagon boss at the Big Pasture in southwestern Oklahoma. There he learned Comanche and became friends with Quanah Parker, whom his father also knew well. In 1898 he served as a captain in the Spanish-American War.

The National Cowboy Museum profile notes that he spent years in the saddle before he had any land of his own.

How did the Triangle Ranch begin?

In 1912 Burnett inherited ranching interests from his maternal grandfather, Martin B. Loyd, and used them to found the Triangle Ranch in Wichita County. He began drilling for oil on the ranch. Between 1923 and 1925 he acquired the Pope and McAdams ranches in Foard County and the Moon Ranch in Cottle County. In 1929 he added the YL Ranch near Paducah, and in 1938 the 7L Ranch.

The Wikipedia entry says that at his peak he held 449,415 acres. The pages consulted do not say what the Triangle brand's name referred to.

The Key to Burnett's Success

Burnett started with an inheritance, but the record shows he kept buying after it. He assembled land through roughly a quarter century of steady purchases and put oil and cattle on the same ground.

He also faced the shadow of his father's reputation. Burk Burnett's will left Tom a reported 25,000 dollars a year, with the larger share of the estate going to Tom's daughter, as the HistoryNet account of the family tells it.

  • Use inheritance as a base, not an endpoint: the 1912 interests became the Triangle Ranch and then five further ranches by 1938.
  • Buy neighboring land in steady stages: the Foard and Cottle county ranches were added from 1923 to 1925.
  • Run Herefords at scale: the record cites 4,000 to 6,000 head at one point.
  • Add a second income stream: he drilled for oil on the Triangle after oil was found.
  • Support the community: he was a major shareholder in the Iowa Park State Bank and, in the Great Depression, donated school lunches in Wichita Falls and helped poor cowboys.

Rodeo, banks and the Depression

Burnett supported rodeo in Wichita Falls and held a large stake in the Iowa Park State Bank. During the Great Depression he donated school lunches in Wichita Falls and aided impoverished cowboys, the museum and Wikipedia both note.

His personal life was complicated. He married four times, and his only daughter, Anne Valliant Burnett Tandy, from his first marriage to Olive Lake, inherited his estate.

Legacy and honors

Burnett was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners in 1978. He is buried at Highland Cemetery in Iowa Park. His granddaughter, Anne Windfohr Marion, later managed the family ranches and the Burnett Oil Company, and in 1981 she gave his residence to Iowa Park, where it became a public library.

The Texas Spur obituary of Marion records how the family holdings passed down through the women of the family.

Learn more about Tom Burnett and North Texas ranching

For the larger story of the Burnett family, start with the Four Sixes. For more on the region, see the farm.FM ranching section or read a farm.FM story about Wichita County ranches.

Timeline

  1. 1871Born in Denton County, Texas
  2. 1898Serves as a captain in the Spanish-American War
  3. 1912Inherits ranching interests from Martin B. Loyd and founds the Triangle Ranch
  4. 1923Begins buying the Pope, McAdams and Moon ranches (through 1925)
  5. 1929Acquires the YL Ranch near Paducah
  6. 1938Acquires the 7L Ranch; dies December 26
  7. 1978Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners
  8. 1981Anne Marion donates his Iowa Park residence to the town as a library

Frequently asked questions

Who was Tom Burnett?

Thomas Loyd Burnett (1871-1938) was a Texas rancher and the son of Burk Burnett. He founded the Triangle Ranch in 1912 and at his peak owned 449,415 acres and thousands of Herefords.

How many acres did Tom Burnett own?

Wikipedia and the National Cowboy Museum both give 449,415 acres at his peak. The land was spread across several Texas counties, including Wichita, Foard and Cottle.

Is Tom Burnett related to Anne Marion?

Yes. Anne Windfohr Marion was his granddaughter through his daughter Anne Burnett Tandy. Marion later owned the 6666 Ranch, the Triangle Ranch and Burnett Oil Company.

Was Tom Burnett a friend of Quanah Parker?

Yes. He learned Comanche while working at the Big Pasture in southwestern Oklahoma and became friends with Quanah Parker, as his father had been.

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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