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Cattle Drive Heroes and Trail Bosses

Ike Pryor: The Orphan Trail Hand Who Became a Texas Cattle Dealer

Orphaned at five, Pryor drove herds to Kansas, built the 77 Ranch, and rose to lead the American National Livestock Association.

Who Was Ike Pryor?

Isaac Thomas Pryor, known as Colonel Ike Pryor, was a Texas cattle dealer, ranch owner and banker who rose from a trail crew to the head of national cattlemen's groups. He was born June 22, 1852, in Tampa, Florida, and died September 24, 1937, in San Antonio at age 85.

His career shows how a trail hand could become a businessman as Texas cattle moved north. According to his Wikipedia entry, at his peak he handled about 45,000 head of cattle a year.

How Did an Orphan Become a Texas Cattleman?

Pryor was the youngest of three children, and both his parents died when he was five. He lived with extended family and ran away at nine. During the Civil War he worked as a newspaper hawker for the 3rd Ohio Cavalry Regiment. He never enlisted, but he was present at the Battles of Stones River, Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain.

After the war he lived in Tennessee, then moved with relatives to Alabama. At 18 he reached Galveston in 1870 and found work as a farmhand near Austin.

Pryor on the Trail to Kansas

In 1871 Pryor drove cattle to Coffeyville, Kansas, for Bill Arnold, a Llano County rancher. In 1872 he became foreman of that drive. In 1873 he worked for Charles Lehmberg and again became foreman that year.

The next year he bought the 77 Ranch, about 20,000 acres, from Lehmberg. He drove cattle to Kansas in spring and summer and sold to Austin butchers in fall and winter, a split schedule that kept cattle moving to two markets.

The 77 Ranch and the 1885 Collapse

From 1878 to 1885 Pryor partnered with a brother. In one year they drove 45,000 cattle to Kansas. In 1885, to avoid a Texas market crash, they moved 20,000 cattle to Colorado. Most of the animals died in the Big Die-Up, and the partnership ended.

Pryor later rebuilt. He bought 100,000 acres in Zavala County, Texas, for $140,000, stocked it with 10,000 cattle, and re-established the 77 Ranch. In 1908 he founded the settlement of La Pryor on that land.

The Key to Pryor's Success

Pryor did not inherit land or money. His documented career shows a pattern of learning the work, becoming indispensable to a rancher, and then using his own capital and partners to buy in. When disaster hit, he reorganized rather than leaving the business.

The record also shows the cost of risk. A big move of cattle in 1885 cost most of the herd, and the partnership with his brother ended.

  • Start as a hand. He worked on drives for Arnold and Lehmberg and became a foreman in successive years.
  • Buy the ranch that taught him. In 1874 he bought the 77 Ranch from Lehmberg.
  • Sell to two markets. Kansas buyers took cattle in spring and summer, Austin butchers in fall and winter.
  • Diversify after losses. After the Big Die-Up he invested $70,000 in the Texas and Colorado Land and Cattle Company, and a shipment to Havana produced a large profit.
  • Join the industry. He became a stockbroker, a bank founder and a national cattlemen's leader.

From Cattle Dealer to Banker and Association Leader

After the partnership ended, Pryor invested $70,000 in the Texas and Colorado Land and Cattle Company, an Indian Territory-based firm, using money from the Evans, Snider and Buel Livestock Commission Company. A cattle shipment to Havana, which had reopened to trade after the Spanish-American War, earned a large profit. He reinvested and became the company's vice president.

The same Wikipedia entry says he also founded City National Bank of San Antonio, served as president of the Trans-Mississippi Commercial Congress, and presided over the American National Livestock Association, a predecessor of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Legacy

Pryor married Sarah Helen Rapp in 1878, and they had three children. He later married Myra Early Pryor in 1893. He and his wife are buried at Mission Burial Park South in San Antonio.

The town of La Pryor still carries his name. For more on the ranching tradition he represented, see the ranching section on farm.FM, or read a story about Texas trail drives. For another look at his career, see the Frontier Times profile.

Timeline

  1. 1852Born June 22 in Tampa, Florida
  2. 1870Arrives in Galveston at age 18
  3. 1871Drives cattle to Coffeyville, Kansas for Bill Arnold
  4. 1874Buys the 77 Ranch from Charles Lehmberg
  5. 1878Marries Sarah Helen Rapp; partners with his brother until 1885
  6. 1885Moves 20,000 cattle to Colorado; most die in the Big Die-Up
  7. 1908Founds La Pryor, Texas
  8. 1937Dies September 24 in San Antonio

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ike Pryor?

Isaac Thomas Pryor (1852-1937) was a Texas trail driver, rancher, banker and cattle dealer who owned the 77 Ranch and presided over the American National Livestock Association.

What was the 77 Ranch?

The 77 Ranch began with about 20,000 acres Pryor bought from Charles Lehmberg in 1874. He later re-established it on 100,000 acres in Zavala County, Texas.

How many cattle did Ike Pryor handle?

At his peak he handled about 45,000 head a year, according to Wikipedia. In one year his partnership with his brother drove 45,000 cattle to Kansas.

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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