World Agriculture Directory: the home of the world's largest agriculture database. Fastest way to find events, farms and agribusiness that suit your needs. Agriculture Event Directory

Cattlemen Hall of FameBeef cattle barons, cowboys, breeders and builders from around the world

Famous Ranches and Stations

Four Sixes Ranch: Burnett's 6666 Ranch, Where Cattle and Oil Met

Samuel Burk Burnett built the 6666 on Herefords and quarter horses, and oil paid for the rest of the family's century.

Did Burnett Win the Four Sixes in a Card Game?

The legend says Samuel Burk Burnett won the ranch in a poker hand of four sixes. According to the 6666 Ranch article on Wikipedia, Burnett and his descendants deny it. The name comes instead from the first herd he raised there, which carried the 6666 brand. The ranch's own history, via its land and oil stewardship page, says Burnett bought the 8 Ranch around 1900 and renamed it the Four Sixes, hiring Bud Arnett as the first manager.

Building the Herd and the Horse Program

Burnett raised purebred Herefords and Durham bulls that won national livestock show prizes, and he bred quarter horses. A blizzard in 1918 killed about 2,000 cattle. His granddaughter Anne Burnett Tandy inherited the ranch after his death in 1922, and by 1936 it ran about 20,000 Hereford cattle, per Wikipedia.

Manager George Humphreys steered the ranch through the Depression and developed its horse operation. Later, J. J. Gibson Jr. managed the ranch from 1970 and was inducted into the American Hereford Association Hall of Fame.

The 1921 Oil Strike

Drilling on Gulf No. 2 Burnett, sixteen miles north of Panhandle, began in November 1920 and finished in April 1921. The well reached 3,052 feet, produced 175 barrels in its first day, and kept producing for more than fifty years. It was the first well brought in on the Texas Panhandle Field. The ranch says Burnett predicted oil drilling would end cattle operations at Dixon Creek and suggested oil was more profitable. A major field was also found at the Four Sixes near Guthrie in 1969.

Anne Burnett Tandy and the Later Owners

After Anne Burnett Tandy, the ranch passed in 1980 to Burnett's great-granddaughter Anne Windfohr Marion and great-great-granddaughter Wendi Grimes. Marion co-managed with her husband John L. Marion, and they bred Brangus with Herefords to produce a Black Baldy resistant to cedar flies. About 100 broodmares are bred on the ranch each year, per Wikipedia.

Anne Burnett Marion died in February 2020, and under her will the ranch was put up for sale. A buyer group represented by screenwriter Taylor Sheridan bought it in May 2021.

The Key to the Four Sixes' Success

The Four Sixes survived because the Burnetts paired steady ranching with oil money and careful management. Records show a stable ranch management line rather than quick turnover, and a family that put oil profits back into causes through the Burnett Foundation.

  • Burnett bought and renamed an existing ranch instead of building from scratch.
  • He raised purebred Herefords that won national show prizes.
  • He bred quarter horses alongside cattle.
  • Oil from the 1921 Gulf No. 2 well supported the family through the Depression.
  • Long-serving managers, including Humphreys and Gibson, kept practices consistent for decades.
  • He built relationships with neighbors; the ranch says Quanah Parker became a family friend through Burnett's Indian Territory leases.

How Big Is the Four Sixes?

Sources differ. Wikipedia describes about 350,000 acres near Guthrie plus about 108,000 acres at Dixon Creek, while the ranch says that after parcels such as the Triangle Ranch were sold, the Four Sixes and Dixon Creek together total 260,000 acres today.

Managers Who Kept the Ranch Steady

The Four Sixes has had few managers over more than a century. Bud Arnett, the first manager, retired in 1930 after more than thirty years. George Humphreys became manager in 1932, also served as King County sheriff from 1928 to 1948, and retired on November 1, 1970, after 52 years on the ranch. J. J. Gibson Jr. managed from 1970 to 1991 and was followed by his son Mike, and Joe Leathers became general manager in 2008. The ranch's own timeline also notes that Gibson received the Texas Trailblazer Award in 1998. In the 1960s and 1970s the ranch barn appeared in Marlboro advertisements, and the 1975 film Mackintosh and T.J. was filmed there.

Visit or Learn More

A barn from the ranch was moved to the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock. For more on Texas ranches see the ranching coverage on farm.FM and a farm.FM story about the 6666 Ranch.

Timeline

  1. 1900Burnett buys the ranch land and begins the Four Sixes
  2. 1918Blizzard kills about 2,000 cattle
  3. 1921Gulf No. 2 Burnett, the first Panhandle Field well, is completed in April
  4. 1922Samuel Burk Burnett dies in June
  5. 1936Ranch runs about 20,000 Herefords
  6. 1969Major oil field struck at the Guthrie ranch
  7. 1980Ranch passes to Anne Windfohr Marion and Wendi Grimes
  8. 2021Buyer group represented by Taylor Sheridan buys the ranch in May

Frequently asked questions

How did the Four Sixes Ranch get its name?

Legend says Burnett won it in a poker game with four sixes, but he and his descendants deny it. The name comes from the 6666 brand on the first herd he raised there.

Who owns the 6666 Ranch now?

A buyer group represented by screenwriter Taylor Sheridan bought it in May 2021 after the death of Anne Burnett Marion in February 2020.

How big is the Four Sixes Ranch?

Sources differ. One source lists about 350,000 acres near Guthrie and 108,000 at Dixon Creek, while the ranch says the Four Sixes and Dixon Creek together total 260,000 acres today.

What breeds does the Four Sixes raise?

Burnett raised purebred Herefords and quarter horses. Later managers crossed Brangus with Herefords for Black Baldy cattle, and the ranch breeds about 100 mares a year.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

More from the hall