UU Bar Ranch: Cattle Country at Rayado Creek, New Mexico
Next door to Philmont Scout Ranch, the UU Bar occupies part of the old Maxwell Land Grant and claims cattle on the land since 1848.
Where is the UU Bar Ranch?
The UU Bar Ranch is a cattle ranch in northeastern New Mexico that abuts the town of Cimarron and surrounds the Philmont Scout Ranch on its south, east and north sides. Note for readers searching by name: it is in New Mexico, not Wyoming, and should not be confused with the similarly named Bar U Ranch in Alberta, Canada.
According to the Wikipedia article on the UU Bar Ranch, headquarters sits on Rayado Creek, on the site of Lucien Maxwell's ranch headquarters and next to Maxwell's original home. Today it covers about 282,000 acres, devoted to grazing, timber, fishing and hunting.
How did Lucien Maxwell start the ranch?
The ranch was established in 1848 by Lucien B. Maxwell, a date the Wikipedia article reports and that other sources may treat differently. It was then known as the Rayado Ranch. Both the ranch and the neighboring Philmont Scout Ranch were part of the 1,714,765-acre Maxwell Land Grant.
The Wikipedia article says cattle have reportedly been raised there continuously since 1848. That is a claim worth quoting carefully, because land grant ranches changed hands, boundaries and brands many times, but the headquarters location is documented to be the same site.
Waite Phillips and the Double U Bar
Oklahoma oil magnate Waite Phillips later owned the property. When he bought in the 1920s it totaled over 300,000 acres. Phillips wanted the W Bar brand, but New Mexico brand laws barred duplicates, so he registered the UU Bar and renamed the ranch from Rayado Ranch to the Double U Bar Ranch.
In 1941 Phillips donated about 127,000 acres to the Boy Scouts of America, the land that became Philmont. In 1943 he sold the remaining ranch to the McDaniel Brothers.
Cattle, elk and the working ranch
Z&T Cattle Company, owned by Zane Kiehne and headquartered in Pecos, Texas, bought the ranch in 2018 and manages both the cattle and the hunting and fishing operations. The Land Report ranked Z&T the nation's 24th largest landowner in 2025, with almost half a million acres, including over 30,000 acres in the Delaware Basin of Texas.
The ranch is described as a premier elk hunting property with one of the largest elk herds in North America. Z&T's purchases have brought the ranch back to roughly its size before the Scout donation.
The Key to the UU Bar's Staying Power
The UU Bar shows how a ranch can be donated down, sold on and rebuilt while keeping its headquarters, its brand and its grazing country. Its documented history is shorter on cattle details than on ownership, so the lessons below come from the ownership record.
There were limits too: the ranch lost a large block of its land when the Scout donation left the property in 1941, and it took later owners decades to rebuild its size.
- Kept its headquarters on the original Rayado Creek site next to Maxwell's first home.
- Protected a brand, registering the UU Bar when the W Bar was unavailable.
- Gave away land strategically, with Phillips donating about 127,000 acres in 1941 to the Boy Scouts.
- Combined cattle with hunting and fishing income under current management.
- Rebuilt scale gradually, with Z&T purchases returning the ranch toward its pre-donation size.
A neighbor to Philmont and the Maxwell Land Grant
The grant that produced the UU Bar also produced Vermejo and Philmont. For another part of the same grant, read the Wikipedia article on Vermejo Reserve, which describes how the Maxwell Land Grant land was later assembled into a very large ranch.
Readers interested in the wider story of western ranching can browse the ranching section of farm.FM or see a farm.FM story about ranch life in New Mexico. The ranch's Wikipedia entry remains the best single starting point, though some passages should be checked against other sources.
Timeline
- 1848Lucien B. Maxwell establishes the ranch (reported)
- 1920sWaite Phillips buys the property, then over 300,000 acres
- 1941Phillips donates about 127,000 acres to the Boy Scouts of America
- 1943The ranch is sold to the McDaniel Brothers
- 2018Z&T Cattle Company buys the ranch
- 2025The Land Report ranks Z&T 24th among U.S. landowners
Frequently asked questions
Where is the UU Bar Ranch?
It is in northeastern New Mexico next to Cimarron, with headquarters on Rayado Creek, and it surrounds the Philmont Scout Ranch on three sides.
Who owns the UU Bar Ranch?
Z&T Cattle Company, owned by Zane Kiehne of Pecos, Texas, bought it in 2018, according to the Wikipedia article.
How big is the UU Bar Ranch?
About 282,000 acres today. It had over 300,000 acres when Waite Phillips bought it in the 1920s, before he donated about 127,000 acres to the Boy Scouts in 1941.
Why is it called the UU Bar?
Waite Phillips wanted the W Bar brand but New Mexico brand law barred duplicates, so he registered the UU Bar and renamed the ranch the Double U Bar.
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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