Dillard Rucker Fant (July 21, 1841 – January 15, 1908) was an American cattle driver and soldier.

Biography

Fant was born on July 21, 1841, in

Anderson, South Carolina Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 28,106 at the 2020 census, making it the 16th-most populous city in South Carolina. It is one of the principal cities in the Gree ...

. His father was William A. Fant, who would later serve as county judge of

Goliad County, Texas Goliad County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population is 7,012. Its county seat is Goliad. The county is named for Father Miguel Hidalgo; "Goliad" is an anagram, minus the silent H. The county ...

, and his mother was Mary A. Fant (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Burriss). They moved to Goliad County in 1852. Fant received little schooling, and instead grew in knowledge by befriending intelligent businessmen. As a young adult, Fant worked transporting goods on

ox-wagon An ox-wagon or bullock wagon is a four-wheeled vehicle pulled by oxen (draught cattle). It was a traditional form of transport, especially in Southern Africa but also in New Zealand and Australia. Ox-wagons were also used in the United States. ...

between Goliard County and Indianola, a port city. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, he enlisted in the 21st Texas Infantry Regiment, serving in company "K", under Benjamin F. Carter. On October 15, 1865, Fant married Lucy A. Hodges, daughter of colonel

John Hodges John Hodges may refer to: *John Hodges (cricketer) (1855–1933), Australian cricketer * Jack Hodges (1841/1842–1899), Australian cricket umpire *John Hodges (minstrel) (1821–1891), American entertainer *Johnny Hodges (1906–1970), American mus ...

. From 1867 to 1869, he drove cattle to Rockport, later droving to

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

in 1869. He held government contracts to bring cattle to

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

and the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

. He brought between 175,000 and 200,000 cattle there in fifteen years of work. He helped extend the

Chisholm Trail The Chisholm Trail ( ) was a stock trail and wagon route used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland from ranches in southern Texas, across the Red River into Indian Territory, and northward to rail stops in Kansas. The trail cons ...

to Corpus Christi. He also worked alongside George Washington West. He stopped droving by 1889, selling all the cattle for $1,000,000 (approximately $34,200,000 in 2025). He used this money to buy 700,000 acres of ranchland in Refugio, Frio,

Live Oak Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are generally not more closely related to each other than they are to o ...

and Tarrant Counties, among others. George W. Saunders apprenticed under him. He retired in April 1901, moving to the King William District in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

. He died on January 15, 1908, aged 66, during a visit to Goliad County.

References

{{Reflist 1841 births 1908 deaths People from Anderson, South Carolina People from Goliad County, Texas Ranchers from Texas Businesspeople from San Antonio