Samuel Burk Burnett (January 1, 1849 – June 27, 1922) was an American cattleman and rancher from

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, owner of the

Early life

Samuel Burk Burnett was born on January 1, 1849, in

Bates County, Missouri Bates County is a County (United States), county located in the west central part of the U.S. state of Missouri, two counties south of the Missouri River and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 202 ...

,6666 Ranch: Burnett family
/ref>David Minor, "BURNETT, SAMUEL BURK," Handbook of Texas Online (https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbu80), accessed November 09, 2014. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the

Texas State Historical Association The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...

. to parents originally from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. His father, Jeremiah Burnett, was a farmer; his mother was Mary (Turner) Burnett. He had a brother, Bruce Burnett, who later became a rancher in his own right.H. Allen Anderson, "FOUR SIXES RANCH," Handbook of Texas Online (https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/apf01), accessed November 09, 2014. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the

. In 1857–1858, the family moved into a house by the Denton Creek in

Denton County, Texas Denton County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 906,422, making it the seventh-most populous county in Texas. The county seat is Denton, Texas, Denton. The county, which ...

, where his father became a cattleman. It was then that Burnett, only ten years of age, learned ranching from his father.6666 Ranch
, American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum

Career

In 1868, at the age of nineteen, "Burk" Burnett, as he was known, purchased one hundred head of cattle which were branded '6666,' from Frank Crowley. During the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "L ...

, he drove 1,100 steers to

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

, and sold them for US$10,000 in 1874, thus making a fortune for the time. Later that year, he purchased 1,300 more cattle and drove them along 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 the open range land by the Little Wichita River. He purchased land near

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...

, before the town was built. Due to the droughts of the 1880s, he moved his cattle to the Big Pasture in southwestern

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. He rented 300,000 acres of land, where his 10,000 head of cattle grazed. Meanwhile, his son Thomas worked as a cowhand on the Big Pasture. In 1900, Burnett purchased the 8 Ranch, later known as the

6666 Ranch The Four Sixes Ranch, stylized as 6666 Ranch, is a ranch in King County, Texas, as well as Carson County and Hutchinson County. Location The main section of the ranch is located near the town of Guthrie in King County, Texas.Guthrie, Texas, from the Louisville Land and Cattle Company. He also acquired the Dixon Creek Ranch near Panhandle, Texas. In 1917, he built a ranchhouse in Guthrie designed by architects Sanguinet and Staats at a cost of US$100,000. Guests included President Theodore Roosevelt and comedian

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma ...

. Four years later, in 1921, shortly before his death, oil was discovered near the Dixon Creek on his 6666 Ranch. Burnett was president of the Fort Worth Stock Show from 1908 until his death in 1922. He was the organization's second president, noted for expanding the scope of the event to include exhibits and a

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

, and renaming to the Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show. Burnett also served on the board of directors of the First National Bank of Fort Worth, the State Bank of Burkburnett, and the Cattle Raisers Association of Texas. He was also President of the Ardmore Oil and the Gin Milling Company.

Personal life, death and legacy

Burnett first married Ruth B. Lloyd, the daughter of Martin B. Lloyd, founder of the First National Bank of Fort Worth. They had three sons, two of whom died. Their third son, Thomas Lloyd Burnett, became a rancher. The couple divorced. His second marriage was to Mary Couts Burnett in 1892. They had a son, Burk Burnett Jr., who died in 1917. They resided in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

. However, he disinherited her and had her committed in a mental asylum. After his death, she sued and managed to secure a settlement of several million dollars, but did not inherit his ranching or oil concerns. Burnett died on June 27, 1922, in Fort Worth, Texas. His ranching and oil interests were held in trust until his granddaughter,

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

, received her inheritance in 1922. In 1980, it was inherited by his great-granddaughter, Anne Windfohr Marion, who served as President of Burnett Ranches and Chairman of the Burnett Oil Company. The town of Burkburnett in

Wichita County, Texas Wichita County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 129,350. The county seat is Wichita Falls. The county was created in 1858 and organized in 1882. Wichita County is part of the Wichi ...

was named in his honor by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

. Indeed, the president had been coyote and wolf hunting there with Burnett before the town was established. As a result, the president's suggestion stuck, immortalizing Burnett's name in this location. Burnett was a member of the

Elks The Embeddable Linux Kernel Subset (ELKS), formerly known as Linux-8086, is a Linux-like operating system kernel. It is a subset of the Linux kernel, intended for 16-bit computers with limited processor and memory resources such as machines pow ...

, Knights of Pythias, and the River Crest Country Club in Fort Worth. In 1969, he was inducted into the

Hall of Great Westerners The Hall of Great Westerners was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1958. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of more than 200 men and women of the American W ...

of the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnett, Samuel Burk 1849 births 1922 deaths People from Bates County, Missouri People from Denton County, Texas Ranchers from Fort Worth, Texas People from King County, Texas