The Four Sixes Ranch, stylized as 6666 Ranch, is a ranch in King County, Texas as well as Carson County and Hutchinson County.
The Four Sixes Ranch, stylized as 6666 Ranch, is a ranch in King County, Texas as well as Carson County and Hutchinson County.
The main section of the ranch is located near the town of Guthrie in King County, Texas.[1][2] It spans 350,000 acres (1,400 km2) of land.[3] The main ranch house is off U.S. Highway 82.[4] The Dixon Creek section spans 108,000 acres (440 km2) of land in Carson and Hutchinson counties.[4] The Dixon Creek runs through this section of the ranch near Panhandle, Texas.[5][6]
The ranch was established by Samuel Burk Burnett in 1900 after he purchased the land from the Louisville Land and Cattle Company.[3][7] Legend has it that he won the ranch from a card game, where he scored four sixes.[3] However, Burnett and his descendants have denied this folklore tale.[3] Instead, the name comes from the first herd he raised on the ranch, which was branded "6666".[3]
Burnett raised purebred Herefords and Durham bulls, which won national prizes at livestock shows all over the United States.[4] He also bred purebred quarter horses.[4] In 1918, 2,000 head of cattle were killed by a blizzard.[4] Three years later, in 1921, oil was found on the ranch, thus turning it into a very profitable enterprise.[4]
After Burnett's death in 1920, the ranch was inherited by his granddaughter, Anne Valliant Burnett Tandy.[7] She purchased Grey Badger II and Hollywood Gold, two show horses which lived on the ranch.[4] By 1936, there were 20,000 Hereford cattle on the ranch.[4] In the 1960s and 1970s, the barn on the ranch was used in advertisements for Marlboro, the cigarette brand.[3][4] In 1975, scenes of the movie Mackintosh and T.J. were filmed on the ranch.[4]
In 1980, the ranch was passed on to Burnett's great-granddaughter, Anne Windfohr Marion, and his great-great-granddaughter, Wendi Grimes.[4] Marion co-managed the ranch with her fourth husband, John L. Marion.[3][7] They bred Brangus cattle with Herefords to produce the Black Baldy, a cattle breed resistant to cedar flies.[4] A hundred broodmares are bred on the ranch every year.[7]
As of 3 December 2020[update], the ranch was being sold in accordance with the will of owner Anne Burnett Marion, who had died in February that year; it was listed on the market for a total of $347.7 million.[citation needed] In May 2021, a buyer group represented by screenwriter Taylor Sheridan purchased the ranch.[8][9]
Paintings depicting portions of the ranch have been painted by Tom Ryan and Mondel Rogers.[4] A barn from the ranch has been moved to the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas.[4]
An unknown named television series based on the ranch was introduced as a backdoor pilot, during the fourth season of the drama series Yellowstone, released November 7, 2021 via the Paramount+ streaming service.[10]
