Spade Ranch (Texas) facts for kids

Spade Ranch was the name of two big ranches in West Texas. They started separately but later joined together thanks to a man named Isaac L. Ellwood. Both ranches were famous for using barbed wire to keep their cattle in.

History of Spade Ranch

The First Ranch

The very first Spade Ranch began in the Texas panhandle. It was started by a person named John F. "Spade" Evans. He bought 23 pieces of land in Donley County on August 25, 1880.

The Renderbrook Ranch

The second ranch was called Renderbrook Ranch. It was located in Mitchell County. J. Taylor Barr first started this ranch. In 1882, two brothers, John and Dudley Snyder, bought it. By 1887, they made the ranch much bigger, reaching 300,000 acres.

How the Ranches Combined

During a big snowstorm in January 1886, the Snyder brothers sold their ranch. Isaac L. Ellwood bought it from them. He then combined this ranch with the first Spade Ranch. Mr. Ellwood also bought 128,000 more acres from the Snyder brothers. He then renamed the entire large property "Spade Ranch." The Spade ranch brand was officially registered in 1889. That same year, J. Frank Norfleet became the first foreman, or manager, of the ranch.

Changes Over Time

After Isaac Ellwood passed away on September 11, 1910, his sons, William Leonard and Erwin Perry Ellwood, took over the ranch. They added more barbed wire fences across the land. In 1919, they changed the type of cattle on the ranch. They replaced the old cattle with Herefords. These cattle are better suited for the dry climate in Texas.

In 1924, the northern part of the ranch was put up for sale. In October of that year, 6,300 cattle were sold. Later, 5,200 more cattle found new homes. By 1926, about 80% of the northern part of the land had been sold off.

The town of Spade, Texas is named after this famous ranch.