The SMS Ranches are a famous group of

cattle ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

es located in

West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio. No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...

Background

Swante M. Swenson Swante M. Swenson (February 24, 1816 – June 13, 1896) was the founder of the SMS ranches in West Texas. It was through his efforts that Swedish immigration to Texas was begun in 1848. In 1972, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners o ...

migrated to

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

during 1836. In 1850 Swenson moved to

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

and established a mercantile business with his uncle Swante Palm. While running the business, Swenson continued to buy railroad land and then bought school scripts to acquire additional property. In 1854 Svenson invested in the

Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado Railway The Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway (B.B.B.C. or B.B.B. & C.), also called the Harrisburg Road or Harrisburg Railroad, was the first operating railroad in Texas. It completed its first segment of track between Harrisburg, Texas (now a ...

, which gained him acres of land in northwestern and western Texas. SMS Ranches eventually became one of the largest landowners in Texas. At their peak, the SMS Ranches occupy considerable portions of twelve counties in the lower plains area of

and comprise more than . The ranches were named for the initials of the founder,

. The SMS brand, consisting of an extended M sandwiched between two reversed S's, was registered by the Swensons in the spring of 1882. At one time most, if not all, foremen of the SMS Ranches were immigrant Swedes. Swenson leased his holdings to his sons, who operated them under the name of Swenson Brothers Cattle Company from headquarters in

Stamford, Texas Stamford is a city on the border of Jones and Haskell Counties in west-central Texas. The population was 3,124 at the 2010 census, down from 3,636 at the 2000 census. Henry McHarg, president of the Texas Central Railroad, named the site in 1900 fo ...

.''Family History Research'' (Genealogy News)
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Ranching Units

*Throckmorton Ranch - located in Throckmorton County *Flat Top Ranch - located in Jones County, Stonewall County, and Haskell County *Ericsdahl Ranch - located in Jones County and Haskell County *Tongue River Ranch - located in

Cottle County Cottle County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,380. Its county seat is Paducah. The county was founded in 1876 and later organized in 1892. It is named for George Washington Cottle, who died d ...

King County King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

, Motley County, and Dickens County *Ellerslie Ranch - located in Jones County and Haskell County

References

Primary sources

*Clark, Mary Whatley ''The Swenson Saga and the SMS Ranches'' (Austin, Texas: Jenkins Book Publishing Co. 1976) *Swenson, Gail ''S. M. Swenson and the Development of the SMS Ranches'' (University of Texas, 1960) *Hastings, Frank S ''The Story of the SMS Ranch'' (S. M. Swenson & Sons. 1922) * Anderson, August ''Hyphenated, or The Life Story of S. M. Swenson'' (Austin: Steck, 1916)

External links

Swenson Land and Cattle Company: Inventory of Records, 1846-1927SMS Ranches, Texas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sms Ranches Ranches in Texas Companies based in Texas 1854 establishments in Texas Companies established in 1854