96 – Eshleman Family – 96,00 acres

The family’s Eshleman-Vogt Ranch is located in Jim Hogg County. This South Texas property is used primarily for cattle ranching, although hunting leases are proving to be a valuable source of income as well.

13 – Dolph Briscoe Jr. – 560,000 acres

A two-time Texas governor, Briscoe, 85, also served as the president the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association where he spearheaded the cattle industry’s effort to eradicate screwworms. He declined to confirm published reports of the size of Briscoe Ranch, which was established by his father.

22 – Fasken Family – 300,000 acres

The Faskens were lucky enough to settle in West Texas before oil and gas were discovered in the Permian Basin. Their holdings now span Midland, Ector, Andrews, and Martin counties, and they own additional acreage in Culberson and Reeves counties, as well as in South Texas near Laredo.

20 – The Lyda Family – 320,035 acres

Gerald Lyda was a San Antonio general contractor who built landmarks such as the Tower of the Americas and the Alamodome. But cowboying was in his blood, and he loved to buy and sell ranches throughout the Southwest. Just ask top-ranked Ted Turner, who bought New Mexico’s 156,439-acre Ladder Ranch from Lyda in 1992. Lyda put the proceeds from that sale into a 1031 Exchange and bought the Elsinore Ranch in Far West Texas, which he rechristened La Escalera (”ladder” in Spanish). His three children and their families now run La Escalera. Tours of the Escalera Ranch website are highly recommeded.

19 – Anne Marion – 345,000 acres

Alas, the Four Sixes Ranch does not trace its founding to a winning poker hand. Ranch founder Samuel Burk Burnett purchased a herd of cattle with the 6666 brand and eventually registered the mark as his own in 1875. His great-granddaughter is the sole owner of the 345,000-acre cow-calf operation.

18 – East Family – 350,000 acres

Following the death of Richard King’s widow, a substantial number of heirs joined together to maintain the King Ranch legacy (see King Ranch Heirs). Alice Gertrudis Kleberg East, however, eventually cashed in her interests and received two ranches of her own: the San Antonio Viejo and the Santa Fe. They now belong to her descendants.

15 – D.M. O’Connor Heirs – 500,000 acres

The O’Connor family’s ties to cattle ranching in South Texas date back to the 1830s, when Thomas O’Connor arrived from Ireland. His son Dennis Martin joined the family business, and today, the descendants of D.M. O’Connor share ownership of an estimated 500,000 acres of ranchland in and around Victoria County.

14 W.T. Waggoner Estate 520,000 acres

Texas boasts thousands of cattle operations, but none, not even King Ranch, can match the Waggoner’s brag: “the nation’s largest ranch under one fence.” Established in 1849 by Dan Waggoner, the contiguous parcel now encompasses more than 800 square miles. The massive cattle operations, horse-breeding program, and oil and gas production are managed by two Waggoner heirs, A.B. Wharton and Gene Willingham.

27 – True Family – 255,000 acres

Established in 1957 with the purchase of Wyoming’s Double Four Ranch at the foot of Laramie Peak, the True family has since expanded its holdings to include seven ranches, two farms, and two feedlots. They run Angus, Black Baldy, Charolais, and Hereford cattle.

26 – Jones Heirs – 255,000 acres

The Joneses are tight-lipped about their South Texas landholdings, but previous reports show the family owning more than 250,000 acres. The accumulation of land started more than a century ago with William Whitby Jones, and now continues with A.C. Jones IV.

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