Sunray in Moore County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Site of Historic Drift Fence
Photographed by Allen Lowrey, June 7, 2020
1. Site of Historic Drift Fence Marker
Until the mid-1880's, no range fences existed in the Texas Panhandle. Thus when winter blizzards came, cattle drifted from Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas to the Texas ranches of ("Box T"--Dominion Cattle Co. Ltd.), K ("Seven K"--York, Parker & Draper), CC ("Bar C's"--Creswell Land & Cattle Co.), ("Turkey Tract"--Hansford Land & Cattle Co.), LX (Bates & Beal), LIT (Littlefield) and LE (Lee & Reynolds). The influx caused these ranches in the Canadian River breaks to be over grazed, for by spring roundup there were as many northern as local cattle in the herds.
To prevent the costly and time-consuming job of separating the cattle, each Texas rancher agreed to construct a fence along his north boundary line. The resulting fence was 200 miles long and ran from the northeast corner of the Panhandle southwest to near the site where Dumas was later founded, then west about 35 miles into New Mexico. It was a 4-strand, 4-bars fence with posts 30 feet apart and a gate every 3 miles. The materials amounted to about 65 carloads of wire and posts hauled from Dodge City.
In 1890, however, to comply with an 1889 state law prohibiting any
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Marker is property of the State of Texas
Erected 1969 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 4812.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce.
Location. 35° 55.222′ N, 101° 39.006′ W. Marker is in Sunray, Texas, in Moore County. It is on FM 1060, on the right when traveling north. The marker is 4.9 miles north of State Highway 152 on FM 1060. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sunray TX 79086, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Texas Panhandle. It is also on the American Great Plains, specifically on the Southern Plains, and specifically on the High Plains. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Comancherνa, the Dust Bowl, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Other nearby markers. At
Photographed by Allen Lowrey, June 7, 2020
2. Site of Historic Drift Fence Marker
Photographed by Allen Lowrey, June 7, 2020
3. Site of Historic Drift Fence Marker
Texas uses these additional signs to indicate the proximity of historical markers.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 8, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 8, 2020, by Allen Lowrey of Amarillo, Texas. This page has been viewed 723 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 8, 2020, by Allen Lowrey of Amarillo, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
