Uncovering The Epic Texas Panhandle Cattle Drive Of 1882

The Texas panhandle has a history full of surprises. You don't have to dig deep before you find amazing and oddball stories, all of which played a hand in forming the region. Recently, I came across the story of a Texas ranch that set an incredible record around 140 years ago. Of course, it would include an insane amount of cattle.

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The Largest Cattle Drive On Record Happened In The Texas Panhandle

When you think of cattle drives, you might think back to the old westerns that used to be on the TV while you took your Sunday nap. You might even think of movies like City Slickers, the Billy Crystal classic where three city slicker buddies decide to take the vacation of a lifetime on a cattle drive. If you haven't seen it, you need to fix that. As quickly as possible.

In those movies, cowboys drive cattle across rugged terrain. The herds all look massive, but none can compare to the size of the herd that was pushed from about Tulia to around Canyon.

How Big Was The Herd In The Biggest Cattle Drive In Texas?

It's hard to wrap your head around. The answer to that question is a staggering 10,652 head. It was an incredible feat accomplished by the T Anchor Ranch. The drive took place on August 24, 1882.

Supposedly it took half a day to run the cattle through the frontline gate to be counted. Another incredible aspect of the tale is that it took one hour for a horse to circle the herd at a decent trot after they had bedded down for the night.

It's an incredible piece of Texas panhandle history, and you have to imagine the sight was something to behold. Over 10,000 head of cattle coming straight at you. It's unfathomable.

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Can You Guess These Towns From Their Satellite Photos?

I'm always down for a good brain challenge. This one however got the best of me.

It's always a fun time looking up address or cities and seeing them from a satellite point of view. You start pointing out landmarks and things you recognize.

One thing you don't account for however is something looking bigger or smaller than you seemed to think it was. So we started grabbing a bunch of these satellite pictures of cities and towns around Amarillo.

As we looked at them, we thought to ourselves, "how fun would this be to actually have to GUESS what these places are?". So away we went.

Go ahead and try to see how many you can guess correctly!

Gallery Credit: Sarah Clark