Burkburnett and the 6666 Origin Trail

When Taylor Sheridan, the creator of Yellowstone, purchased the historic Four Sixes (6666) Ranch in 2021, preparations for the new origin series Yellowstone 6666 had already begun. With the development of a spin-off set in motion, a renewed interest in the Four Sixes Ranch has emerged. While many people know the historic ranch is located near Guthrie in West Texas. Few know the origins of the 6666 trace back to Burkburnett, Texas, and the S. Burk Burnett Wild Horse Ranch. Located in Wichita County, the city of Burkburnett is one mile from the Red River and 130 miles northwest of Fort Worth. 

The 6666 website states that when Captain Samuel “Burk” Burnett purchased a 100 head of cattle in 1870 from Frank Crowley of Denton, Texas, the cattle had the “6666” brand, a brand Burnett bought when he bought the cattle. A smart businessman, Burnett leased land across the Red River to graze his cattle from the Comanche and Kiowa tribes in Indian Territory. By doing so, Burnett was one of the first Texas ranchers to graze steers through the winter earning him a sizable profit when he sold them in the spring.

In 1885, Burnett purchased his Wild Horse Ranch along the Red River just northwest of Burkburnett.  This land included bluffs overlooking the river, a natural artesian spring, and Wild Horse Creek. The Red River marks the boundary with Oklahoma to the north. Steeped in history, the land around Burkburnett was once the ancestral land of the Wichita Indians.  The original Wild Horse Ranch headquarters was located at the top of a hill on Bohner Road above Wild Horse Creek. Bohner Road travels along the bluffs above the Red River until it dips down and crosses the creek before rising up again, marking the south border of the ranch. In this area, many Native American artifacts have been found ranging from ax heads, Indian Grinding Stones, manos, beads, and arrowheads.  Local lore has it that when the road on Bohner Hill was being built, the builders unearthed portions of an Indian burial ground.

Burk Burnett owned this property from 1885-1906. Burnett had many famous friends visit him at his ranch including President Teddy Roosevelt and Comanche Chief Quanah Parker, both of whom accompanied him on a famous wolf hunt in 1905 across the Red River in Big Pasteur. Quanah Parker was the son of Cynthia Anne Parker who was taken captive in a Comanche raid.  After the successful wolf hunt, President Roosevelt requested the Nesterville post office be renamed Burkburnett for his friend. The Burnett family sold the ranch in 1906 and moved the Four Sixes to West Texas.  Shortly thereafter, oil was discovered, and Burkburnett and the surrounding area became known as “Boomtown.”

The Burkburnett oil boom was small at first.  However, according to the Wichita County Historical Commission Northwest Oil Extension historical marker, on April 17, 1919, the Bob Waggoner Well No. 1 struck 4800 barrels that day. Located on the former S. Burk Burnett Wild Horse Ranch, this was the first well in the Northwest Extension Oilfield. Within a year, the town population exploded by tenfold.  In 1939, Cosmopolitan magazine published a novelette titled, “A Lady Goes to Burkburnett.” The town was made even more famous by the 1941 movie Boomtown movie starring Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. Burkburnett became one of the most famous Texas boomtowns of that time. Eventually, the oil started to flow less freely. In 1940, the original S. Burk Burnett Wild Horse Ranch headquarters burned in a fire. 

Historical markers around Burkburnett document the colorful past.  From cattle barons, Comanche Chiefs, presidents, and oil booms, Burkburnett has a history worth retelling. A new museum is currently being developed downtown. While the area may no longer house the Wild Horse Ranch headquarters, Burkburnett and its new museum at least deserves a stop on the 6666 origin story trail. In fact, one can find the four six brands available for viewing.