Ranching is a historic business, the last remnants of the cowboy culture that ruled the United States in the days of the Wild West. Raising horses and cattle out in the open plains the way people did over a century ago is still alive and well in certain parts of the country. From booming ranch empires led by some of the wealthiest businessmen in the world to longtime family businesses dedicated to preserving their history, these are the largest ranches in the United States.
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Waggoner Ranch
Location: North Texas
Size: 535,000 acres
This ranch is widely recognized as the largest in the country behind one fence. Founded back in 1849 by Dan Waggoner, the operation turned into a true ranching empire thanks to Dan's son, W.T. Waggoner. The Waggoner descendants sold their land to Kroenke Ranches in 2016, and today it employs nearly 100 people to maintain daily operations of the cattle, horses, and farm.
Vermejo Park Ranch
Location: Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado
Size: 560,000 acres
One of the many properties owned by media mogul Ted Turner, the Vermejo is a stunner. The property boasts over 1,200 wild bison, fishing ponds, and more. It's actually the only Turner property that operates as a full guest ranch with lodges and guest houses spread throughout and offers guest hunts in the summer months as well as ice fishing and wildlife viewing in the winter.
Briscoe Ranches
Location: South/West Texas
Size: 660,000 acres
One of the largest ranching dynasties in Texas was built up by former Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe. Briscoe, who served as governor in the '70s, was at one time the largest landowner in the Lone Star State as well as one of its most respected businessmen. His ranchlands are where he grew up during the Great Depression, where his father Dolph Sr. first founded the ranch in Uvalde. In the years since it has grown into a booming ranching empire. Following his death in 2010, Briscoe left everything to his three children who have continued to run the family business.
Babbitt Ranches
Location: Flagstaff, Ariz.
Size: 750,000 acres
Babbitt Ranches raises 8,000 head of cattle on its massive property of private, state and federal land that dates back to 1886. It's a family business that continues to honor the cowboy culture that helped shape the ranch over the past century...they call it the Cowboy Essence. Babbitt cowboys continue to ride, rope and brand, like they did years ago in addition to maintaining the tradition of the spring and fall works and the Babbitt Ranches Annual Colt Sale. In addition to running their usual ranch business, Babbitt Ranches partnered with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Arizona State Land Department to create the SP Crater Golden Eagle Conservation Complex to help protect golden eagles nest sites and help boost their numbers.
The Diamond A Ranch
Location: Seligman, Ariz.
Size: 770,000 acres
The Diamond A is the largest cattle ranch in the entire state of Arizona. At one time it was part of the VVV ranch but the Navajo Nation purchased the land in 1987. Though they still own the land, Cholla Livestock LLC maintains operations while respecting the traditions of the property including the use of wagons to work certain parts of the ranch. In addition to raising cattle, they also raise horses, which they sell annually.
King Ranch
Location: Southeast Texas
Size: 825,000 acres
Captain Richard King first purchased some land in South Texas back in 1853, leading some of the first cattle drives in the state. Between its four tracts of lands, it is considered the largest ranch in the entire state, and by some accounts, the largest in the country. While its primary mission revolved around raising cattle and horses as well as farming, in 1934, King Ranch, Inc. expanded operations to include oil and gas and agribusiness. Captain King's ancestors still run the property alongside shareholders making this a seriously historic family business, dating back just a few years after Texas was founded as a state.
Singleton Ranches
Location: California and New Mexico
Size: 1,000,000 acres
In 1986, Dr. Henry Singleton bought the historic San Cristobal Ranch outside Santa Fe, N.M. His goal, outside of raising cattle and horses, was to preserve the ranching culture that had been prevalent in New Mexico for centuries. Over the years, Singleton purchased land grants throughout New Mexico and California which resulted in a total of 1,000,000 acres of ranch lands. Singleton Ranches is still a family business, run by Singleton's children following his death. They involve every member of their families as well as neighbors to help with ranch activities to really treasure and embrace the cowboy lifestyle. It's become one of the top five ranching operations in the country.
