Legendary cattle baron of the West.
1831-1914 | Artist: Benjamin S. Kanne (1897-1952)
Impact & Accomplishments
Cattle baron Seth Mabry moved to Texas from Tennessee as a young boy. His father was a physician and legislator.
A major in the Confederate Army, Mabry established a ranch in Llano County and partnered with his brother and others, to drive cattle to market in Abilene, Kansas. He led his first cattle drive in 1869.
In 1870, Major Mabry established a ranch in Idaho and later purchased land in Mason and Kimble counties in Texas.
Did You Know?
Mabry established a ranch in Idaho with 4,000 cattle, and the following year branded about 2,000 calves. He continued his interests in Texas, and in 1873, he and his partner drove 15,000 head of cattle from Texas to supply Indian contractors. By the end of fifteen years, he had successfully placed his brand on 20,000 cattle and annually branded three to five thousand calves.
At Mabry's peak, he had cattle interests from the Llano River in Texas to the Niobrara River in Nebraska. In 1883, he added property in Montana to his real estate. The ranch became known as the "Circle Ranch," because Mabry's personal brand was a plain circle iron. The ranch raised and sold beef cattle for about thirteen years before he sold it in 1900. The property grew into a community known today as Circle, Montana. Rightly, Seth Mabry was soon viewed by others as the "Cattle King."
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