The Matador Ranch Shaped This County for Decades

In 1878, Hank Campbell set up a cattle operation at Ballard Springs in what is now Motley County. In 1882, Scottish businessmen from Dundee bought the operation for $1.25 million. They got roughly 100,000 acres owned outright and rights over 1.5 million more acres, plus 40,000 cattle. The company ran under Scottish control for nearly 70 years.

The ranch was not just a business — it shaped local politics. In the 1890s, ranch managers tried to control county government. Settlers eventually outvoted the ranch's candidates by 1900. The Matador Land and Cattle Company sold off its assets in 1951. The county seat, Matador, takes its name from that era. The Handbook of Texas at the Texas State Historical Association has the full account.