John M. Shelton

John M. Shelton (1853–1923) was an American rancher and banker. Born in Kentucky in the Antebellum South, he became a large landowner and banker in Texas in the postbellum era. He founded a bank and loan company. He established the Bravo Ranch in Hartley County, Texas. By 1915, he was the owner of 28,000 head of cattle and 500,000 acres in the Texas Panhandle.

John M. Shelton
Born1853
Kentucky, U.S.
DiedDecember 7, 1923
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Resting placeLlano Cemetery, Amarillo, Texas, U.S.
Occupation(s)Rancher, banker
SpouseFlora Exum
Children2 sons, 1 daughter

Early life

John M. Shelton was born in 1853 in Kentucky.[1][2] He took a wagon train to Fort Worth, Texas shortly after the American Civil War.[1]

Career

Shelton purchased property in Fort Worth in the 1880s.[1] According to the Amarillo Globe-News, "by 1890, Shelton had accumulated between 1,500 and 2,000 cattle and began his Lazy J brand."[1] Shortly after, he purchased a ranch in Wheeler County, Texas as well as rangeland in Wyoming and Montana.[2] He sold his Wheeler County ranch in the 1910s.[2]

Shelton co-founded the First State Bank of Shamrock, Texas in 1904 with Oscar P. Jones.[1] By the 1910s, he founded the John M. Shelton Loan Company in Amarillo.[1]

Shelton purchased 211,000 acres in the Texas Panhandle, in Oldham County and Hartley County, Texas in 1914.[3] A year later, in 1915, he purchased the Bravo Ranch, which spanned 111,000 acres in Hartley County, Texas, for US$540,000.[2][4] The acreage came from the XIT Ranch.[5] Shortly after the purchase of the ranch, he was the owner of 500,000 acres and 28,000 head of cattle in total.[4] Shelton raised Hereford and Angus cattle on the Bravo Ranch.[2]

Personal life

Shelton married Flora Exum.[2] They had two sons, J. Malcolm Shelton and James M. Shelton, and a daughter, Martha Houghton.[1][2] They resided in Fort Worth, and later in Amarillo, Texas.[2] Their Amarillo mansion, located at 1700 Polk Street, was completed in 1914.[5] It was located on the most affluent street in Amarillo.[6]

The Shelton-Houghton House in Amarillo, Texas.

Death and legacy

Shelton died on December 7, 1923 in Fort Worth, Texas.[2] He was buried at the Llano Cemetery in Amarillo.[2]

The Shelton-Houghton House was donated to the Junior League of Amarillo in 1965.[1] It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[7]

Shelton's Bravo Ranch remains in the family.[8] By 2015, it belongs to the majority landowners and great grandsons, Malcolm and Jim Shelton.[8]

References
  1. Ledbetter, Kay (May 19, 2000). "John M. Shelton". Amarillo Globe-News. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  2. Anderson, H. Allen. "SHELTON, JOHN M." Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  3. "$850,000 Land Deal Closed Saturday. J. M. Shelton of Amarillo, Bought 211,000 in Panhandle of Scotch Syndicate". The Houston Post. Houston, Texas. May 11, 1914. p. 15. Retrieved January 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. "Cattle Raisers Optimistic". The Iola Register. Iola, Kansas. November 24, 1915. p. 2. Retrieved January 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. Smith, Jon (2009). Amarillo. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 18. ISBN 9780738571232. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  6. Carlson, Paul Howard (2006). Amarillo: The Story of a Western Town. Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press. p. 100. ISBN 9780896725874. OCLC 64427384. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  7. "Shelton-Houghton House". National Park Service. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  8. Smith Ford, Lauren (February 2015). "Land Lords. A Ranching Photo Essay". Texas Monthly. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
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