FORT WORTH, Texas — The Cattle Raisers Museum in Fort Worth is proud to present XIT Ranch: A Texas Legend Returns, a compelling photography exhibition celebrating the legacy and enduring influence of the historic XIT Ranch. The multi-gallery exhibition opened March 27 and will remain on display through February 2027.

Established in 1885, the XIT Ranch was born from one of the most remarkable land agreements in American history. Financiers John V. Farwell and Charles B. Farwell provided funding for the construction of the Texas State Capitol in exchange for more than three million acres of land in the Texas Panhandle. At its height, the ranch stretched across ten counties and became the world’s largest fenced ranch, running as many as 150,000 head of cattle across its vast grasslands.

By the early 20th century, the XIT Ranch had declined. The last cattle bearing the XIT brand were shipped in 1912, and by 1963, the final acre of its vast holdings had passed into new hands. Yet the XIT never truly vanished. Its legacy lived on across the Texas Panhandle in local memory, in rodeo arenas, in businesses, and in the traditions of the communities it helped shape. It was a legend waiting to be revived.

That revival began in 2022, when descendants of John V. Farwell, Drew Knowles and his wife, Abby, purchased the ranch’s historic Rita Blanca Division. Moving their family from Colorado, they returned to the land with a deep respect for its history and a forward-looking vision. Today, they steward the ranch with a focus on heritage, thoughtful land management, and progressive ranching practices, bridging the legacy of the past with the promise of the future.

The exhibition brings this history to life through photography that spans more than a century. Visitors will encounter historic XIT images including one captured by legendary Western photographer Erwin E. Smith, whose photographs from the late 1800s and early 1900s helped define the visual record of ranching and cowboy culture in Texas. They will also step further back in time through an archival gallery wall which features a historic image of the Texas State Capitol upon its completion in 1887.

Complementing Smith’s historic work are contemporary interpretations from a group of respected modern photographers who document ranching culture today. Featured artists include Nicholas Dupuy, a Florida-based photographer and filmmaker known for chronicling modern Western culture; Crystal Wise of 360 West Magazine, who photographed the ranch while producing a feature story highlighting its landscape, people, and revival; and Peter Robbins, a Texas-based photographer and cowboy artist celebrated for documenting working ranches and the lives of cowboys throughout the American West.

Also included is the work of Belton Kleberg McMurrey, a sixth-generation member of the King Ranch family and curator of the exhibition. McMurrey’s photography continues a family tradition of documenting ranching life. His images of the King Ranch were previously featured at the museum in 2025.

The exhibition further highlights the work of internationally recognized Western photographer Anouk Krantz, whose bold and cinematic photography offers a powerful interpretation of the modern American West. Her striking imagery bridges tradition and contemporary culture, introducing new audiences to the enduring relevance of ranching life. The XIT Ranch itself appears on the cover of one of Krantz’s acclaimed books, Frontier, underscoring the ranch’s lasting cultural significance.

XIT Ranch: A Texas Legend Returns marks the fourth annual ranching photography exhibition at the Cattle Raisers Museum and offers visitors a rare opportunity to explore the legacy of one of the most legendary ranches in Texas history through the lens of both past and present photographers.

The Cattle Raisers Museum is located inside the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History at 1600 Gendy Street in the Cultural District of Fort Worth.For museum hours and additional information, visit www.cattleraisersmuseum.org