EVENTS
In July of 1885, the first herds of cattle arrived at the XIT ranch. To celebrate this event, the XIT General Office is hosting its second annual Cowboy Christmas in July. The event will start at 3 pm with a kids "rodeo," open house of the XIT General Office, and a history of the ranch. At 4 pm, R.W. Hampton will begin playing. The supper bell for a chuckwagon feast provided by Skip Shepard's family will ring around 5. The live auction will begin at 6. Following the auction, Eloy Gonzales' band will gear up for the dance.
The no. 15 rule for the XIT ranch was no alcohol, and the Hartley County Historical Commission is proud to continue this tradition and offer the area a family friendly event. We feel it is best for all if we do not serve alcohol since Channing is 30 miles from the nearest hotel.
All proceeds will go to the XIT General Office for general maintenance, repairs, and our hopes to establish a museum in the building. This year we are hoping to raise $20,000 to replace the roof on our beloved building. This event will help share Channing's best kept secret and showcase the building to the general public. Since the XIT ranch is really the heritage of everyone living in the western panhandle, we would really like to keep the event donation only rather than require ticket sales.
This event relies strongly on the sponsorship of panhandle businesses and benefactors, who will be featured throughout the event. If you are interested in helping, please contact us. Currently, our guest list includes over 1 million acres of ranch ownership. We look to reach more of the ranchers and farmers who are now operating on the 3 million acres that used to be the XIT Ranch to celebrate their land and the living history of the XIT.
Hope to see you in July!
Schedule of Events:
3:00 pm Kids "Rodeo"
4:00 pm R.W. Hampton5:00 pm Chuckwagon Supper6:00 pm Live Auction7:00 pm Eloy Gonzales
Live Auction Items:
Ward Alford will auctioneer our collection of cowboy and western related items. Each item is unique and special in its own right:
Items include:
- 50 caliber Hawkins Blackpowder Gun complete with pyrodex, 100 lead round balls, percussion caps, capper, patches, ball starter, patch knife, powder horn, and powder measure as well as a handcrafted stand. Donated by Jerry Munson.
- Bob Hunnicutt bronze donated by Pat Shafer
- 2 WRCA National Finals Tickets for either Thursday or Saturday donated by the WRCA.
- Windmill painting by Shelly Tipton of Dumas Texas in the 1960s donated by Tud Moore.
- "Dear Cowgirl" and desert dwellin mama tshirt donated by Adrian Buckaroogirl.
- River Rock Lamp donated by Tud Moore
- Homemade Stoneware donated by Jerry Munson.
- Authentic butter molds from late 1800s. Donated by Jerry Munson.
- Bronze Sculpture donated by Tud Moore sculpted by his late wife, Pat Moore.
- Handcrafted Knife donated by Kevin Stephens
- One of a kind XIT Spurs created by Shawn Deeter
- Large knife with holster donated by Bob Cates
- Small knife with holster donated by Bob Cates
- Original Pendleton Round-Up Rodeo Print Poster donated by Chuck Lewis.
