The Rise and Fall of the Lazy S Ranch by David J. Murrah

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Rise and Fall of the Lazy S Ranch by David J. Murrah John Caraway The Rise and Fall of the Lazy S Ranch. By David J. Murrah. (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2021. Pp. 152. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.) Every rancher, whether the holdings are ten or ten thousand acres, considers the ranch a legacy for children, grandchildren, and generations to follow. Financier and rancher Christopher Columbus “C. C.” Slaughter was no exception. Slaughter intended his Lazy S Ranch to be “an insurance policy for my children, undivided and indivisible until the death of the last one of my family” (33). As is the case with so many family ranching operations, Slaughter’s dream of an indivisible empire for his family fell apart due to death, the family strife that often follows, poor management, and debt. Although the breakup of the Lazy S transformed the region, the history of the ranch was largely lost, a West Texas story waiting to be told. In The Rise and Fall of the Lazy S Ranch, David J. Murrah rekindles his interest in the Slaughter family and their ranching empire while using newly available records to provide a fresh perspective on the legacy of the Lazy S. Murrah’s accessible and entertaining study chronicles the rise of C. C. Slaughter’s South Plains ranching interest while masterfully detailing the history of ranching in the region during a transformative period in Texas. In the creation of the Lazy S, Slaughter not only contended with the formidable challenges posed by the arid climate of the Llano Estacado, an unstable cattle market, and rival ranchers, but also with unique issues stemming from changes in state land laws as cotton and grain farmers began to colonize the region. Moreover, Murrah masterfully illustrates the internal dynamic among Slaughter’s sons that ultimately led to the demise of the ranch. In addition, the book details the transformation of agriculture on the southern plains during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as large-scale cattle ranching gave way to cotton and petroleum production, forever changing the economic landscape of the region and the state of Texas as a whole. Although the Lazy S failed to become the indivisible empire Slaughter desired, the ranch holdings, through the discovery of oil on the property, provided the generational insurance policy he wanted. Slaughter lands still provide income to some fortunate heirs, but the true legacy of the Lazy S lies in the establishment of the counties and communities created and supported by the ranch’s operations. As anyone involved in the industry knows, ranching is a hard business. Building and perhaps more importantly maintaining a legacy for generations to come is difficult at best. Murrah provides a brief, accessible history here, not only of the ranch, but also of the time and place in which the rise and fall of the Lazy S occurred. The study represents an important contribution to the history of ranching in Texas and the Southwest that [End Page 136] can be appreciated by both the professional historian and the layperson. Murrah’s exceptional book should provide a model for other studies of large- and small-scale ranching operations throughout the South Plains and West Texas during the latter nineteenth and twentieth centuries. John Caraway Cisco College Copyright © 2022 The Texas State Historical Association