Born during the infant years of the Texas Republic, Christopher Columbus Slaughter (1837-1919) participated in the development of the southwestern cattle industry from its pioneer stages to the modern era. Trail driver, Texas Ranger, banker, philanthropist, and cattleman, he was one of America's most famous ranchers. David J. Murrah's biography of Slaughter still stands as the definitive account of this well-known figure in Southwest history.

A pioneer in West Texas ranching, Slaughter increased his holdings from 1877 to 1905 to include more than half a million acres of land and 40,000 head of cattle. At one time "Slaughter country" stretched from a few miles north of Big Spring, Texas, northwestward two hundred miles to the New Mexico border west of Lubbock. In 1873-almost ten years before the "beef bonanza" on the open range made many Texas cattlemen rich-C. C. Slaughter was heralded by a Dallas newspaper as the "Cattle King of Texas."

In his later years, Slaughter contributed greatly to the work of the Baptist church in Texas. He substantially supported Baylor University and was a cofounder of the Baptist Education Commission and Dallas's Baylor Hospital. He also helped found the Texas Cattle Raisers' Association (1877) and the American National Bank of Dallas (1884), which through subsequent mergers became the First National Bank.

"A well-documented, solidly researched study of entrepreneurship in the American Southwest during the late nineteenth century."

American Historical Review

"Murrah has not left room for anyone else to enlarge on his study. He has told it all-and well."

Western Historical Quarterly

David J. Murrah, a native of Gruver, Texas, is retired as university archivist and longtime director of the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech. He is the author of numerous articles and books on Texas history, including Oil, Taxes, and Cats: A History of the Devitt Family and the Mallet Ranch.