HISTORY OF XIT WOOD FIREgRILL

 “10  in Texas” was no longer a dream but a reality.  At “10 in Texas” we pick the best beef and freshest food on the market. Our beef is a high-end, choice product, which has been aged and cooked over the finest seasoned wood in Texas. We season our meat with our house made, top-secret seasonings we spent years perfecting. 

We built the building around XIT history and Dalhart area tradition; all of the inside wood and tin are from an old barn outside of Dalhart dating back to the early 1900s. The brands on the wall show history of the area dating back decades. The saloon name and the saddle show tribute to the “empty saddle.” 

The “empty saddle” is a tradition of honoring the cowboys who once served and worked the XIT ranch. Whether you are a first time guest or a regular at “10 in Texas,” we are honored to have you in our establishment. We hope you find our hospitality to be a true Texas welcome and our food what real Texas cuisine is all about. On your way out, grab some “10 in Texas” memorabilia or our secret family seasonings.  

 In I875, The Lone Star state government was getting cramped in its old capitol; the Texas constitutional convention set aside 3,000,000 Panhandle acres to fund a new capitol. Action dragged until fire destroyed the old Capitol building on November 9, 1881. Gov. Oran M. Roberts called a special legislative session and the State “struck a bargain” with Charles B. Farwell and John V. Farwell of Chicago. 

They agreed to build a $3,000,000 Texas State Capitol in return for 3,000,000 Panhandle acres as payment. This became the XIT ranch. During the 1880s the XIT Ranch was the largest range in the world under fence. It's 3,000,000 acres sprawled from the old Yellow House headquarters, near what is now Lubbock, Texas, northward to the Oklahoma Panhandle. The XIT ranch covered portions of ten counties, which helped perpetuate the myth the brand - XIT- stood for "Ten In Texas." The brand, in fact, originated to thwart rustlers because it was impossible to add to the brand and hide the XIT. Texas, the biggest state in the union, used the sale of the ranch land to pay for it's red granite Capitol, the largest State Capitol on the North American Continent. 

The Austin structure continues to house the Lone Star State government and is second in size only to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In one respect, the Texas Capitol is bigger than the U.S. Capitol, it's dome stands seven feet higher. In 1885, the first cattle, “long of leg and long of horn,” rolled onto the XIT. Thousands of hooves drummed up the trail and the longhorns were pushed onto the No. 1 division headquarters at Buffalo Springs, 32 miles north of Dalhart. At one point, the ranch ran 150,000 head of cattle. The corrals, foreman's house and bunkhouse at Buffalo Springs still stand today and are the oldest structures in Dallam County. 

Our restaurant is located in a dry county, so that means in order for us to be able to sell alcohol, we must have a membership to our bar.

But don't worry! It's easy to get started. Your server is able to get you set up with either a temporary 3 day membership or we can do a membership for the year! 

The memberships are good for the calendar year and at the beginning of a new year all memberships must be renewed