The Smith Brothers ranch covered 46,000 acres of Texas Panhandle. This photo of a wolf hunter with his wagon and tent was taken between Ralls and Floydada and used as a postcard to promote wolf hunting on the ranch in 1921.

The buffalo disappeared in Texas in the late 1800s, and before long, wolves were feeding on commercial livestock. Their numbers were so numerous that officials began paying bounties to reduce their population. In 1915, the US Biological Survey (now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) started a predator control project focused on reducing wolf numbers. The organization believed they needed to deploy intensive efforts “Until the last animal is taken.” Between 1915 and 1966, government trappers killed over 34,000 wolves in Texas. This does not account for wolves taken by private landowners and hunters.

Resources:

West Texas History & Memories (Face Book Group)

Early Life in Texas County by County

Books about Texas People and Places

Famous People from Texas County by County