A Texas Legend Returns — Inside the New Fort Worth Photography Exhibit Capturing the XIT Ranch Revival

Over the shoulders of three mounted cowboys, a parched landscape meanders through valleys and over plateaus before receding into the horizon. An overcast, powder-blue sky washes the image with cool hues as the wind pushes the horses’ tails toward the right. Tracking Calves Over Rita Blanca captures the vastness and quiet beauty of a stretch of Texas Panhandle now being revived by the Knowles family.

The work by photographer Belton McMurrey is currently on view at the Cattle Raisers Museum as part of XIT Ranch: A Texas Legend Returns, which runs through February 28, 2027. McMurrey, himself a sixth-generation member of the King Ranch family, curated the multi-gallery exhibition that traces the recent revival of one of the country’s most iconic ranches by descendants of its original founders.

He tells PaperCity Fort Worth that the exhibit is a testament to the Knowles’ accomplishments and to the human spirit that drives people to pursue their passions.

“The Knowles family is reestablishing their brand in a way that will endure for generations,” he says.

How the XIT Ranch Made Its Comeback

The current exhibit — featuring photographs by Peter Robbins, Crystal Wise, Nick Dupuy, McMurrey, and Anouk Krantz — tells the story of the rebirth of the XIT Ranch, once the largest fenced ranch in the world. At its peak in the late 19th century, the property carried an average of 150,000 head of cattle. Operations closed in the early 20th century with the last parcels of land being sold in the 1960s, but that didn’t mark the end of the ranch’s enduring spirit.

“The XIT Ranch never truly went away,” McMurrey says. “The community in the panhandle has kept that brand alive in so many different ways. I think it’s a testament to the power of that history.”

McMurrey says Drew and Abby Knowles opened the door to him to document and share in the story of the XIT Ranch’s revival, which began when the Knowles family began reacquiring the land in 2021 and 2022. For the current exhibition, McMurrey says he chose photographers who worked with the Knowles family, either capturing life at XIT Ranch in the Panhandle or their Weatherford ranch.

“Nick Dupuy was there at a key point when they were just getting their business started” at the ranch, McMurrey says. “Crystal Wise quickly became friends with the Knowles. She put together a really nice cover story for 360West Magazine.”

McMurrey also highlights the inclusion of French photographer Anouk Krantz, who featured the XIT Ranch in her 2024 book Frontier.

The Work Behind the Image

Ranching remains as demanding as ever, despite modern tools and growing public fascination with the lifestyle. McMurrey describes it as a business where success is never guaranteed and margins are often thin, even for those with deep experience. The daily work is constant, physical, and tied to forces outside anyone’s control, from weather to market shifts.

“It is becoming harder and harder with each passing year to thrive in this business,” he says. “That’s one thing that has never changed — the slim margins. I think the Knowles’ story is a testament to the human ability to set your heart on something that has value to you, that is a part of you.”

For all its austere beauty, Tracking Calves Over Rita Blanca only hints at the bitter cold that day and the constant labor required to keep ranches running across Texas. Gaining first-hand access to the revival of the XIT Ranch, McMurrey says, has been an “incredible privilege.”

Find tickets for XIT Ranch: A Texas Legend Returns here.