U Lazy S Ranch

U Lazy S Ranch

Company type	Private
Industry	Ranching
Predecessor	Square and Compass Ranch
Founded	1884
Founder	Unknown (originally Square and Compass Ranch)
Headquarters	Garza County , United States
Area served	Texas
Key people	John Bunyan Slaughter, John B. Slaughter Jr., John F. Lott, Mary Belle Lott Macy, Jack Lott
Products	Cattle ranching (Hereford cattle)

The U Lazy S Ranch, previously known as the Square and Compass Ranch, held considerable importance in Garza County, Texas, United States.

History

Originally founded in 1884 under the name Square and Compass Ranch, the property was purchased by John Bunyan Slaughter in 1901, encompassing 99,188 acres. At the time of acquisition, Slaughter acquired 5,000 cattle and added 6,000 more from his existing herd. He renamed the estate after his registered cattle brand, 'U Lazy S', which dated back to the American Civil War. By the early twentieth century, Slaughter had expanded the ranch to 126,227 acres and constructed a ranch house in 1902. In 1906, he sold a portion of 50,000 acres to C. W. Post, who founded Post, Texas.

Following Slaughter's passing in 1928, ownership transferred to his son John B. Slaughter Jr., an alumnus of Phillips Exeter Academy and Yale University. By 1936, the ranch supported a herd of 8,000 Hereford cattle across 100,000 acres. That same year, the historic ranch house was destroyed by fire.

In 1940, control of the ranch passed to nephew John F. Lott and niece Mary Belle Lott Macy. Lott subdivided part of the land into smaller farms and pioneered aerial cattle management and herbicide application beginning in 1949 by utilizing an airplane.

During the drought challenges of the 1950s, Lott enhanced land productivity by planting guar over 1,400 acres by 1954, and became the first rancher in Texas to employ a roto-pitter for rangeland restoration efforts. His initiatives in range improvement demonstrated success by 1956.

In 1965, Macy partitioned her share into what became known as the Running M Ranch, while Lott’s son Jack took over management of U Lazy S Ranch, which expanded to cover approximately 90,000 acres by 1966.

The Lotts welcomed Chad’s President François Tombalbaye during his visit to Texas in 1968, and in 1969 contributed $10,000 along with a carriage house from their ranch to the National Ranching Heritage Center located in Lubbock, Texas. Additionally, the ranch played a role in community activities such as hosting a fundraiser for Post’s public library in 1973.