John M. Shelton

Born in Kentucky in the Antebellum South, he became a large landowner and banker in Texas in the postbellum era.

[1][2] He took a wagon train to Fort Worth, Texas, shortly after the American Civil War.

[1] According to the Amarillo Globe-News, "by 1890, Shelton had accumulated between 1,500 and 2,000 cattle and began his Lazy J brand.

"[1] Shortly after, he purchased a ranch in Wheeler County, Texas, as well as rangeland in Wyoming and Montana.

[3] A year later, in 1915, he purchased the Bravo Ranch, which spanned 111,000 acres in Hartley County, Texas, for US$540,000.

[5] Shortly after the purchase of the ranch, he was the owner of 500,000 acres and 28,000 head of cattle in total.