Next Location westbound eastbound
In Buffalo, Oklahoma we pick a table next to a window in the Buffalo Diner and order tacos de carne asada. In the middle of the diner is a large table that comfortably seats ten or twelve. Last time we were here, the table was crowded with ranchers telling rattlesnake stories– “I always carry a .45 in my tractor….” “One day I opened the garage door and there he was….” But today only one retired rancher presided at the empty table, and eventually he asked us for our story. We pulled out the USGS maps of the area and showed him where we were heading and listened to his story about ranching and retirement that mostly involved his wife’s love of cruise ships.
Afterwards we dogleg our way north and east to find the border nearest the west side of the Cimarron River and stop at a fence line on the border. The fencepost below is graced with a ranch brand that the Livestock Brand Book of the State of Kansas1 describes as QC1BX– a quarter circle over a box. Although this brand does not appear to be currently registered, the land on the Kansas side of the line was part of the Box Ranch, which was up for sale in the May 1st, 1901 edition of the Daily Oklahoman2. Currently the property appears to be owned by Cimarron ICE, LLC in Austin, Texas.
Footnotes
1https://netposse.com/store/products/attrib/79/kansasbrandbookpic2016.JPG
2 https://www.ksgenweb.org/KSComanche/2008/pages/boxranch.html