Mallet Ranch Headquarters Court
The Mallet Ranch, located approximately 45 miles southwest of Lubbock, was established by David DeVitt and John Scharbauer in 1895. DeVitt and Scharbauer purchased 53,000 acres on the Llano Estacado. Constructed between 1895 and 1948, the ranch headquarters still has five of the original headquarter structures. The ranch is located in the center of Slaughter Oil Field, the second largest oil field in Texas.
The buildings and headquarters court area represent the owners’ effort to establish and maintain a quality lifestyle on an isolated West Texas ranch. Today it is an intact example of an early twentieth century ranching enterprise. The buildings and the headquarters court have been neglected since the death of David DeVitt’s daughter Christine DeVitt in 1983. The Mallet Ranch/Llano Estacado Heritage Foundation has developed a plan of creating an outdoor education center that will allow visitors to experience the ranch in situ instead of relocating the ranch headquarters. However, due to neglect, the ranch structures are losing authenticity and integrity that cannot be replicated if deterioration continues.
ADDRESS: 3917 Wrangler, Levelland (Hockley County)
DESIGNATION: None
CONDITION: Poor
OWNER: Private
RESOURCE TYPE: Cultural Landscape
YEAR LISTED: 2008
