History of the SMS Ranches

The Swenson family entered the ranching business in the 1880's as the Swenson Brothers Cattle Company on large tracts of land that had been purchased by Swante Magnus Swenson. SM Swenson was an immigrant from Sweden who became a successful merchant and businessman in the mid 1800's. The Swenson Brothers Cattle Company incorporated in 1926 as the Swenson Land & Cattle Co based in Stamford, TX.

The SMS brand with backward S's was well known for quality cattle. The company operated an experimental ranch in association with Texas A&M University for many years. The ranches consisted of more than 200,000 acres until the late 1970's when the company was divided into 4 separate entities to meet the desires of different family branches.

Steve Swenson's family branch continues in the ranching business today as the Swenson Land & Cattle Company. The company's offices are located in the original Stamford, TX ranch headquarters, and the distinctive SMS brand is still in use.

For a slide show about Swante Magnus Swenson and the Swenson Ranches, click here.