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Ranches | SMS, Tex. page 1 | 2 | 3 The SMS Ranches occupy 300,000 acres in twelve counties in the lower plains area of West Texas. The ranches were named for the initials of the founder, Swante M. Swenson, who moved to Texas from Sweden in the 1830s. In 1902 the Swenson brothers hired Frank S. Hastings, formerly of the Armour Packing Company, to manage their far-flung ranches. For the next two decades, Hastings committed himself to the breeding and improvement of the SMS cattle. Under his direction, the SMS Ranches were among the first to engage in the so-called "mail order" calf business. Hastings, an amateur photographer, was a great supporter of Smith's work and used many of his own photographs to advertise SMS cattle. LC-S6-435 LC-S6-411 LC-S6-428 LC-S6-343 LC-S6-418 LC-S6-405 LC-S6-054 LC-S6-390 LC-S6-885 LC-S6-386 LC-S6-277 LC-S6-161   page 1 | 2 | 3