Description
Permanently Closed.. Our family has been raising cattle on the West Texas prairies for over 130 years. In 1882, Eric and Swen Albin Swenson founded the SMS ranches. But, it was their father, Svante Magnus Swenson, our great great grandfather, who was the pioneer and in the 1850’s acquired the land that we continue to ranch today.
Svante Magnus Swenson was born in 1816 in Jonkoping, Sweden. One of five children, Svante was sent away at the age of 13 to live as foster child with a family in Almeshult in order to reduce the financial pressure on his struggling farming family. It was in Almeshult he had his start in the mercantile business, as a clerk in a shop.
There are many stories passed down over generations about why Svante left Sweden. Some say he left because his employer hit him. Others say he left as a rejected lover. What we do know is that he left on February 13, 1836 on the Rhine, a week before his 20th birthday, 10 days before the battle at the Alamo, to pursue his dreams in America.
After a four month trip, he arrived in New York City whose population was about 250,000 and growing rapidly with the influx of immigrants like Svante. Soon after arriving, the Rhine caught on fire and Svante was left with nothing but the clothes on his back. Showing early signs of his ingenuity and hard work, Svante landed a job as a clerk in New York, earning $15 per month. In the midst of the Panic of 1837 which caused many bank failures in NY and record unemployment, Svante moved to Baltimore to