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The Pioneer Woman, aka Ree Drummond, has taken the world by storm with her delicious recipes and a down-home cooking show. Once a city slicker, Ree now lives in Oklahoma with her husband, Ladd, and kids at the historic Drummond Ranch.
The Drummond family has owned land in Oklahoma since the 1800s. Today, the Drummonds are some of the largest landowners in all of America, as their family ranch remains a cattle empire.
While Dee often shares snapshots of the ranch on her blog and social media, many people are eager to know more about the sprawling ranch she calls home.
History of the Drummond Ranch
In 1886, Frederick Drummond arrived in Osage County, Oklahoma, where he began the Drummond Ranching empire at just 22 years old. Drummond had emigrated from Scotland in 1882 and spent his first year in America in New York.
After living in New York for a year, Drummond headed to Texas to try his hand at ranching. After having little success, he moved to St. Louis where he began working at a wholesale dry-goods house.
One of his customers, John R. Skinner, hired Drummond as a clerk at his Osage Mercantile Company in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Shortly after arriving in Oklahoma, Drummond met Addie Gentner, and the couple married in 1890.
The Drummonds quickly became a powerful couple in Pawhuska, as Frederick became one of the best-known traders. In 1903, the couple moved to Hominy, where they helped organize the Hominy Trading Company. The company was the nation’s largest dealer of Pendleton blankets.
Frederick and Addie’s sons, Roy Cecil, Frederick Gentner, and Alfred Alexander “Jack,” all attended college while helping the family farm ranch grow. In 1913, Roy began ranching and Jack established ranches in Osage and Marshall counties.
By the 1980s, the Drummond family had over 200,000 acres in Oklahoma and southern Kansas. They remain one of the largest land-owning families in all of America.
Drummond Ranch Location and Size
The Drummond Ranch is 433,000 acres in size. However, it isn’t just one large connected ranch, but a network of ranches throughout Oklahoma owned by the Drummond family.
Three ranches are associated with the family through public records: Drummond Land & Cattle Co, Ladd Drummond, and Fredrick F Drummond.
Ladd and Dee’s ranch is located in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. They operate as a working cattle ranch and are also home to a herd of bison and horses. Pawhuska is a rural town in Osage County with a population of around 3,000 people.
Can You Visit Drummond Ranch?
Yes, the Drummond Ranch is open to the public for tours. Tickets are free and available at The Mercantile, but they are limited, so it is recommended to book your tickets in advance. You can do so by calling The Mercantile or visiting their website.
The tours take about 90 minutes and start at The Mercantile and end at the Lodge which is the filming location for Ree’s Food Network show. The tour covers the history of the ranch, the cattle operation, and the Drummond family.
Visitors can also take pictures, explore the grounds, and get to see some of the animals on the ranch, including horses, pigs, goats, and chickens.
Tours are available Monday-Saturday from 9 am – 5 pm. The last tour starts at 3:30 pm.
Drummond Ranch Has Been Breeding Quarter Horses for Four Generations
Ever since Drummond Ranch was founded, the family has been breeding quality ranch horses. In the 1940s, their Quarter horse breeding program took off.
Ladd’s father, Chuck, became involved with the cutting horse industry during the 1980s. Chuck purchased several broodmares to establish a line of quality cutting Quarter horses. He went on to win numerous cutting titles with mares Foxie Merada, Playbos Samatha, and several others.
In 1988, Chuck purchased Doc Stylish Oak to breed with his quality broodmares. Doc Stylish Oak went on to become one of the leading sires of the National Cutting Horse Association and the American Quarter Horse Association.
In 1993, Chuck’s son Tim went on to take over the cutting horse operation at Drummond Farm. The Drummonds continue to breed quality ranch and cutting Quarter horses.
Are There Wild Horses on Drummond Ranch?
Drummond Ranch is home to a herd of wild horses. The ranch has a deal with the government to take care of wild horses rounded up from government land in the West.
The ranch signed a contract with the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) to care for horses to prevent horses from being held in pens in times of drought or overgrazing.
The Drummonds began first looking after wild horses in 2006. Back in 2012, Ladd and his brother took care of over 3,400 wild horses on Drummond Ranch land.
To prevent future foals from being born, horses are separated into groups of only mares or studs/geldings.
The wild horses are not only a way for the Drummond’s to diversify their cash flow but are also a fun opportunity to care for. The government pays the Drummonds to look after the Mustangs while they are in the ranch’s care, paying an average of $1.30 a day per horse.
Where Do Ree and Ladd Drummond Live?
Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, and Ladd Drummond live on their ranch in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. The couple has four biological children, Alex, Paige, Bryce, and Todd, and one foster child, Jamar. The family ranch is home to many animals including cattle, horses, dogs, cats, and chickens.
How Many Cattle Do the Drummonds Have?
Ladd Drummond and his brother Tim have approximately 6,500 cow-calf pairs along with 12,000 stockers between two Oklahoma facilities. The family is among some of the largest cattle producers in America.
