704 A HISTORY OP HEEEFOED CATTLE 



The Swan Land and Cattle Co. — The Swan Land 

 & Cattle Co. was first talked of in the summer of 

 1882, and was formally organized in Edinburgh, 

 Scotland, in the spring of 1883. Mr. A. H, Swan, 

 accompanied by Mr. John Donnelly, now of the 

 Sioux City Stock Yards, went over and floated the 

 company. Mr. Colin J. Mackenzie, of Portmore, was 

 elected chairman and had under him a strong board 

 of directors. Mr. Finlay Dun was made secretary, 

 The basis of the company was the Swan & Frank 

 Co. holdings. Various other properties were ac- 

 quired, notably those of H. B. Kelly and E. W. 

 Whitcomb. The headquarters were established at 

 Chugwater, Wye, and there they have remained 

 ever since. The authorized capital of the company 

 was $4,500,000, but only about $3,250,000 was actually 

 subscribed and put in use. The capital today is 

 $1,250,000, thus showing a loss of $2,000,000. The 

 assets, however, are more valuable than the present 

 capital. 



Swan was a "plimger" always, and rising upon 

 what seemed to outsiders a wave of success he em- 

 barked in many enterprises, controlling the Two 

 Bar, Double 0, Horse Creek, Kingman and other 

 properties, and borrowing money wherever he could. 

 At the inception of the company Swan had as his 

 assistant in the management Zack Thomasson, a 

 very able man, but he left to join the Ogallala Land 

 & Cattle Co. in Nebraska. Mr. Thomasson remained, 

 only a short time with that outfit, sold out, and in- 

 vested his money in real estate. 



