Texas’ Largest Land Owner Deals in Drilling and Data Centers

I was not born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could. Growing up in south Louisiana, I longed for a place where the sky went forever. I found it here. I own 18 acres of Texas dirt, which is a piddlin' amount compared to those who buy Texas land in the thousands of acres.

Mapping the Lone Star State's10 Largest Landholders

My favorite line from the movie "Gone with the Wind" was uttered by Scarlett O'Hara's father, Gerald. " Land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for, because it's the only thing that lasts." The ten owners listed below probably agree.

1. Texas Pacific Land Corporation

Total Acreage: 882,000 acres

Primary Focus: Energy, Water, and Real Estate

Tracing its origins back to the federal chartering of the Texas and Pacific Railway Company in 1871, this entity evolved out of a 3.5-million-acre trust formed following an 1888 bankruptcy. Today, Texas Pacific Land Corporation stands as the state's premier private landholder, concentrating its footprint across 22 counties in the resource-dense Permian Basin. Beyond oil and gas royalties, the corporation has expanded into water desalination, data center development, and power generation ventures.

2. King Ranch Heirs

Total Acreage: 836,000 acres

Primary Focus: Agriculture, Livestock, and Equine Operations

For over 170 years, King Ranch has anchored agricultural development in South Texas's Wild Horse Desert. Recognized as the birthplace of American ranching, the estate famously engineered the Santa Gertrudis, the first officially recognized American beef cattle breed in 1920. Continuing its century-long legacy of livestock innovation, the ranch recently hosted its fall bull sale, marking its first public offering of a bull crop in more than two decades.

3. Caddo Sustainable Timberlands

Total Acreage: 831,000 acres

Primary Focus: Timber, Conservation, and Forestry Management

As the largest private timberland owner in Texas, Caddo Sustainable Timberlands operates through a joint partnership between BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group and the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. While the overwhelming majority of its holdings are concentrated in East Texas, the group also manages 70,000 acres in Western Louisiana.

4. The Briscoe Family

Total Acreage: 738,000 acres

Primary Focus: Cattle Ranching and Land Acquisition

The Briscoe agricultural lineage was spearheaded by Dolph Briscoe Sr., who transitioned his operations out of Fort Bend County in 1939 with an initial 35,000-acre purchase on the Catarina Ranch. His son, former Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe Jr., expanded the estate to become the state's largest individual landholder during his lifetime. Today, Dolph "Chip" Briscoe III directs the Briscoe Ranch Company, maintaining its expansion strategy with major acquisitions such as the 41,077-acre Tee Pee City/Lucky Knob Division of the Matador Ranch.

5. Brad Kelley

Total Acreage: 635,000 acres

Primary Focus: Conservation and Real Estate

Kentucky native Brad Kelley spent more than twenty years assembling the massive, 422,952-acre Brewster Ranch in rugged Far West Texas. In a landmark state acquisition, the Texas General Land Office purchased 353,785 acres of the property for $164.6 million on behalf of the Permanent School Fund, regaining significant acreage for the state within Brewster County.

6. Stan Kroenke

Total Acreage: 580,000 acres (Texas)

Primary Focus: Ranching, Sports, and Real Estate

Sports mogul and real estate titan Stan Kroenke made headlines with his historic acquisition of Texas's famous Waggoner Ranch. Kroenke expanded his national portfolio further by acquiring the 937,950-acre Singleton Ranches in New Mexico, cementing his status as the largest private landowner in the United States.

7. Jeff Bezos

Total Acreage: 462,000 acres

Primary Focus: Aerospace Operations and Ranching

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos acquired almost half a million acres across Culberson and Hudspeth Counties in West Texas, anchoring his aerospace venture, Blue Origin. Based on the historic Corn Ranch, the site houses "Launch Site One" (LS1), which serves as the primary testing and launch facility for the reusable sub-orbital New Shepard rocket system.

8. O’Connor Heirs

Total Acreage: 458,000 acres

Primary Focus: Agriculture and Historic Preservation

The O'Connor land legacy dates back to 1834, when Irish colonist Thomas O'Connor received a land grant from the Mexican government before fighting in the Battle of San Jacinto during the Texas Revolution. His modern descendants, led by figures like Goliad County rancher T. Michael O'Connor, continue to steward the historic property while partnering with organizations like The Nature Conservancy to place thousands of acres into conservation easements.

9. Kenedy Ranch

Total Acreage: 425,000 acres

Primary Focus: Philanthropy, Land Stewardship, and Agriculture

Formed by former steamboat captain Mifflin Kenedy, who famously partnered with Richard King in early Texas transportation and ranching ventures, the Kenedy estate remains a cornerstone of South Texas history. Today, the vast property is managed by two separate charitable entities: the John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation and the John G. Kenedy Jr. Charitable Trust.

10. Malone Mitchell III

Total Acreage: 350,000 acres

Primary Focus: Hospitality, Energy, and Wildlife Management

After building Riata Energy from a modest start-up into a major industry player, Oklahoma State alumni Malone and Amy Mitchell invested heavily in West Texas land. Their Longfellow Ranches property in the Trans-Pecos region has been developed into one of the premier hunting, eco-tourism, and commercial lodge destinations in the state.