The Swenson Saga and The SMS Ranches

In 1948 I went to Stamford, Texas, and had a visit with the late Andrew John Swenson, a native of Sweden, and the manager of SMS Ranches. I later wrote a story about the ranches and their founder, S. M. Swenson (the uncle of Andrew John) whose initials form the SMS brand so well known in Texas cattle history. I only skimmed the surface of the Swenson saga in Texas in my story, and always hoped that some day when I had time I could write a book about that Swedish pioneer immigrant who did so much to develop Southern Texas, and who bought the railroad script in North Western Texas where the well-known SMS Ranches were later established. The task was begun in February 1972, and the more I learned about S. M. Swenson in interviews with members of his family, and in diligent research, the more interested I became. His life story was a veritable Horatio Alger chronicle. The first native Swede to set foot on Texas soil, he landed penniless in Galveston in 1838 and later settled in Austin, the state capital. lie had a Midas touch and accumulated a fortune in land and other investments. Ile bought railroad script in the fifties where his two sons, Eric and Albin, later established the ranches. Those sons followed in their father'sfootsteps and became financiers and developers, who~ were known from Wall Street to Texas. The story of this pioneer Swedish family and the part they played in the growth of early Texas, is worthy of telling. I have tried to do this in my book.Many of the nostalgic ranch pictures in the book were made by well-known photographers such as the late Erwin E. Smith of Bonham, Texas; E. P. Swenson, a grandson of the founder; Frank Reeves, Star Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas; and Ed Munro, design & photo editor, Persimmon Hill.