Ranchers
The Scharbauers arrived in Texas in 1883 and began running sheep and cattle. In 1887, John and brother, Christian Scharbauer, formed Scharbauer Brothers Corp., known today as Scharbauer Cattle Company. They soon grew their herd and land holdings in Texas and Southeast New Mexico, and Clarence Scharbauer joined his uncles and was hired on as manager. The family put together nearly 500,000 acres and at one time ran 20,000 head of Hereford cattle. The family’s vast land holdings were home to the raising of horses and cattle recognized for their quality and value. Later, the properties would yield significant oil production in the energy-rich Permian Basin.
After Clarence’s death in 1942, Clarence Scharbauer Jr. became the owner and manager at the young age of 17. In 1952, he added a ranch in Oldham County, in the Texas Panhandle, known as the Alamocitos, which had been owned by the Matador Land and Cattle Company and was originally part of the famed XIT Ranch. Clarence Jr.’s son, Chris, and grandson, John, now own Scharbauer Cattle Co., which is responsible for introducing Angus genetics to the herd in the early 1990s. Purchasing only the finest of genetics that Hereford and Angus breeders could produce, the Scharbauers grew a commercial cow herd second to none. John, a 5th generation Scharbauer, has introduced their beef to the public in the form of Midland Meat Company.
The pioneers of the Scharbauer family were instrumental in the growth of early Midland and also helped introduce cattle ranching to Southeast New Mexico in the early 1900s. Clarence Jr. was a former president of the American Quarter Horse Association, and in 1987, the family-owned Alysheba won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, two-thirds of Thoroughbred horse racing’s Triple Crown. In 1988, Alysheba won the Breeders Cup and was named Horse of the Year.
The Scharbauer Foundation, in Midland, established in 2010, continues the family’s long legacy of charitable giving and civic leadership.