John M. Shelton

John M. Shelton (1853–1923) was an American rancher and banker. Born in Kentucky in the Antebellum South, he became a large landowner and banker in Texas in the postbellum era. Shelton founded a bank and loan company. He established the Bravo Ranch in Hartley County, Texas. By 1915, he was the owner of 28,000 head of cattle and 500,000 acres in the Texas Panhandle.

Early life John M. Shelton was born in 1853 in Kentucky. He took a wagon train to Fort Worth, Texas, shortly after the American Civil War. A year later, in 1915, he purchased the Bravo Ranch, which spanned 111,000 acres in Hartley County, Texas, for US$540,000. The acreage came from the XIT Ranch. Shortly after the purchase of the ranch, he was the owner of 500,000 acres and 28,000 head of cattle in total.

Death and legacy Shelton died on December 7, 1923, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Shelton's Bravo Ranch remains in the family. By 2015, it belongs to the majority landowners and great-grandsons, Malcolm and Jim Shelton.