Marcum Farms - est. 1902
The Marcum family has been in the ranching business long before Oklahoma was a state. It spans more than 100 years of farming and ranching the same lands that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Below is a short family history of our ranch from our Mother, Dana (Marcum) Chapman:
In January of 1902, my great-grandfather Aurelius Green Marcum brought his family from Kentucky to the Oklahoma Territory, where he bought 160 acres of land. Their family survived in just a dugout, working the land for years before being able to build a home. He farmed wheat and raised cattle to support his growing household and established roots and relationships in the community.
His son Andrew, my grandfather, purchased land connected to his father's farm and started a family of his own. They both persevered through the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, adapting to the changing environment and learning farming methods that helped heal the land when so many other farms of the time were failing. Our family flourished by not cutting corners and staying true to our mission of producing high-quality crops and cattle for our table and the community we served.
When my Dad, Frank Marcum, took the reins with his wife Avis, they grew the business by expanding the land and cattle operations. Dad took pride in buying land that sustained life for cattle to thrive with very little human interaction. He hand-picked additional plots of sprawling ranch land with natural prairie grass, running creeks, and spring-fed ponds. He was continually improving the genetics of the herd using different breeds to make a better meat product, always seeking to strike the right balance of innovation with traditional methods.
Mother kept the books for the ranch until very late in her life, supporting Dad’s ambition while leaving her legacy raising 5 children, 8 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren allowing our family’s methods, best practices, and values to survive the ages.
Currently the 5th and 6th generations of Marcums are working the ranch. Years of eating beef that we raised on the ranch allowed us to refine our methods to produce a high-quality grass-fed and finished product that was natural, healthy, and better tasting than anything you could find in a local market.
Our goal with 1902 Legacy Meats is to share our consistently great-tasting meats and provide the highest quality beef with the most nutritional value possible. Building regenerative practices to protect and improve the land is essential so that future generations can continue the Marcum legacy. We take extra care of our 1902 animals to achieve a premium product for your family.
Ours has been a family-owned farm and ranch for 118 years, raising beef to feed the world, our neighbors, and to put on our family table. And now, your family’s table too.