The Continental Land and Cattle Company brought its Mill Iron Ranch to Hall County in 1888. ABERDEEN, TEXAS. Aberdeen, in northeastern Collingsworth County, was a division headquarters of the Rocking Chair Ranch. The town was named for the earl of Aberdeen, one of the British owners, and planned in 1889 to be the nucleus of this ranching enterprise. A post office was granted in December of that year with Henry J. Nesper, a ranch foreman, as postmaster. M. M. French, an agent for the Rocking Chair, purchased the tract and formed the Aberdeen Townsite Company in January 1890. A hotel and a blacksmith shop were constructed on the site, and by 1891 Judge Edward H. Small was operating a supply store for the cowboys. Small also served as the local physician and banker, and later as postmaster. V. Mill Iron

The Mill Iron line was of Colorado Domino ancestry originating on the Mill Iron Ranches at Childress, Texas. The foundation stock in its virtual entirety came from the Banning-Lewis herd. In 1883 Edward Majorbanks, Baron of Tweedmouth and John Cambell Hamilton Gordon, Earl of Aberdeen started to build a vast estate in the Panhandle. Their first move was to buy 235 sections in Collingsworth and neighboring counties from Earl Spencer and John Drew. The land was purchased under the name of The Rocking Chaire Ranche of London, England for around $27,850 which inclulded 14,745 head of cattle, 129 horses, and a supply of wagons and harness. It received its name for the brand it adoped which was a rocking chair. Cecil Archie Majorbanks was sent over from London to manage the ranch. John Drew was retained as forman at the time of the sale of the ranch. Cecil did not care for ranch work and paid little attention to the business of the ranch. At that time settlers and other ranches begain to steal stock . Conditions finally became so bad that Majorbanks and Gordon came to Texas to investigate. They found that they were short many thousand head of cattle. They sold their estate to the Continental Land and Cattle Company of which Co. Hughes was president. They recieved around $75,000 for their land. Col. Hughes changed the name of the ranch to the Mill Iron Ranch. Hay Camp located near Dodson was made the center of the ranch. This was a location where natural springs with large cottonwood trees. The Rocking Chaire Ranch used this location to store hay to feed stock and horses during the winter. Col Hughs owned the first stagecoach used in the county. This great ranch went just as the other great ranches in the county. It is no longer as large as it once was but it still is in operation today. Purchased by the Allred Family in June 2003 and is still a working ranch.