Hawley is the ranch manager, and Im sitting in the passenger seat of his pickup, holding my third cup of coffee. Texas Almanac Rainfall Records show the lowest annual rainfall for this six county area is in Foard and Knox Counties, at 24 inches and 26 inches per year, respectively. One side wants the ranch divided equally but otherwise left intact. 1700 Deaf Smith St., Vernon, TX 76384, US. This rare phenomenon. Neither the Willinghams nor the Whartons have the funds to buy the other out. Waggoner Ranch, the 800-square-mile plot of land in North Texas, is really big. Patel Brothers - largest Indian American supermarket chain. Consequently, climate data can vary over such a large area of the state. . In 1877, Burk Burnett (6666 Ranch), Col. C.C. Quietly and efficiently, Moore began to purge anyone friendly to the Wharton half of the trust: Jim Hughes, who most people had believed would succeed Biggs as trustee; Joe Roberson, the auditor who was being groomed as comptroller; Bill McBroom, the head of the oil division; and Ross Malone, the game warden. The entryway is glass, and there is a skylight over the vaulted ceiling above the staircase. Employees of the Waggoner Ranch horse operation concentrate on raising horses for working ranch purposes and strive to create athletic and trainable horses that are 15-hands tall with outstanding conformation. The main set of shipping pens are located along the highway at the Zacaweista Headquarters Division. [2][3] It was originally established in 1852 near Vernon, Texas, by Daniel Waggoner under the name of Dan Waggoner & Son; his son being William Thomas Waggoner. After a hard rain, this endless maze of graded red clay becomes a network of quagmires. [8], After the death of Daniel Waggoner in 1902, his son W.T. The second Electra was, like her namesake, a globe-hopping socialite (she was once linked romantically to Cary Grant by Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons), but she also was an acclaimed artist, who knew all the celebrities of her day and sculpted busts of many of them. Vernon, the county seat of Wilbarger County, is located approximately 12 miles due north of the ranch. Each camp is equipped with a managers house, outbuildings and pens. [11] Buster raised polo ponies and established the El Ranchio Polo Club on the ranch. Each camp manager is responsible for the operation of his specific unit, but all of the managers and cowboys work together during spring branding and shipping. But the difference is that the cattle barons of the King Ranch led private, almost secretive lives, running their empire themselves and living on the land, while the Waggoners turned their ranch over to professionals, moved away, and pursued flamboyance. The Waggoner is one of the 20 largest cattle ranches in the U.S. and is known worldwide for its quarter horses. W.T. Oil production soon followed. Though he wouldnt talk about the lawsuit, he spoke freely about his bewildering transformation from New Mexico schoolboy to co-owner of one of the countrys most famous ranches. As it turned out, he didnt. The property is divided into approximately 16 camp or division units. [5], The ranch is located west of Wichita Falls, Texas, south of Vernon, near the Red River. [6][12], When Guy Waggoner died in 1950, his sons sold their share of the estate to members of the family. (Tom) Waggoner had a good eye for quality horse flesh and developed a herd of broodmares to produce working ranch geldings for his cowboys. According to a 2005 article in The Western Horseman Magazine, But another event in 1902 had a lasting impact on the Waggoner Ranch. 2021 Chas S Middleton and Son. Waggoner Ranch is a working one, with 20 cowboy camps scattered throughout the property to house the more than 120 workers. Over the years, a substantial amount of brush work has been done, and the mesquite canopy ranges from nearly extinct to moderate over portions of the ranch. To sum up the great legacy of the Waggoner Horse Program, it has produced three AQHA Hall of Fame Members (one Waggoner heir and two Waggoner horses): E. Paul Waggoner, Poco Bueno and Poco Lena; it is the number one All-Time Leading Breeder of NCHA Hall of Fame Members, Poco Lena, Poco Mona, Poco Stampede and Snipper W; it is the number three All-Time Breeder of AQHA Champions; and it is the Breeder of All-Time Leading Sires, Poco Pine, Poco Tivio, Poco Dell and Poco Bob. The 1905 hunt was a classic Waggoner production. PRIMARY USE cow-calf, feed yard, farming, horses, oil and gas, wild game hunting, birding . Before the day is done, well spot hundreds of deer and numerous herds of feral hogs, fifty or sixty in a bunch, wee piglets scurrying to keep up. Numerous food plots are located adjacent to these protected creek bottom areas, and these food plots serve as a magnet for wildlife. In later years, W.T. (and future trustees) would have the sole right to make all management decisions. At the same time, they amended the bylaws to allow either party to give notice of termination within certain windows of timean amendment that would later prove crucial in the battle over the ranch. Recently, new ownership has brought substantial investment in both equipment and design. He was the first quarter horse ever to be insured for $100,000. In the late eighties, as the oil revenue began to peter out, the new trustee of the Waggoner estate, Charles Prather, resigned. He didnt want to sell the ranch, but he thought it could be divided, that a line could be drawn on a map so that each side would have a separate but equal share. Some area ranches have rural water systems available, but still principally rely on creeks and ponds as their major water source. In total, the ranch spans nearly 800 square miles. 20% off all products! They say he was as mad as a nest of hornets. Santa Rosa Lake covers approximately 1,400 surface acres when full. [5], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}3354N 9900W / 33.9N 99.0W / 33.9; -99.0. In The American Quarter Horse Journal, Jim Jennings writes, The Waggoner contribution to the Quarter Horse industry has long been recognized. As the large ranches of Texas, such as the Waggoner, 6666, JA, Slaughter, King Ranch and others, were established, fenced and began to operate, these legendary holdings were, at times, confronted with the problems of Indian raids and cattle rustlers. Waggoner had built a great ranch, but in 1909 he was 57 years old and thinking about its future. There are several other large ponds, as well as hundreds of livestock ponds scattered throughout the property. Numerous large, functional and well designed sets of shipping and working pens are scattered throughout the ranch. LOCATION Brooks, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, and Willacy counties. Dan and W.T. Electra prevailed, as usual. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. Choose from multiple print sizes, border colors, and canvas materials. No Waggoner is buried on the ranch, only this one cowboy and a few early settlers in unmarked graves. So what does it all mean? W.T. After that, negotiations were dead in the water. Gene remembered it differently. Electra died in 1925 at the age of 43, her life and much of her fortune spent on extravagance. He had grown up in Albuquerque, where his mother, the third of Buster Whartons four wives, had moved after their divorce, when Bucky was two. Waggoner's death, his three children, Guy Waggoner, E. Paul Waggoner and Electra Waggoner each inherited a section of the ranch, although there was still a Board of Trustees. The letters were typed by his secretary, Neely told me. [6] Specifically, this went to Albert Buckman Wharton, Jr., also known as Buster Wharton, who was Electra Waggoner's son, and Electra Waggoner Biggs, who was E. Paul Waggoner's daughter. Today, the ranch boasts 7 stallions and over 90 broodmares containing bloodlines of Poco Bueno, High Brow Cat, Peppy San Badger, Top Sail Cody, Smart Chic Olena, and Wimpys Little Step. Salt cedar is found along creek and river courses, and cedar is moderate to dense in the rougher, eroded areas of the ranch. Even when he was a young lad of 14, W.T. This well-renowned offering includes the 510,527 contiguous acres, together with all permanent improvements, approximately 41.67% of the mineral estate, all water rights, and all wind generation royalty rights. On a Dan Waggonerfinanced trip to Fort Worth, Chief Yellow Bear was asphyxiated and Quanah nearly was when the Indians blew out the gas lamp in their hotel room before retiring. Free shipping for many products! Lonny Morrison [Genes attorney] said he knew an expert who could advise on that matter. Depending upon weather and moisture conditions, the ranch has been operated with 11,000 14,000 mother cows, plus calves, bulls and replacements; however, due to the recent drought, and in order to protect the ranch, current stocking rates have been reduced to around 7,000 mother cows/calves, plus replacements and bulls. Waggoner Ranch cattle have been 60 percent Hereford and 40 percent Angus/Hereford and Brangus/Hereford. The summer after his discharge, in 1970, Bucky decided it was time to move to the ranch and begin his real education. All pens are very well maintained. The history of the land and the Waggoner family is so entwined with myth and legend that nobody can untangle the truth. Sign up to hear from us about specials, sales, and events. The cowboys sided with Bucky, who felt that hunters left litter, cut fences, and left gates open. Jim Hughes, a longtime attorney for the Waggoner estate who was being groomed to become a trustee before the feud cost him the opportunity, slows down as a dozen or more wild turkeys scamper across the highway and disappear into thick stands of mesquite. The major block of this farmland, which is located on the northwest side of the ranch, contains approximately 14,000 acres. Jim Jennings, in a 2005 article in The Quarter Horse Journal, states, By 1868, the Waggoner outfit had grown considerably, but help was still short. From the highway, its pastures seem timeless and impregnable. I can remember the Firestones and the Beverages and the cream of New York society flying in for those matches, Don Ross Malone, a Vernon attorney and son of the former game warden for the ranch, told me. Roosevelt remembered later: We broke into a lope a mile outside the limits, and by the time we struck the main street, the horses were on a run and we tore down like a whirlwind until we reached the train.. (Tom) Waggoner was heard to say, There I was with more than 5,000 big, wild steers, 50 sore-backed horses, $12 and 16 years of my life., In a 1956 article in The Quarter Horse Journal, Franklin Reynolds notes, It was possibly Tom Waggoners experiences with those sorry horses that caused him to resolve to always have good ones. Today, it is estimated there are over 1,000 producing oil wells on the Waggoner Ranch, with the W.T. For several years there were no further attempts to settle. Gene has told people that the ranch would sell in no time, the whole 520,000 acres. His most arresting feature is his green eyes, which are reminiscent of the luminous eyes that made his grandmother, the original Electra, such a commanding figure. Joe Roberson, who was the estates auditor for many years, describes him this way: Big belt buckle, expensive boots, a bottle of whiskey. E. Paul had a good eye for horseshe bought Poco Bueno, the great cutting horse sireand loved to be seen as the ultimate cattle baron, but a retired Waggoner Ranch foreman named G. L. Proctor told me, He wasnt much of a rider. I tried college in Vernon for a little while, but it wasnt for me. To make the trip, Dan gave Tom $12, a group of drovers, and 50 saddle horses, all of which had sores on their backs from heavy use. Shortly before she ended her eighteen-year marriage to A.B., she purchased another magnificent home on Preston Road in Highland Park and named it Shadowlawn. Thats how it was reported in nearly every newspaper in Texas, including the Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and the Houston Chronicle. hoped that his kids would learn to ranch and develop a sense of responsibility. I didnt ask for the nuts and bolts, he said and walked away. Buckys pride in this place was unmistakable. Marketing is done through private treaty and production sales. Houses back then were very dark, with low ceilings and small windows. They are already being augmented by Kroenke Ranches' world-class commercial Angus herd. Originally, Dan Waggoner burned the Reversed 3Ds into the right hip, thigh or rib of his cattle; however, as the price of hides increased, it made economic sense to only use one Reversed D in order to save more of the hide. Electra married A.B. Many carry the bloodline of Poco Bueno. The farmers probably didnt need intimidating. Bucky Wharton didnt think of the ranch as his heritage until he was in high school at Culver Military Academy, in Indiana. The house eventually fell apart and was torn down. Jim Jennings, in a 2005 article in The Quarter Horse Journal, states, By 1868, the Waggoner outfit had grown considerably, but help was still short. Photographs of his wife and children occupied a bookshelf beside four footballs labeled Coach Bucky Whartongifts from former University of Texas coach David McWilliams, whod invited Wharton to join him on the sidelines at several UT games. has created a haven for deer, turkey, quail, dove, waterfowl and feral hogs. Our horses are American Quarter Horses and we raise them for our use on the ranch. . [8] The ranch spanned more than a million acres of land. They have been up since three and have had a hefty cookhouse breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, biscuits, and gravy. Some say these deer may have never heard a rifle shot. Waggoner Estate operating approximately 150 of these wells and 40 independent operators operating the balance. On the other three sides are a number of buildings constructed of identical reddish-brown stone, quarried on the eastern part of the ranch. The Waggoner Ranch got into oil in a big way, and today oil wells still methodically pump as cattle graze around them.. The main headquarters at the Waggoner Ranch has municipal-quality water from Vernon. But we are so far from the lights of townany townthat half an hour before daylight its still pitch black. The house sits on high ground, mostly hidden by oak and pecan trees and a fieldstone wall. As land was cleared for settlement, he gradually moved west and by the late 1870s settled along Beaver Creek near Electra Texas. They include a bunkhouse for single cowboys, more homes for the foreman and senior cowboys, a cookhouse, several maintenance sheds, and a truck barn. An additional 320 acres were then purchased in 1856 near the small town of Decatur, marking the first major expansion of Waggoner's estate. I got two dollars a match. Cecil Smith, the world-famous ten-goal player, rode with Busters Waggoner Ranch team. Its a weird deal. SOLD. He went on and on about how heartbroken he was and how much he missed them, but he didnt write them. The W. T. Waggoner Estate is seeking a working relationshipwith an industry partner to furtherexplore and develop the ranchlands. In the late sixties Bucky attended the University of the Americas, in Mexico City. The cattle will be sold, along with the trucks that haul them, and the vast pastures will be chopped up, and who knows what will replace them. Horses have always been big business at the Waggoner Ranch. Under the terms of the trust, each of the children owned one third of the 100,000 shares in the estate, elected the board of directors of the trust and served on the board themselves, and retained their homesteads. Its pastures and wheat fields, cattle and horses, mansions. | Legend has it that Electra once blew $1 million in a single day at Neiman Marcus. Lake Kemp, a popular North Texas fishing and recreational site, is located approximately 40 miles west of Wichita Falls in Cara Blanca Park, the recreational park surrounding the lake. Now the fate of the ranch was up to the court. When Helens father died, in 1975, they moved to the ranch, where Gene gradually assumed the position of head of the family. The assets of the estate have been estimated at $200 to $300 million, but it would surely fetch far less if liquidated. Perhaps they are afraid of ghosts. As a consequence, the King Ranch scions moved comfortably in elite Texas social, political, and business circles, while the Waggoners never achieved the same degree of prominence. In early 1963 Buster filed a lawsuit, seeking a dispensation to sell shares, but he died before the matter was litigated. For years, its two feuding clans have agreed on only one thing: They want to break up their vast eight-hundred-square-mile spread and close this chapter of Texas history. This huge block of farmland is crossfenced into large manageable fields which are suitable for grazing thousands of head of wheat pasture cattle. Concerned about the future of the ranch, W.T. The land was used primarily to raise crops, beef cattle and horses as well as for oil production. [9] In 1902, W.T. A granite tombstone, set in the center of a small, neatly trimmed pasture, marks the grave of the greatest cutting horse of all time. All together, as one may imagine, with this many contiguous acres, there is an immense variety of land types on the Waggoner. Why do they fight on? | Buster received income from his share of the estate, but he had no role in the ranch management and was happy to leave the ranching to E. Paul. It was notable for being the largest ranch within one fence in the United States. For more than a century the520,000-acre Waggoner Ranch has been an inseparable part of the culture and fabric of the Red River country west of Wichita Fallsand of Texas itself. [9] One of the lakes on the ranch provides water for the City of Wichita Falls. asked his children to draw cards for the three parcels. Guy had a weakness for the ladies; he once skipped town with the lead actress from a traveling burlesque show. It's one of the largest ranches in the world with 825,00 acres. Choose from multiple print sizes and hundreds of frame and mat options. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire, More Colorful Texas Sayings Than You Can Shake a Stick At. Didnt any of them have to work or suffer to get it. The current inventory of studs, mares, geldings and colts is approximately 474 head. What the hell could he do with oil! Some of these were bred strictly for ranch work, and others for the show arena, but they all had one thing in common, they were cow horses., Poco Bueno was foaled in 1944 and was purchased by E. Paul Waggoner in 1945. Add to cart. Two of the camp divisions, the Zacaweista and the Santa Rosa, are very highly improved. Waggoner found oil while drilling for water. Dan sent Tom (his son), who was only 16 years old at the time, to Kansas City with a herd of 5,000 steers. This land sits atop the Seymour Aquifer, while the ranch itself is bone-dry. At Christmas, they exchange giftsby messenger. Texas Purple Hull Pea Festival Is More Than an Event. It was in terrible condition, Joline explained as she showed me through their home. He first settled on Catlett Creek near the site of present Decatur. Dan Waggoner, who was born in Tennessee in 1828, moved to Texas with his family in the mid-1840s. Dan Waggoner passed away in 1903, and his son, W. T. (Tom) Waggoner continued to expand his ranching interests. The W. T. Waggoner Estate is the nation's largest ranch under one fence. [8] By 1903, he sold some of the land near China Creek to developers. Waggoner Ranch cowboys like and respect both families and consider them fair and generous. One of the most interesting properties at Zacaweista is the gothic stone barn where Buster Wharton bred his polo ponies. Additionally, all livestock (cattle and horses), an extremely substantial inventory of rolling stock, farm equipment, pickups, trucks, etc., and considerable other personal property are included in this offering. [6] Meanwhile, Electra Waggoner Biggs became a renowned sculptor. W.T. As Smith put it, They were a beer-and-champagne twosome.. Waggoner biographer Roze McCoy Porter writes that Electra spent $90,000 remodeling the one-year-old mansion and another $55,000 on draperies. Not a shred, she told me. Copyright 2023 W. T. Waggoner Ranch Uptown Style WordPress theme by, 2013 Gelding (Cat Man Do X Smoked Diamonds), 2015 Stallion (Cat Man Do X Smokin and Swingin). In a deposition filed with the court in 2001, Bucky acknowledged: We do not meet face to face, just he and I. These cows are bred to Hereford, Angus, and Charolais bulls. [9] It also includes 30,000 acres of arable land and about 1,100 producing oil wells. You have no voice here and you never will.. The cowboys are already waiting on horseback just outside the loading pens, cutting up like schoolboys awaiting the bell for recess. Cowboys worry that the feud will destroy the ranch. I never saw him on horseback except during a parade. E. Paul was a famous charmer, though his wife, Helen, perhaps saw his romanticism through more practical eyes.