A number that denotes the foal's dam is placed on the left shoulder, and the ranch's famous D brand is placed under that. A complete list of this inventory can be made available. 1700 Deaf Smith St., Vernon, TX 76384, US. My dockets not that crowded, he said. The main headquarters at the Waggoner Ranch has municipal-quality water from Vernon. At Christmas, they exchange giftsby messenger. I saw them together at a backyard wedding two years ago, but they stayed on opposite sides of the yard, Jim Hughes told me. [6] Thirty cowboys, and about 120 people overall, are employed on the property. The dam was right on the dividing line. They built him a grand home on West Cache Creek, the only permanent structure between Fort Sill and the Texas border, and the chief decorated the roof of his Comanche White House with fourteen stars, symbolizing his generalship in battle. Waggoner Ranch is now officially, for the first time ever in its history, offered for sale on the international marketplace. Waggoner acquired more land. 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 assets of the estate have been estimated at $200 to $300 million, but it would surely fetch far less if liquidated. FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) One of the largest ranches in the U.S. and an icon for Texas horse and cattlemen has been listed for $725 million, marking the end of a decades-long courtroom battle among. Oil was a nuisance, and any good cattleman knew the value of water. They cant wait to get started. The major block of this farmland, which is located on the northwest side of the ranch, contains approximately 14,000 acres. W.T. 27 of 56 28 of 56 Cowboys on the Waggoner Ranch brand calves in the spring of 1983. Waggoner Estate operating approximately 150 of these wells and 40 independent operators operating the balance. Dan sent Tom (his son), who was only 16 years old at the time, to Kansas City with a herd of 5,000 steers. Most sets of pens are capable of handling several thousand head of cattle at one time. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. Hawley is the ranch manager, and Im sitting in the passenger seat of his pickup, holding my third cup of coffee. Today the ranch consists of approximately 535,000 acres, and is recognized as the largest ranch in Texas under one fence. The Waggoner Ranch Reversed D Brand is burned on the right hip of calves, and dates back to June 11, 1849. Waggoner left behind in East Texas the grave of his wife. Fire Ants Have Unleashed Chaos in Texas for Decades. Biggs second in command was comptroller Killen Moore, a onetime Internal Revenue Service agent. Choose from multiple print sizes, border colors, and canvas materials. Its like watching the death of a huge and magnificent animal: People cant bear to look, yet theyre powerless to turn away. Richard King and Captain James Walworth's King Ranch brand was registered June 27, 1859 3. This was probably a bluff. Waggoner met in Graham, Texas, and formed what today is known as the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA), which is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. (and future trustees) would have the sole right to make all management decisions. 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. Located about a three-hour drive north-west of Dallas, the Waggoner ranch was founded in 1849 and has remained in the family ever since. It was in terrible condition, Joline explained as she showed me through their home. The operation can breed outside mares as well as ship cooled or frozen semen. Cowboying isnt a profession, its a life, but if the Waggoner Ranch is broken up into pieces, that life will exist no more. This huge block of farmland is crossfenced into large manageable fields which are suitable for grazing thousands of head of wheat pasture cattle. Now he lives in the bunkhouse. The bidding period on the ranch, going for $725 million, ended Oct. 20 with about six serious potential buyers. By the turn of the century, settlers were overrunning Indian reservations, and the open range was all but gone. 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. [6] Other towns nearby include Electra and Seymour. After her husband died, Electra II did not keep up the pressure on Bucky, as John Biggs and Killen Moore had done. I ask him what he thinks of the family feud that threatens to end the way of life that he knew. Seafood City (California, Hawaii, Washington, Nevada, Illinois) - Filipino American. Numerous large, functional and well designed sets of shipping and working pens are scattered throughout the ranch. Both lakes offer good fishing, boating, and water skiing, and the Waggoner Ranch leases out approximately 500 privately-owned housing sites surrounding these two lakes. Then, twelve years ago, the two branches of the Waggoner family that control the W. T. Waggoner estate, which in turn controls the ranch, locked themselves in a lawsuit no one can win. a full partner, gave him $12, a group of drovers, and fifty hard-used saddle horses, and sent him to Abilene, Kansas, with a herd of five thousand steers. The Waggoner Ranch was ordered liquidated. Some say these deer may have never heard a rifle shot. Waggoner had built a great ranch, but in 1909 he was 57 years old and thinking about its future. Today, it is estimated there are over 1,000 producing oil wells on the Waggoner Ranch, with the W.T. According to a 2005 article in The Western Horseman Magazine, But another event in 1902 had a lasting impact on the Waggoner Ranch. The Waggoner (Three D) Ranch had its beginnings in the early 1850s when Daniel Waggoner, his son W. T. (Tom), and a fifteen-year-old Black slave trailed 242 cattle and six horses into Wise County. They married in 1969. Currently, the ranch has a water well lease on a nearby offsite well, which furnishes livestock water through an extensive waterline network to the large block of farmland located on the northwest side of the ranch, and also to the main ranch headquarters. They buried him standing up, Hughes informs me. discovered oil while trying to drill for water, Hughes tells me. The answer lies in the rich and rowdy heritage of the Waggoner clan. [8], After the death of Daniel Waggoner in 1902, his son W.T. W.T. In 1965 he replaced Tony Hazelwood as foreman. Without a trustee to keep them at arms length, they set off on a collision course. The farmers probably didnt need intimidating. Waggoner Ranch is a working one, with 20 cowboy camps scattered throughout the property to house the more than 120 workers. Who was going to be responsible for it? All during the spring and summer of 2003, they talked of little else. In over 165 years of the Waggoner family ownership, commercial hunting has never been allowed on this expansive ranch. The ranch originally operated under the name of Dan Waggoner & Son. The Municipal Airport at Wichita Falls is served by American Eagle, and the runway is 13,100 feet long. Some whitetail deer on the Waggoner Ranch are estimated to be of Boone and Crockett quality. This is what shes good at, raising cattle. Hawley is 52 and has been at the ranch since 1972, working his way up from cowpuncher to straw boss to headquarters boss and finally to ranch manager. Yet the Waggoner Ranch has outlasted its South Texas rival in one respect: It is still under the direct control of its founding family. Electra married A.B. An additional 320 acres were then purchased in 1856 near the small town of Decatur, marking the first major expansion of Waggoner's estate. The main set of shipping pens are located along the highway at the Zacaweista Headquarters Division. In 1869 Dan made seventeen-year-old W.T. The W. T. Waggoner Ranch is five-time winner of the Texas Ranch Roundup and a recipient of the American Quarter Horse Association's "Best of the Remuda Award". After the first freeze, 120,000 geese will land on Santa Rosa Lake and feast on winter wheat fields. 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. Ranches, Farms and Land forsale in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas. Meanwhile, the Waggoner family tree was sprouting more branches. Approximately 41.67% of the mineral rights with a pro-rata portion of the executive leasing rights are expected to convey with the sale. I was there. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. The party bagged seventeen wolves (some of which were really coyotes), and the president beat a five-foot rattlesnake to death with his quirt. That became the seed money for the Waggoner empire. At that time, Gene wanted to sell leases to hunters and Bucky didnt. They wintered the herd that year in Clay County and the following spring drove it to market, netting a profit of $55,000. They are already being augmented by Kroenke Ranches' world-class commercial Angus herd. $720,000,000 In later years, W.T. Dan took advantage of this great opportunity. Cowboys worry that the feud will destroy the ranch. He offered him pennies on the dollar for his fifty percent share., It was a paltry amount, Roberson agreed. (It still is, except for the magnificent Wise County courthouse.) . It was notable for being the largest ranch within one fence in the United States. The last e-mail I got from him, he testified, [was] five years ago.. All-night parties that started at Shadowlawn sometimes ended up on the ranch, after a trip by private railroad car, so that Eastern dandies could be treated to the sights of cowboys branding and castrating calves. At one dinner party, two Texans pulled six-guns from their dinner jackets and shot up the ceiling. Several small on-site water wells are also located in this large block of farmland. Two of the camp divisions, the Zacaweista and the Santa Rosa, are very highly improved. Inside the Decades-long Effort to Commemorate a Notorious Waco Lynching. 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. Nobodys sure. The majority of the cultivated land is farmed on a dryland basis, but three circle pivot systems are used to irrigate a small portion of the farmland. By 1881, his ranch had reached its modern dimensions: half a million acres sprawling over six counties the largest ranch in Texas under a single fence. Two years after Prathers resignation, Bucky gave notice of termination of the trust in a letter to Electra IIs family. 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. 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. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. Electra prevailed, as usual. The color of this ground is the color of the ranch, Bucky told me as we bumped over the maze of rutted roads, he driving his Toyota Land Cruiser and talking nonstop and I jumping out to open gates. Waggoner first settled his wife and son, William Thomas (Tom) Waggoner,qv in a home on Catlett Creek near the site of present Decatur. 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. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire, More Colorful Texas Sayings Than You Can Shake a Stick At. It was notable for being the largest ranch within one fence in the United States. There are several other large ponds, as well as hundreds of livestock ponds scattered throughout the property. But Gene and Helen seem determined to do just that. hoped that his kids would learn to ranch and develop a sense of responsibility. The squabbling that has ensnared the ranch for almost a century began on Christmas Day of. When they presented the map to Gene, they say, he asked for more details. W.T. The mesquite trees that now dominate the land arrived later, their seeds transported in cow droppings as herds from South Texas passed through on their way to railheads in Kansas. Traveling to the Four Corners line camp, where Guy Waggoners great home once stood, I tried to imagine that day in the twenties when Anne Burnett Waggoner, the fifth of Guys eight wives, decided shed had enough. The ranch has perfected water right permits to pump approximately 3,893 acre feet of water annually, which is used to irrigate farmland and water the grounds around major headquarter improvements. Its absence symbolizes the fate of the Guy Waggoner clan in the history of the ranch. Lonny Morrison [Genes attorney] said he knew an expert who could advise on that matter. I just knew that life there was a lot different from life in Albuquerque. In 1963, when Bucky was fifteen, Buster Wharton died, leaving a will that gave his share of the Waggoner estate to his widow and his shotguns to Bucky. 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. The nearly 30,000 acres of farmland is generally farmed in wheat for grazing, but Coastal Bermuda fields and haygrazer fields are baled and used to feed cattle and also to supply quality hay for the large horse operation. Legend has it that Electra once blew $1 million in a single day at Neiman Marcus. [11], The ranch has been surveyed by the United States Department of Agriculture for matters of preservation. The Waggoner Ranch was founded by a man named Dan Waggoner around 1854 when he and his son relocated to a 160-acre farm in Wise County, TX, after the untimely passing of Dan's wife Nancy in 1853. We invite you to browse through our store and shop with confidence. LOCATION Brooks, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, and Willacy counties. W. T. Waggoner Ranch is located 13 miles south of Vernon, Texas with office headquarters in Vernon. And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. This treated water is used for human consumption to serve the substantial headquarter improvements. Hostile Comanches and Kiowas, plus a few foolhardy nesters trying to scratch out a living, occupied this endless stretch of grassland. 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. The Bronc-busting, Cow-punching, Death-defying Legend of Boots ONeal, At Texas Swingers Clubs, the Lifestyle Is Booming. Its a perfect October morning, cool and crisp, and the ranch spreads out in every direction, 25 miles north to south, 30 miles east to west. It would be Helens husband, Gene Willingham, who would one day become Bucky Whartons main opponent in the struggle over the Waggoner Ranch. From the highway, its pastures seem timeless and impregnable. [7] Parts of it can be seen from highways U.S. 183 WAGGONER RANCH (VILLAS 18-21) Vernon, TX | Founded 1852 Archer, Baylor, Foard, Knox, Witchita, and Wilbarger Counties Established in 1852, the ranch was primarily used to raise crops, Longhorn cattle and horses. [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. 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. Electra died in 1925 at the age of 43, her life and much of her fortune spent on extravagance. Perhaps they are afraid of ghosts. They were super, super people. Nevertheless, Smith resigned in 1997, tired of being caught in the middle of the power struggle. It is the nations biggest ranch within the confines of a single fence, a spread so vast that it extends across six counties and covers more than eight hundred square miles. Some of the larger main shipping pens are equipped with hydraulic chutes and scales. E. Paul, a whiskey-drinking, poker-playing party animal, stayed married to his wife, Helen, for fifty years, but few people doubted the rumors that he kept mistresses in Mexico and South Texas. It doesnt seem real to even think about it, he says. Buckys pride in this place was unmistakable. Copyright 2023 Waggoner Ranch Store - All Rights Reserved. He borrowed a large sum from his nonagenarian grandmother, Ella, who later transferred the note to E. Paul. Oil production soon followed. He usually dresses in jeans, a polo shirt, and cowboy boots; in the three times I was with him, he never wore a hat or tried to act like a cowboy. L. Proctor was foreman when I got here, and I made him my model., The ranch has about thirty cowboys, many of them second- and third-generation Waggoner employees. A full moon hangs over West Diving Board Pasture. The two sides have never been able to agree on a replacement. W.T. Beaver Creek feeds Santa Rosa Lake, and the Wichita River feeds Lake Kemp and Lake Diversion. No one, it seems, wants to witness the breakup of a mythic Texas ranchexcept the Waggoner heirs. Some area ranches have rural water systems available, but still principally rely on creeks and ponds as their major water source. 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. 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. It was a crash course, but I learned more in those six months than Id learned my whole life. In 1975 he married Joline, a young woman he had met in Albuquerque seven years earlier. Waggoner Ranch with all of its history and be a part of its future unbridled potential. [8] By 1903, he sold some of the land near China Creek to developers. Its been vacant ever since. As the frontier pushed westward, he expanded his herd and bought more land, in Clay and Wichita counties. St Louis, Missouri, United States. Its now the home of Electras grandson, Bucky Wharton, his wife, Joline, and their two children. All framed prints are professionally printed, framed, assembled, and shipped within 3 - 4 business days and delivered ready-to-hang on your wall. He was teaching at Will Rogers Elementary School, in Houston, where Helen Biggs was also a teacher. [6] Guy Waggoner lived there with his wife Anne Burnett, the daughter of Samuel Burk Burnett and heiress of the 6666 Ranch from 1922 until their divorce. 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. This is a robust and versatile multi-faceted operation like none other available on the market today. The Waggoner Ranch fully supports the AQHA initiative to implement the Ranchers Heritage Breeders Program and the AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse Program with current staff serving as a member of two AQHA Committees. He offered to pay Buckys attorney fees and pitch in an extra one million. Bucky looks more like a Little League coach than a cattle baron. Marketing is done through private treaty and production sales. Nothing is too trivial to spark an argument. He served as trustee, and his three children, Guy Waggoner, Electra Waggoner Wharton, and E. Paul Waggoner comprised the Board of Directors. Worth Metroplex area. Approximately 30,000 acres are in cultivation. No way I could live in the city. He means Vernon (population: 12,000). Its pastures and wheat fields, cattle and horses, mansions. She joined him in the apartment, and they set to work remodeling the Zacaweista mansion, which had sat vacant for nearly a dozen years. The Texanist: Why Dont Texas Houses Have Basements? The W.T. These cows are bred to Hereford, Angus, and Charolais bulls. Waggoner Estate Ranch and related assets are now, for the first time ever, being offered for sale at a guideline listed price of. Patel Brothers - largest Indian American supermarket chain. The letters were typed by his secretary, Neely told me. In addition to land and cattle, the family owned five banks, three cottonseed mills, and a coal company. These camps range in size from just over 20,000 acres to nearly 40,000 acres each. G. Originally, the trust was supposed to expire after twenty years, in 1943, but the terms of the trust allowed it to be routinely extended in twenty-year increments until 1983. 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. All I ever knew is the Waggoner Ranch, he tells me. For the past 15 years, champions at both the National Reining Association and the National Cutting Horse Association Futurity have had Waggoner bloodlines in their pedigree. Our cattle herd consists of approximately 10,000 mother cows comprised of 60 percent Hereford and 40 percent Angus/Hereford and Brangus/Hereford cross. Waggoner Estate Ranch and related assets are now, for the first time ever, being offered for sale at a guideline listed price of $725,000,000. The gifts were not entirely altruistic. In addition to Lake Kemp and Lake Diversion, the ranch boasts several other large private lakes, some of which, such as Santa Rosa Lake, are reserved for the exclusive use of the families. He secretly wanted his favorite, Electra, to draw Zacaweista, because it was nearest to his homestead. Apparently they just agreed to continue to disagree. reclaimed all land and assets in 1923 and placed them in a so-called Massachusetts trust, a draconian arrangement in which he, as the trustee, controlled everything, including one of the biggest shallow oil fields in the world. In early 1963 Buster filed a lawsuit, seeking a dispensation to sell shares, but he died before the matter was litigated. Concerned about the future of the ranch, W.T. Buster never liked cows; the only thing about the ranch he cared about was horses, especially his polo ponies. This iconic ranch property has been owned and operated by Waggoner heirs for approximately 165 years. ACRES Please create an account or shop as a guest. Nearby Vernon, which serves as the famed headquarters for the ranch operations office complex, receives an average of 28 inches per year. Now available for sale on the open market, the Waggoner Ranch represents a singular opportunity so rare, it only comes along every 165 years or so. Hes not a large man, but his pleasant and unassuming manner and his quiet, considered confidence give him stature. By the 1880s, the Waggoners Victorian mansion, El Castile, was the most prominent structure in Decatur. Settling into an apartment attached to Busters former home at Zacaweista, he enrolled at Midwestern State University, in Wichita Falls, and commuted between ranch and campus, pursing a degree in business administration while learning the ins and outs of the estate. The current inventory of studs, mares, geldings and colts is approximately 474 head. Didnt any of them have to work or suffer to get it. Vernon, the county seat of Wilbarger County, is located approximately 12 miles due north of the ranch. W T Waggoner Ranch Brand Honoring Waggoner Ranch Family and Owners Canvas Print by Richard W Linford. And so they were, for a hundred years and more. At an early age, Dan started building what would become a ranching empire and founded the Waggoner Ranch in 1849. So it was the King Ranch whose legend was set down for posterity by the distinguished Texas author Tom Lea, while the Waggoners escapades were left to be recorded by the English author John Bainbridgea few passages in his 1960 book called The Super-Americans, about the excesses of Texass oil millionaires.
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