divided the ranch that he and his dad had founded into four large tracts. In the meantime, the Waggoners had been buying out small farmers on the Texas side of the river, paying $1 an acre and often less. Killen knew that Bucky was strapped with legal fees from the court battles of the sixties, Hughes told me. Oil was a nuisance, and any good cattleman knew the value of water. 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. All rights reserved. Ranch Manager. The Waggoner Ranch Store is located in the Waggoner Estate building in Vernon Texas. 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". Electra married A.B. [9] One of the lakes on the ranch provides water for the City of Wichita Falls. 27 of 56 28 of 56 Cowboys on the Waggoner Ranch brand calves in the spring of 1983. Both families are already fabulously wealthy, though the wealth is in the land rather than their pockets. The ranch's wild steers, huge supply of . In fact, when this ranch was first established, Abe Lincoln was in Congress, California was petitioning to join the U.S. as a free state, and neighboring Oklahoma was Indian Territory. As it turned out, he didnt. $ 58.00. This historic brand has been used in one form or another since that date, making it one of the very oldest brands in Texas. 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. No Waggoner is buried on the ranch, only this one cowboy and a few early settlers in unmarked graves. Biggs second in command was comptroller Killen Moore, a onetime Internal Revenue Service agent. This is the job I set my sights on, he says. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. [8] The ranch spanned more than a million acres of land. Its absence symbolizes the fate of the Guy Waggoner clan in the history of the ranch. They include a bunkhouse for single cowboys, more homes for the foreman and senior cowboys, a cookhouse, several maintenance sheds, and a truck barn. Two large, privately-owned lakes are located on the Waggoner Ranch. Houses back then were very dark, with low ceilings and small windows. 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. And so they were, for a hundred years and more. When my wife got sick with cancer, Gene and Buck got the company plane to fly her to M. D. Anderson. Recently, new ownership has brought substantial investment in both equipment and design. (It still is, except for the magnificent Wise County courthouse.) The substantial structural improvements, thousands of miles of fences and roads, hundreds of earthen pond dam sites, rolling stock, waterlines, natural gas and oilfield lines, oil field equipment, the Waggoner office building, the included livestock (horses and cattle) and the entire operation are offered as a turn-key sale on an as-is, where-is basis. 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. This sprawling property is approximately three-fourths the size of Rhode Island. Our ranching operation includes, cattle, horses and the farm. The Running W is the brand for the King Ranch located in south Texas close to Kingsville, Tx. The W.T. Both were famous for breeding, the King Ranch for Santa Gertrudis cattle, the Waggoner Ranch for cutting horses. 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. West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, H-E-Bs True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians. S. Middleton & Son in Lubbock are honored to announce the exclusive offering of the historic W.T. Waggoner acquired more land. When Helens father died, in 1975, they moved to the ranch, where Gene gradually assumed the position of head of the family. 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. The dispute seemed to highlight Bucky and Genes contrasting attitudesone loved the land, the other loved the money. You get in here far enough, it just swallows you up, Hughes tells me. "W. T. Waggoner Estate: Venerable, $725 million ranch about to be sold", American Quarter Horse Association: Waggoner Ranch, "You Can Now Buy a Texas Ranch That's the Size of a Small Nation, For $725 Million", "Waggoner Ranch: 1994 Best Remuda Winner", "NFL Owner Stan Kroenke Buys Texas Mega-Ranch Listed for $725 Million", "Legendary Waggoner Ranch Historical Combination of Then and Now", "Massive Waggoner Ranch, "last of the True West," is up for grabs", "Mammoth estate to be split up, auctioned", "Waggoner Ranch, among US' largest, listed for sale", "Ranch Dressing: Brokers Prep Giant Waggoner Farm for Sale", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Waggoner_Ranch&oldid=1097984814, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 July 2022, at 17:07. They communicate by written memos, even though their offices are separated by only a few feet. One of the striking sights as you leave the ranch is the sudden appearance of enormous green fields of cotton, wheat, and alfalfa. Heath Ownbey. Didnt any of them have to work or suffer to get it. It seems inconceivable that they cant agree on a compromise. 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. 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. Members of American Quarter Horse Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, National Beef Council, Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, and the Texas Land and Mineral Owners Association. Land Broker and Land Appraisalfirm established in 1920. Apparently they just agreed to continue to disagree. Meanwhile, W.T.s widow, Ella, ran the ranch as dowager empress until her death, in 1959. The W.T. Cowboying isnt a profession, its a life, but if the Waggoner Ranch is broken up into pieces, that life will exist no more. W.T. Though its a nicer house, the Willinghams have never moved up there. The last e-mail I got from him, he testified, [was] five years ago.. After a big wedding in Decatur, the couple honeymooned in Europe and then planned to settle in Philadelphia. Or you draw a line and Ill take first pick.. As previously noted, this massive holding spans six North Texas counties. A complete list of this inventory can be made available. They buried him standing up, Hughes informs me. Though their homesteads are only a few miles apart, the families of Bucky Wharton, the original Electras grandson, and Gene Willingham, Electra IIs son-in-law, might as well live on separate continents. When they presented the map to Gene, they say, he asked for more details. Hes not a large man, but his pleasant and unassuming manner and his quiet, considered confidence give him stature. This is a diverse operation consisting of cattle, horses, farming, oil, recreational lakes and wildlife. The Waggoner Ranch was established in 1849 by Dan Waggoner. [3] It spans six counties[3][6] and is half as large as Rhode Island. Today, it is estimated there are over 1,000 producing oil wells on the Waggoner Ranch, with the W.T. [8] Although it still spans six counties, it is primarily centered on Wichita County and Wilbarger County. The King Ranch, based in south Texas, has more acreage spread over several parcels. They gathered information on the value of individual pastures, with the help of foreman Jimmy Lee Smith. 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. The Waggoner Ranchis a historic north Texasranch located 13 miles south of Vernon, Texas. Its a constant battle. Over these past three decades, Bucky has absorbed every inch of this ranch and most of its colorful history. The operation can breed outside mares as well as ship cooled or frozen semen. The only time we dont work, Hawley tells me, is when its raining and lightning, or when its very hot. A good cowboy does what the foreman tells him and waits for his paycheck and for the sun to go down., Now the sun is going down on the Waggoner Ranch, perhaps forever. Its now the residence of Gene and Helen Willingham. Waggoner Estate office building in downtown Vernon, and most importantly, the exclusive right and use of the iconic Waggoner Ranch name, historic brand, and related rights are expected to convey within the sale. After Biggs fell ill with cancer in the early seventies, Moore was essentially running things, and the boardwhich then consisted of Electra II and Buckyappointed him trustee after Biggs died, in 1975. The family feud began the moment the old man rigged the game. 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 Waggoner (Three D) Ranch had its beginnings in the early 1850s when Daniel Waggonerqv and a fifteen-year-old black slave trailed 242 longhorn cattleqv and six horses into Wise County. Instead of six bedrooms, it now has four. But Gene and Helen seem determined to do just that. Now the fate of the ranch was up to the court. The major drainages through the ranch are Beaver Creek, which starts on the west side of the ranch and runs through the entirety of the northern portion of the property, and the North Wichita and the South Wichita Rivers, which converge in the southwest portion of the ranch and meander through the entire south side of the property. Copyright 2023 Waggoner Ranch Store - All Rights Reserved. One of the most interesting properties at Zacaweista is the gothic stone barn where Buster Wharton bred his polo ponies. The main headquarters at the Waggoner Ranch has municipal-quality water from Vernon. After her husband died, Electra II did not keep up the pressure on Bucky, as John Biggs and Killen Moore had done. In one last attempt to keep the range open, W.T. and 283. Things were working smoothly at that moment, but neither side believed the harmony would last. When E. Paul drew Zacaweista instead, W.T. They were mailed while she was socializing in New York with her daughter, named after E. Pauls sister, Electra, and known as Electra II. We always meet with our employees present, and nothing is really handled. They have quarreled over which wells to cap or abandon, over control of the corporate airplane, over the purchase of bulls and the size of cow herds. The facility is equipped to do embryo transfers and has both indoor and outdoor arenas, two barns, and over 30 stalls. But W.T. Poco Bueno sired 36 AQHA Champions, and many of his offspring have excelled in all the different disciplines of modern day horse events. He kept the east side of the ranch, called White Face, for himself. He either didnt care or didnt notice that E. Pauls clanespecially his socialite wife, Helenconsidered Electras line of the family to be tainted and Buster to be an irresponsible spendthrift, and they were plotting for the day when they could force the Whartons out. Its a weird deal. 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. Dan sent Tom (his son), who was only 16 years old at the time, to Kansas City with a herd of 5,000 steers. All framed prints are professionally printed, framed, assembled, and shipped within 3 - 4 business days and delivered ready-to-hang on your wall. The ranch is approximately 175 miles northwest of the Dallas/Ft. 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. 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. 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). The ranch was established in 1849 and spans six Texas counties and almost 800 square miles. Its a trade that suits only a select few for whom the life satisfies rather than restricts. While the last of the calves are being loaded onto the trucks, I talk to a 22-year-old cowboy named Shane Bone, a handsome young man in dusty brown chaps and a well-used cowboy hat. LOCATION Brooks, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, and Willacy counties. Then he left the meeting and thats the last we heard. For several years there were no further attempts to settle. One side wants the ranch divided equally but otherwise left intact. We would love to have our customers come by and see us and see our newly remodeled store. In over 165 years of the Waggoner family ownership, commercial hunting has never been allowed on this expansive ranch. [10], By 1909, W.T. After a time everyone seemed in agreement on all except one pointmaintenance of the dam at Santa Rosa Lake. 940-552-2521 x:270. It may be hard to truly comprehend the sheer vastness of the Waggoner Ranch. 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. Salt cedar is found along creek and river courses, and cedar is moderate to dense in the rougher, eroded areas of the ranch. Our horses are American Quarter Horses and we raise them for our use on the ranch. Either way, your shopping cart will be active until you leave the store. After a hard rain, this endless maze of graded red clay becomes a network of quagmires. The South and Westernportionsof the ranch are within the shelf and slope regions ofthe carbonate platform where the application ofnew seismictechnology tied to solid geological models will lead to a verysuccessful venture. An additional 320 acres were then purchased in 1856 near the small town of Decatur, marking the first major expansion of Waggoner's estate. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? The history of the land and the Waggoner family is so entwined with myth and legend that nobody can untangle the truth. Slaughter (Slaughter Ranches), Jim Loving (JA Ranch) and Dan and W.T. was determined to keep Electra nearby. The answer lies in the rich and rowdy heritage of the Waggoner clan. From the highway, its pastures seem timeless and impregnable. This iconic ranch property has been owned and operated by Waggoner heirs for approximately 165 years. You have no voice here and you never will.. The squabbling that has ensnared the ranch for almost a century began on Christmas Day of that year, when W.T. Dan took advantage of this great opportunity. 510,527.00 In early 1963 Buster filed a lawsuit, seeking a dispensation to sell shares, but he died before the matter was litigated. Buster too had multiple spouses (four, to be exact), but his only heir was A. They seldom speak and hardly ever socialize. Its like watching the death of a huge and magnificent animal: People cant bear to look, yet theyre powerless to turn away. Thats where Electra Waggoner Biggs lived and where she kept her studio, Hughes tells me. Cowboys worry that the feud will destroy the ranch. These live creeks and their tributaries provide a desirable source of livestock water throughout the property. This iconic ranch property has been owned and operated by Waggoner heirs for approximately 165 years. Some area ranches have rural water systems available, but still principally rely on creeks and ponds as their major water source. Dan Waggoner passed away in 1903, and his son, W. T. (Tom) Waggoner continued to expand his ranching interests. Hughes grew up in Vernon and has been hunting and fishing on the ranch since high school. Patel Brothers - largest Indian American supermarket chain. He began buying land in western Wise County in 1870. I worked for six months with various people in the oil and the ranching divisions, he told me. Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch. His daddy worked this ranch for fifteen years, and Shane grew up on Cowboy Row. We opened it up. Today the home is bright and welcoming. The W.T. It would be Helens husband, Gene Willingham, who would one day become Bucky Whartons main opponent in the struggle over the Waggoner Ranch. Some people believe that she would never have permitted the sale of the Waggoner Ranch. (Tom) Waggoner was heard to say, There I was with more t, han 5,000 big, wild steers, 50 sore-backed horses, $12 and 16 years of my life.. Subscribe Contact Us We love our customers, so feel free to visit during normal business hours. 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. It was in terrible condition, Joline explained as she showed me through their home.