The Waggoner Ranch can be characterized as a potential sportsmans paradise. [14] Her second cousin, Albert Buckman Wharton III, also known as Bucky Wharton, who was Buster Wharton's son, appealed to stop the liquidation. [5], The ranch is located west of Wichita Falls, Texas, south of Vernon, near the Red River. By that time, Ella had died, at the age of one hundred, and her successor as trustee was John Biggs, the son-in-law whom E. Paul had groomed for the job. Dan and W.T. 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. Now he lives in the bunkhouse. (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.. By contrast, Bucky is reserved, private, and serious about his business affairs. Shareholders of the ranch reside at these two divisions. The current inventory of studs, mares, geldings and colts is approximately 474 head. 510,527.00 I saw them together at a backyard wedding two years ago, but they stayed on opposite sides of the yard, Jim Hughes told me. Neither of her parents came to the wedding; biographer Porter reports that E. Paul and Helen were having marital problems. Bernard Uechtritz of Briggs-Freeman Sothebys International Realty in Dallas, and Sam Middleton, of Chas. One morning she packed, jumped in her car, and headed for town, not bothering to stop and open any of the ten gates on the way. The sale of the iconic Waggoner Ranch, while marking the end of one era, creates for a new owner the opportunity to begin another. There is a photograph of her in the Red River Valley Museum, near Vernon College, along with a large collection of her work: busts of Will Rogers, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Bob Hope, Knute Rockne, Amon Carter, John Nance Garner. In 1879, the Waggoners foiled rustlers by changing their brand from the D-71 to the now-legendary three reverse Ds. A municipal waterline from nearby Seymour serves some of the homes located at Lake Kemp. In 1869 Dan made seventeen-year-old W.T. Waggoners have a series of brands that go on each foal, the history of which goes back to the days of W. T. Waggoner. . If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. 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 Ranch is a historic north Texas ranch located 13 miles south of Vernon, Texas. Buckys home sits on one side of the square. Dan took advantage of this great opportunity. He sits across the table from me in his starched jeans and freshly shined boots, ramrod straight, his hat resting in his lap, his gray hair slicked down. When full, Lake Kemp covers an area of over 16,540 surface acres and Lake Diversion covers approximately 3,420 surface acres. ACRES Many thousands of additional acres of native pasture are suitable for cultivation, if desired. They say he was as mad as a nest of hornets. Richard King and Captain James Walworth's King Ranch brand was registered June 27, 1859 3. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. [6] His children would elect a Board of Trustees, who would make decisions with him at the helm. We opened it up. Today the home is bright and welcoming. All rights reserved. What must be going through his mind? But the Willinghams arent talkingabout the lawsuit or anything else. The bidding period on the ranch, going for $725 million, ended Oct. 20 with about six serious potential buyers. King Ranch. Passing under a granite arch, we head down a long, paved driveway to Zacaweista, an Indian word meaning good grass. Its the name of both the ranch headquarters and the sprawling rock-and-wood home that Electra built in 1910. hoped that his kids would learn to ranch and develop a sense of responsibility. The Waggoner Ranch has been very well managed over time, and considering the recent four-year drought, the worst in recorded history, the ranch supports an overall good turf of native grasses. The Waggoner Ranch Reversed D Brand is burned on the right hip of calves, and dates back to June 11, 1849. Hed consult with him and get back to us. 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. They communicate by written memos, even though their offices are separated by only a few feet. 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. This iconic ranch property has been owned and operated by Waggoner heirs for approximately 165 years. The Bronc-busting, Cow-punching, Death-defying Legend of Boots ONeal, At Texas Swingers Clubs, the Lifestyle Is Booming. 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. Its second only to the King Ranch in size, and second to none in its history of drink, divorce, and dissension. 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. Add to cart. Buster Wharton Jr., a polo player, playboy, and famous drunk who died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1963. 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. Waggoner Ranch, the 800-square-mile plot of land in North Texas, is really big. They cant wait to get started. These camps range in size from just over 20,000 acres to nearly 40,000 acres each. W.T. The Wichita River, the two branches of Beaver Creek, countless small streams and tributaries, and dozens of stock tanks supply the ranchs water. 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. An additional 320 acres were then purchased in 1856 near the small town of Decatur, marking the first major expansion of Waggoner's estate. Houses back then were very dark, with low ceilings and small windows. But we are so far from the lights of townany townthat half an hour before daylight its still pitch black. Meanwhile, the Waggoner family tree was sprouting more branches. [13] He once played there with polo champion Cecil Smith. 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. 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. Approximately 41.67% of the mineral rights with a pro-rata portion of the executive leasing rights are expected to convey with the sale. They still talk here of Paul Whitley, an unmarried cowboy who in 1950 rode his horse to Cedar Top, the most remote camp on the ranch, and lived alone in a primitive cabin until his final illness, in 2002. 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. Yet the Waggoner Ranch has outlasted its South Texas rival in one respect: It is still under the direct control of its founding family. the estate. Judge Neely accepted this language. 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. Consequently, climate data can vary over such a large area of the state. Some of the wells discovered in the 1920s are still in operation. A full moon hangs over West Diving Board Pasture. They plied him with extravagant gifts: engraved pearl-handled revolvers, diamond stick pins, junkets to Fort Worth, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. We invite you to browse through our store and shop with confidence. Today, the W. T. Waggoner Ranch is managed by Sam Connolly of Bozeman. Some say these deer may have never heard a rifle shot. Beaver Creek feeds Santa Rosa Lake, and the Wichita River feeds Lake Kemp and Lake Diversion. In 1965 he replaced Tony Hazelwood as foreman. 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. Didnt any of them have to work or suffer to get it. [3][14][15] It was ultimately sold in February 2016 to billionaire Stan Kroenke, the husband of Wal-Mart heiress Ann Walton Kroenke and current owner of the National Football League's Los Angeles Rams and the Premier League's Arsenal F.C. Choose from multiple print sizes and hundreds of frame and mat options. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. The 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. My first job was walkin hotscooling down winded horsesbetween chuckers. began courting Quanah Parker, the Comanche chief, with their eyes on the Big Pasture, a huge block of Indian land just across the Red River in what would eventually become Oklahoma. Its absence symbolizes the fate of the Guy Waggoner clan in the history of the ranch. The two sides have never been able to agree on a replacement. 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 cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch are living legends, men who embody the attributes of the lean and dusty riders who braved the wild a century ago to make room for a herd. They were super, super people. Nevertheless, Smith resigned in 1997, tired of being caught in the middle of the power struggle. Our horses are American Quarter Horses and we raise them for our use on the ranch. 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. 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. 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. Marketing is done through private treaty and production sales. 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. A unified decision has now been made by the shareholders to sell this legendary ranch. 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. What the hell could he do with oil! Both were famous for breeding, the King Ranch for Santa Gertrudis cattle, the Waggoner Ranch for cutting horses. Cowboys are a different breed. [4] It was acquired by Stan Kroenke, who is married to Ann Walton (niece of Sam Walton), in February 2016. It was notable for being the largest ranch within one fence in the United States. Bickering and backstabbing have been a way of life in the family. I tried college in Vernon for a little while, but it wasnt for me. In the late sixties Bucky attended the University of the Americas, in Mexico City. The family made their main homes in the city and returned to the ranch for weekend getaways and holidays. Patel Brothers - largest Indian American supermarket chain. 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. But there has been no substantial rain for days now, and we kick up a trail of dark red dust as we head toward Santa Rosa, the area that E. Paul inherited and where his daughter, the second Electra, grew up. He was teaching at Will Rogers Elementary School, in Houston, where Helen Biggs was also a teacher. 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. Hawley has a cell phone handy, and the ranch radio under the dash crackles with voices from isolated posts miles away. I guess you could say its traumatic, but in two or three days the calves will forget they ever had mamas, Weldon Hawley says in response to my city-boy question. [6] Electra Waggoner mostly resided at Thistle Hill in Fort Worth, although her husband, Albert Buck Wharton, operated a livery yard and horse stables on the ranch. No one, it seems, wants to witness the breakup of a mythic Texas ranchexcept the Waggoner heirs. We would love to have our customers come by and see us and see our newly remodeled store. By the turn of the century, settlers were overrunning Indian reservations, and the open range was all but gone. [4][8] From 1889 to 1903, they acquired land in Wichita County, Wilbarger County as well as Foard County, Knox County, Baylor County and Archer County. The cowboys are already waiting on horseback just outside the loading pens, cutting up like schoolboys awaiting the bell for recess. All pens are very well maintained. The Waggoner Ranch was established in 1849 by Dan Waggoner. Even the water in Beaver Creek was reda sign, Bucky said, that it was fresh and contained no gypsum. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. Some area ranches have rural water systems available, but still principally rely on creeks and ponds as their major water source. Either Guys two children would become their partners or E. Paul and Buster would have to buy them out. [6] It has about 14,000 cows and bulls as well as 500 horses. [11], The ranch has been surveyed by the United States Department of Agriculture for matters of preservation. 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. 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. These live creeks and their tributaries provide a desirable source of livestock water throughout the property. had said, I want to run the most cattle, breed the best horses and work harder than anyone. When he was 17, his dad made him a full partner. W.T.s granddaughter, Electra Waggoner Biggs was nationally known as a sculptress, and with her national notoriety, General Motors named their most luxurious Buick model the Electra and Lockheed Aircraft named a plane in her honor. The greatest annual precipitation occurs to the east, in Archer and Wichita Counties, at just over 29 inches per year annually. In later years, W.T. [6], The ranch was originally established in 1852 near Vernon, Texas, by Daniel Waggoner under the name of Dan Waggoner & Son; his son being William Thomas Waggoner, who was an infant at the time. The land was used primarily to raise crops, beef cattleand horsesas well as for oil production. The Texanist: Why Dont Texas Houses Have Basements? The other half belonged to Electra Waggoner Biggs, through various trusts. And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. The squabbling that has ensnared the ranch for almost a century began on Christmas Day of. Its now the home of Electras grandson, Bucky Wharton, his wife, Joline, and their two children. Meanwhile, W.T.s widow, Ella, ran the ranch as dowager empress until her death, in 1959. When E. Paul drew Zacaweista instead, W.T. 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. The majority of the ranch is in native pasture, supporting a mixed variety of palatable native grasses. The Waggoner is the largest U.S. ranch within one fence, measuring 520,527 acres (207,000 hectares) or 800 square miles (2,072 square kilometers). Poco Bueno sired 36 AQHA Champions, and many of his offspring have excelled in all the different disciplines of modern day horse events. A drought in the last part of the nineteenth century made the land where the Waggoner Ranch now sits nearly useless for growing crops. 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. Vernon, the county seat of Wilbarger County, is located approximately 12 miles due north of the ranch. She left an enduring reputation and two children from the first of her three marriages: Tom Waggoner Wharton, who died of syphilis at age 25, eight-times married but childless, and A. $ 58.00. Thistle Hill, as Electras mansion was called, stands to this day on the crest of Summit Avenue, near downtown. Concerned about the future of the ranch, W.T. In a January 2003 deposition, Gene said he sent Bucky his own draft of the map but never got a reply. It doesnt seem real to even think about it, he says. asked his children to draw cards for the three parcels. After Guy died, E. Paul and Buster faced the issue of what would become of his shares in the Waggoner estate. divided the ranch that he and his dad had founded into four large tracts. Approximately 30,000 acres are in cultivation. 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. [9] In 1902, W.T. They chose the latter. Busters card room, on the second floor, which was once walled in leather, now has the original wood exposed. 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. 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. [6][12], When Guy Waggoner died in 1950, his sons sold their share of the estate to members of the family. [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. The three smaller, 85,000-acre parcelsZacaweista, Four Corners, and Santa Rosawere gifts to his three children, Electra, Guy, and E. Paul. This historic brand has been used in one form or another since that date, making it one of the very oldest brands in Texas. Bucky looks more like a Little League coach than a cattle baron. One closet was filled with fur coats, another with 350 pairs of shoes, and yet a third with the latest gowns from Paris and New Yorkand she was said never to wear one more than once. At one dinner party, two Texans pulled six-guns from their dinner jackets and shot up the ceiling. After that, negotiations were dead in the water. Gene remembered it differently. Moore resigned as trustee in the early eighties, at a critical moment for the estate. 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. He first settled on Catlett Creek near the site of present Decatur. But selling the ranchor, worse still, permitting the court to liquidate itwould cost both sides dearly in taxes and prestige. As previously noted, this massive holding spans six North Texas counties. Historically, the Waggoner Ranch has been operated as a cow/calf ranching unit, with stocker cattle used for seasonal grazing on wheat fields. We have unique items that feature our brand. The many improvements and related assets mentioned above combine to offer the purchaser an extremely attractive depreciation schedule. We would love to have our customers come by and see us and see our newly remodeled store. Inside the Decades-long Effort to Commemorate a Notorious Waco Lynching. As the sun begins to crawl over the horizon, Hawley marvels at the endless prairie. I remember my mother taking me to Fort Worth to talk to her attorney. Ahead was a legal battle over whether Buster had the right to dispose of property that Electra, his mother, had left in trust to him and his bloodline. Approximately 160,000 acres of the 560,000 acres areproven prolific oilproperties. The house sits on high ground, mostly hidden by oak and pecan trees and a fieldstone wall. The W. T. Waggoner Estate is seeking a working relationshipwith an industry partner to furtherexplore and develop the ranchlands. 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. They married in 1969. 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. This rare phenomenon. 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). Legend has it that Electra once blew $1 million in a single day at Neiman Marcus. Seafood City (California, Hawaii, Washington, Nevada, Illinois) - Filipino American. [8] Although it still spans six counties, it is primarily centered on Wichita County and Wilbarger County. An enormous picture window with a panoramic view of the ranch replaced the porthole-size window of 1910. 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. [8] By 1903, he sold some of the land near China Creek to developers. He secretly wanted his favorite, Electra, to draw Zacaweista, because it was nearest to his homestead. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. When Helens father died, in 1975, they moved to the ranch, where Gene gradually assumed the position of head of the family. [7] Parts of it can be seen from highways U.S. 183 Mesquite is the major invader in this part of Texas. 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. Or you draw a line and Ill take first pick.. Waggoner left behind in East Texas the grave of his wife. After the Biggses requested liquidation, he hired Hughes and Roberson to draw a map, splitting the ranch in a way that would be acceptable to both sides. But for how much longer? There is also a rumor that the Willinghams have already bought a home in Fort Worth. Dan sent Tom (his son), who was only 16 years old at the time, to Kansas City with a herd of 5,000 steers. Perhaps they are afraid of ghosts. Thats the case that has been snaking through Judge Tom Neelys Forty-sixth District Court, in Wilbarger County, for these past twelve years. Nobodys sure. So what does it all mean? 940-552-2521 x:270. He was a nineteen-year-old Army sergeant at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, when he learned that the lawsuits had been resolved and that he was heir to 50 percent of the W. T. Waggoner estate. But W.T. 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. W.T. 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. (Tom) Waggoner had a good eye for quality horse flesh and developed a herd of broodmares to produce working ranch geldings for his cowboys. 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". The other wants to sell the ranch and divide the assets. Waggoner Estate operating approximately 150 of these wells and 40 independent operators operating the balance. This will still be ranchland, for thats all its fit to be, but not ranching on the grand scale that allows men to be cowboys. Waggoner Ranch is now officially, for the first time ever in its history, offered for sale on the international marketplace. 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. Its like watching the death of a huge and magnificent animal: People cant bear to look, yet theyre powerless to turn away. But Buckys mother was not about to give up her sons inheritance without a fight. has created a haven for deer, turkey, quail, dove, waterfowl and feral hogs. 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. 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. Why do they fight on? By the time he was 27, Tom had full reins of the Waggoner cattle empire.. 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. In The American Quarter Horse Journal, Jim Jennings writes, The Waggoner contribution to the Quarter Horse industry has long been recognized. 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. The Waggoner Ranch Store is located in the Waggoner Estate building in Vernon Texas. He built the newlyweds an eighteen-room mansion in Fort Worth, where he later built a twenty-story office building as the base for his empire. But Gene and Helen seem determined to do just that. Moore astonished Bucky by trying to buy his stock in the estate. Cowboying isnt a profession, its a life, but if the Waggoner Ranch is broken up into pieces, that life will exist no more. Cowboys ambling from the bunkhouse to the cookhouse for their five-thirty breakfast see her loping across pastures, dodging bulls and pump jacks. 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. He offered him pennies on the dollar for his fifty percent share., It was a paltry amount, Roberson agreed. [8], After the death of Daniel Waggoner in 1902, his son W.T. Horses have always been big business at the Waggoner Ranch. The wooded river and creek courses offer exceptional cover and desirable habitat for native game. In 1923, W. T. formed what is known today as the W. T. Waggoner Estate. Waggoner Ranch livestock have access to water at both lakes. [11] Buster raised polo ponies and established the El Ranchio Polo Club on the ranch. She left the motor running, didnt even bother to shut it off, and walked to the depot and took the next train out of town. When Guy moved to New Mexico, Tony Hazelwood, who hated his guts, showed his disrespect by storing oats on the homes prized hardwood floors.

Kansas State Volleyball Roster, When Was Tom Suiter Born, Articles W