[6][12], When Guy Waggoner died in 1950, his sons sold their share of the estate to members of the family. No Waggoner is buried on the ranch, only this one cowboy and a few early settlers in unmarked graves. Then he left the meeting and thats the last we heard. Why do they fight on? 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. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Its second only to the King Ranch in size, and second to none in its history of drink, divorce, and dissension. It may be many years before a similar ranch of this magnitude becomes available, if ever. Bucky wanted to make it clear that he believed the situation was untenable. 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. asked his children to draw cards for the three parcels. When they presented the map to Gene, they say, he asked for more details. Hostile Comanches and Kiowas, plus a few foolhardy nesters trying to scratch out a living, occupied this endless stretch of grassland. Its the Story of Shankleville, One of the States Early Freedom Colonies. Mid America is your local truck topper and trailer dealer in St Louis MO for all your new and used truck toppers in st louis as well as dump trailers and utility flatbed trailers in St Louis MO. Each camp is equipped with a managers house, outbuildings and pens. These lakes were built by the Corps of Engineers as a major source of municipal and irrigation use water for Wichita Falls, area towns and nearby farming communities. 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. The assets of the estate have been estimated at $200 to $300 million, but it would surely fetch far less if liquidated. 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. The W.T. 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. Two years after Prathers resignation, Bucky gave notice of termination of the trust in a letter to Electra IIs family. I didnt ask for the nuts and bolts, he said and walked away. Some say these deer may have never heard a rifle shot. In later years, W.T. My first job was walkin hotscooling down winded horsesbetween chuckers. On a slight rise behind this house is a much grander two-story Spanish-style villa with a red tile roof, a swimming pool, and a formal garden. What must be going through his mind? But the Willinghams arent talkingabout the lawsuit or anything else. [8] Although it still spans six counties, it is primarily centered on Wichita County and Wilbarger County. We met in the boardroom at the Waggoner building, Roberson told me. 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. In 1923, W. T. formed what is known today as the W. T. Waggoner Estate. Nothing is too trivial to spark an argument. Numerous food plots are located adjacent to these protected creek bottom areas, and these food plots serve as a magnet for wildlife. The entryway is glass, and there is a skylight over the vaulted ceiling above the staircase. Choose from multiple print sizes and hundreds of frame and mat options. He owns a bank, an oil company, and a cattle company, but he is happiest when he is working outdoors or having dinner with his family. Approximately 160,000 acres of the 560,000 acres areproven prolific oilproperties. The other wants to sell the ranch and divide the assets. They were super, super people. Nevertheless, Smith resigned in 1997, tired of being caught in the middle of the power struggle. Apparently they just agreed to continue to disagree. But for how much longer? He offered him pennies on the dollar for his fifty percent share., It was a paltry amount, Roberson agreed. Today, the W. T. Waggoner Ranch is managed by Sam Connolly of Bozeman. PRIMARY USE cow-calf, feed yard, farming, horses, oil and gas, wild game hunting, birding . Some of the wells discovered in the 1920s are still in operation. The main headquarters at the Waggoner Ranch has municipal-quality water from Vernon. The rich and spoiled siblings nearly squandered the family fortune on wild parties, all-night poker games, trips around the world, and divorce settlements. Instead of six bedrooms, it now has four. Horses have always been big business at the Waggoner Ranch. Growing up, the ranch didnt seem like a big deal, Bucky told me. 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. 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). Thats where Electra Waggoner Biggs lived and where she kept her studio, Hughes tells 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.. He ended up using it for cattle dip, and the well became Electras city dump., Near the entrance to Zacaweista, once the home of the first Electra, we stop at the grave of Poco Bueno. The ranch originally operated under the name of Dan Waggoner & Son. The W.T. Genes got to drive within fifty feet of Buckys house every morning and again every evening to get to his own place. (and future trustees) would have the sole right to make all management decisions. The house sits on high ground, mostly hidden by oak and pecan trees and a fieldstone wall. The Big Pasture, however, remained available for grazing and hunting. Inside the Decades-long Effort to Commemorate a Notorious Waco Lynching. They wintered the herd that year in Clay County and the following spring drove it to market, netting a profit of $55,000. W. T. Waggoner Ranch is currently developing hunting opportunities for quail, wild hog and deer. 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. 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. [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 Waggoner Ranch was established in 1849 by Dan Waggoner. Dan Waggoner passed away in 1903, and his son, W. T. (Tom) Waggoner continued to expand his ranching interests. Several small on-site water wells are also located in this large block of farmland. When I asked Joline if they had found any memorabilia from Electras time, she laughed. But we are so far from the lights of townany townthat half an hour before daylight its still pitch black. 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. 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 main set of shipping pens are located along the highway at the Zacaweista Headquarters Division. Even when he was a young lad of 14, W.T. 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. Potential buyers include a group of Japanese investors, Ross Perot Jr., Boone Pickens, even the Mormon churchor so go the rumors. As previously noted, this massive holding spans six North Texas counties. A granite marker, weighing four tons, notes his grave site. Shareholders of the ranch reside at these two divisions. . Salt cedar is found along creek and river courses, and cedar is moderate to dense in the rougher, eroded areas of the ranch. Add to cart. . This was probably a bluff. Shortly after leaving, he got his draft notice, at the height of the Vietnam War. 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. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. Its a weird deal. Stretching across six North Texas counties, the Waggoner Ranch is considered to be extremely well located. When it is necessary for them to be in the same room, they let third parties do the talking. Two large, privately-owned lakes are located on the Waggoner Ranch. This rare phenomenon. 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 W.T. It doesnt seem real to even think about it, he says. He began buying land in western Wise County in 1870. Some people dont see it, but shes beautiful. The history and the legend surrounding the Waggoner Ranch are as big as the ground it covers. 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. SOLD. Main interests of the company are ranching, oil, and approximately 26,000 acres in cultivation. 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. [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. Poco Bueno died in 1969 and was buried in a standing position in front of the main ranch entrance. I got two dollars a match. Cecil Smith, the world-famous ten-goal player, rode with Busters Waggoner Ranch team. The gifts were not entirely altruistic. 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. Many thousands of additional acres of native pasture are suitable for cultivation, if desired. Its pastures and wheat fields, cattle and horses, mansions. A drought in the last part of the nineteenth century made the land where the Waggoner Ranch now sits nearly useless for growing crops. B. Today, it is estimated there are over 1,000 producing oil wells on the Waggoner Ranch, with the W.T. Hawley has a cell phone handy, and the ranch radio under the dash crackles with voices from isolated posts miles away. [10], By 1909, W.T. The horses are bred for working ranch purposes,and many still carry the bloodline of the famous quarter horse, Poco Bueno; Decendants of the Waggoner family sold the ranch to Kroenke-Ranches of Bozeman, MT in 2016. The other half belonged to Electra Waggoner Biggs, through various trusts. Vernon Regional Airport has a 5,100 foot long runway. The Running W is the brand for the King Ranch located in south Texas close to Kingsville, Tx. After her husband died, Electra II did not keep up the pressure on Bucky, as John Biggs and Killen Moore had done. HOUCHRON CAPTION (07/27/2003): A calf is branded on the ranch in 1983. Waggoner raised Quarter Horses on the ranch, including Poco Bueno, who was buried on the ranch. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. Our cattle herd consists of approximately 10,000 mother cows comprised of 60 percent Hereford and 40 percent Angus/Hereford and Brangus/Hereford cross. The bidding period on the ranch, going for $725 million, ended Oct. 20 with about six serious potential buyers. The United States Department of Agriculture, as part of a conservation project, had surveyed every foot of ground on the ranch, and Roberson fed this information into a database. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vista Caliente - Signed Print by Woodrow M. Blagg - Cowboys - Waggoner Ranch at the best online prices at eBay!