This was probably a bluff. Both ranches once covered more than a million acres. Stretching across six North Texas counties, the Waggoner Ranch is considered to be extremely well located. 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. Numerous smaller cultivated fields are scattered throughout the ranch. Land Broker and Land Appraisalfirm established in 1920. Buckys home sits on one side of the square. The 1905 hunt was a classic Waggoner production. 2021 Chas S Middleton and Son. I worked for six months with various people in the oil and the ranching divisions, he told me. There are several other large ponds, as well as hundreds of livestock ponds scattered throughout the property. Bucky looks more like a Little League coach than a cattle baron. Both were famous for breeding, the King Ranch for Santa Gertrudis cattle, the Waggoner Ranch for cutting horses. He began buying land in western Wise County in 1870. The gifts were not entirely altruistic. 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. The W.T. The history and the legend surrounding the Waggoner Ranch are as big as the ground it covers. Ill tell you one thing: Mrs. Biggs [Electra II] was the nicest person in the world to me, said Jimmy Lee Smith, who cowboyed at the ranch for 38 years, rising from cowpuncher to foreman and ranch manager. Perhaps they are afraid of ghosts. The Wichita River, the two branches of Beaver Creek, countless small streams and tributaries, and dozens of stock tanks supply the ranchs water. Weve root-plowed, sprayed, pulled it up with a tractor, dug it up with a backhoe. They say he was as mad as a nest of hornets. Another formula was used to calculate mineral rights, pipelines, cattle, horses, equipment, other assets. They wintered the herd that year in Clay County and the following spring drove it to market, netting a profit of $55,000. Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch. Gene is, by all accounts, gregarious and outgoing, a typical good ol boy who enjoys playing dominoes at the country club. Horses like Waggoners Rainy Day, Midnight, One Eyed Waggoner, Yellow Wolf, Yellow Jacket, Pretty Boy, Pretty Buck, Snipper W, Pep Up, Jesse James and of course Poco Bueno still appear in the pedigrees of many great horses today. The squabbling that has ensnared the ranch for almost a century began on Christmas Day of that year, when 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. Richard King and Captain James Walworth's King Ranch brand was registered June 27, 1859 3. The only thing I can figure, it was give to them. Busters card room, on the second floor, which was once walled in leather, now has the original wood exposed. The W.T. [4] It was acquired by Stan Kroenke, who is married to Ann Walton (niece of Sam Walton), in February 2016. Most sets of pens are capable of handling several thousand head of cattle at one time. But for how much longer? 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). The ranch's wild steers, huge supply of . Numerous food plots are located adjacent to these protected creek bottom areas, and these food plots serve as a magnet for wildlife. The Municipal Airport at Wichita Falls is served by American Eagle, and the runway is 13,100 feet long. Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch - Photography Book by Jeremy Enlow 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. 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. 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. Beaver Creek feeds Santa Rosa Lake, and the Wichita River feeds Lake Kemp and Lake Diversion. W.T. 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. Waggoner Ranch, the 800-square-mile plot of land in North Texas, is really big. I didnt ask for the nuts and bolts, he said and walked away. Potential buyers include a group of Japanese investors, Ross Perot Jr., Boone Pickens, even the Mormon churchor so go the rumors. After Guy died, E. Paul and Buster faced the issue of what would become of his shares in the Waggoner estate. The ranch is fenced and crossfenced, with an estimated several thousand miles of ranch roads and ranch fencing. San Antonio Luxury Resort - The Villas at La Cantera 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. Waggoner raised Quarter Horses on the ranch, including Poco Bueno, who was buried on the ranch. 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. Back in town, I am introduced to 79-year-old G. L. Proctor, the old cowboy who Weldon Hawley has modeled himself after. Legend has it that Electra once blew $1 million in a single day at Neiman Marcus. Waggoner, a widower, and his young son, William Thomas, settled on Catlett Creek, near present-day Decatur. Choose from multiple print sizes, border colors, and canvas materials. Not a shred, she told me. The history of the land and the Waggoner family is so entwined with myth and legend that nobody can untangle the truth. The Big Pasture, however, remained available for grazing and hunting. Then, in 1997, Bucky and Roberson drew another map, this time setting aside the two homesteads, and again offered Gene first choice. Waggoner Estate Ranch. But when I talked to Judge Neely in October, he told me, No, that wasnt my ruling. The two sides had agreed to this wording: An event has occurred [Buckys notice of termination] which requires the winding up of. 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. Either way, your shopping cart will be active until you leave the store. $ 58.00. Why do they fight on? All together, as one may imagine, with this many contiguous acres, there is an immense variety of land types on the Waggoner. Bring on the Shiplap. [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. It's one of the largest ranches in the world with 825,00 acres. 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. On each of those transactions, Kroenke had relied on Leadbetter's counsel and the insights of Sam Connolly, general manager of Kroenke Ranches. The main headquarters at the Waggoner Ranch has municipal-quality water from Vernon. Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? In his entire life, he never drew a paycheck from anyone but the Waggoners. It was notable for being the largest ranch within one fence in the United States. Slaughter (Slaughter Ranches), Jim Loving (JA Ranch) and Dan and W.T. In addition to land and cattle, the family owned five banks, three cottonseed mills, and a coal company. 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". [9], In August 2014, the ranch was listed on the real estate market with an asking price of US$725 million. In the lower draws and creek bottoms, hackberry and soapberry trees are common. The assets of the estate have been estimated at $200 to $300 million, but it would surely fetch far less if liquidated. [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. Our cattle herd consists of approximately 10,000 mother cows comprised of 60 percent Hereford and 40 percent Angus/Hereford and Brangus/Hereford cross. Bernard Uechtritz of Briggs-Freeman Sothebys International Realty in Dallas, and Sam Middleton, of Chas. ACRES They are already being augmented by Kroenke Ranches' world-class commercial Angus herd. 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. The Bold Brand - The Land Report 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 little village of Lockett, where the descendants of those settlers now live, is wet in another way: It is the nearest spot where citizens of Vernon can buy beer and liquor. One of the striking sights as you leave the ranch is the sudden appearance of enormous green fields of cotton, wheat, and alfalfa. In 1869 Dan made seventeen-year-old W.T. Salt cedar is found along creek and river courses, and cedar is moderate to dense in the rougher, eroded areas of the ranch. Quanah saw his alliance with the Waggoners and other cattle barons as a way to better the lives of his peopleand his own to boot. The Waggoner Ranch, 550,000 acres extending into six counties, a realm steeped in Texas history, teeters on the brink of liquidation. Though its a nicer house, the Willinghams have never moved up there. Whats Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas? But Wait, There's More A smattering of the more than 4,000 items listed on the. In a deposition filed with the court in 2001, Bucky acknowledged: We do not meet face to face, just he and I. Worth Metroplex area. 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. 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). It is doubtful there is any other contiguous area of this magnitude in Texas which has had no commercial hunting pressure since the land was first settled. Inside the Decades-long Effort to Commemorate a Notorious Waco Lynching. Very few test wells havepenetrated the remaining 400,000 acres. Waggoner Estate Ranch and related assets are now, for the first time ever, being offered for sale at a guideline listed price of. In over 165 years of the Waggoner family ownership, commercial hunting has never been allowed on this expansive ranch. In a January 2003 deposition, Gene said he sent Bucky his own draft of the map but never got a reply. This rare phenomenon. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Its now the residence of Gene and Helen Willingham. An additional 320 acres were then purchased in 1856 near the small town of Decatur, marking the first major expansion of Waggoner's estate. From the highway, its pastures seem timeless and impregnable. 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. Its a constant battle. Over these past three decades, Bucky has absorbed every inch of this ranch and most of its colorful history. 20% off all products! 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. In 1877, Burk Burnett (6666 Ranch), Col. C.C. It comprises 520,000 acres in six counties, and is the home for 12,000 mother cows. Many thousands of additional acres of native pasture are suitable for cultivation, if desired. [8] W.T. 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. The Waggoner Ranch Store is located in the Waggoner Estate building in Vernon Texas. We have unique items that feature our brand. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. There are none to be seen, because there is not a drop of groundwater. At Christmas, they exchange giftsby messenger. 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. Bucky Wharton didnt think of the ranch as his heritage until he was in high school at Culver Military Academy, in Indiana. Her best-known work is the statue of Will Rogers on horseback at the entrance to the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, in Fort Worth. Buckys pride in this place was unmistakable. Or you draw a line and Ill take first pick.. He offered him pennies on the dollar for his fifty percent share., It was a paltry amount, Roberson agreed. LOCATION Brooks, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, and Willacy counties. His daddy worked this ranch for fifteen years, and Shane grew up on Cowboy Row. W.T. The three smaller, 85,000-acre parcelsZacaweista, Four Corners, and Santa Rosawere gifts to his three children, Electra, Guy, and E. Paul. 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. It may be many years before a similar ranch of this magnitude becomes available, if ever. It doesnt seem real to even think about it, he says. Today the ranch consists of approximately 535,000 acres, and is recognized as the largest ranch in Texas under one fence. 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.