It comprises 520,000 acres in six counties, and is the home for 12,000 mother cows. Biggs second in command was comptroller Killen Moore, a onetime Internal Revenue Service agent. Without a trustee to keep them at arms length, they set off on a collision course. 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. 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. Killen knew that Bucky was strapped with legal fees from the court battles of the sixties, Hughes told me. [9], In August 2014, the ranch was listed on the real estate market with an asking price of US$725 million. 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. The last e-mail I got from him, he testified, [was] five years ago.. The ranch includes thousands of cattle, hundreds of horses and oil wells, and 30,000 acres of. The W.T. She joined him in the apartment, and they set to work remodeling the Zacaweista mansion, which had sat vacant for nearly a dozen years. ACRES 825,000. 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 majority of the ranch is in native pasture, supporting a mixed variety of palatable native grasses. [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. Both families are already fabulously wealthy, though the wealth is in the land rather than their pockets. [8] W.T. At midnight, March 31, 2003, the clock ran out on the W. T. Waggoner trust. He first settled on Catlett Creek near the site of present Decatur. The W. T. Waggoner Estate is the nation's largest ranch under one fence. They gathered information on the value of individual pastures, with the help of foreman Jimmy Lee Smith. According to a 2005 article in The Western Horseman Magazine, But another event in 1902 had a lasting impact on the Waggoner Ranch. In the Roaring Twenties, Electra Waggoner was the most infamous socialite in Texas. Marketing is done through private treaty and production sales. This sprawling property is approximately three-fourths the size of Rhode Island. Stretching across six North Texas counties, the Waggoner Ranch is considered to be extremely well located. This huge block of farmland is crossfenced into large manageable fields which are suitable for grazing thousands of head of wheat pasture cattle. That became the seed money for the Waggoner empire. One thing you dont see on the ranch is windmills. The ranch's wild steers, huge supply of . For years, its two feuding clans have agreed on only one thing: They want to break up their vast eight-hundred-square-mile spread and close this chapter of Texas history. We could drive the 60 miles from Bull Run Pasture, on the northeast corner, where the 10th Cavalry camped in 1871, to the David Camp, on the southwest corner, and never venture outside the Waggoner fence. Cowboying isnt a profession, its a life, but if the Waggoner Ranch is broken up into pieces, that life will exist no more. 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. Inside the Decades-long Effort to Commemorate a Notorious Waco Lynching. cattle inventory, horse inventory, horse facilities, brands . Waggoner Ranch cowboys like and respect both families and consider them fair and generous. They work six and sometimes seven days a week, from daylight until the job is done, often late at night. 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. 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. [14] Her second cousin, Albert Buckman Wharton III, also known as Bucky Wharton, who was Buster Wharton's son, appealed to stop the liquidation. The Waggoner Ranchis a historic north Texasranch located 13 miles south of Vernon, Texas. [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. Bickering and backstabbing have been a way of life in the family. Nobodys sure. 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. It may be many years before a similar ranch of this magnitude becomes available, if ever. Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch - Photography Book by Jeremy Enlow [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. W.T. In one, he wished Electra happy birthday and said, I bought you a $2,500 bond.. The only thing I can figure, it was give to them. I tried college in Vernon for a little while, but it wasnt for me. Its a constant battle. Over these past three decades, Bucky has absorbed every inch of this ranch and most of its colorful history. Thats the case that has been snaking through Judge Tom Neelys Forty-sixth District Court, in Wilbarger County, for these past twelve years. You have no voice here and you never will.. 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. Cowboys are a different breed. 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. After her husband died, Electra II did not keep up the pressure on Bucky, as John Biggs and Killen Moore had done. (Tom) Waggoner had a good eye for quality horse flesh and developed a herd of broodmares to produce working ranch geldings for his cowboys. When I asked Joline if they had found any memorabilia from Electras time, she laughed. [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. Dan and W.T. But Wait, There's More A smattering of the more than 4,000 items listed on the. Numerous food plots are located adjacent to these protected creek bottom areas, and these food plots serve as a magnet for wildlife. Approximately 160,000 acres of the 560,000 acres areproven prolific oilproperties. [4] It was acquired by Stan Kroenke, who is married to Ann Walton (niece of Sam Walton), in February 2016. Dan Waggoner passed away in 1903, and his son, W. T. (Tom) Waggoner continued to expand his ranching interests. But for how much longer? They were super, super people. Nevertheless, Smith resigned in 1997, tired of being caught in the middle of the power struggle. Her best-known work is the statue of Will Rogers on horseback at the entrance to the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, in Fort Worth. Waggoner raised Quarter Horses on the ranch, including Poco Bueno, who was buried on the ranch. Waggoners have a series of brands that go on each foal, the history of which goes back to the days of W. T. Waggoner. Moore astonished Bucky by trying to buy his stock in the estate. The King Ranch, based in south Texas, has more acreage spread over several parcels. | Ranches, Farms and Land forsale in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado and Kansas. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. We farm approximately 25,000 that we use to graze cattle and raise crops for sale and internal use. Bucky Wharton didnt think of the ranch as his heritage until he was in high school at Culver Military Academy, in Indiana. 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. 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. 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. 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. [11], The ranch has been surveyed by the United States Department of Agriculture for matters of preservation. 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. Maybe thats why Judge Neely told me that he has no intention of setting a deadline. "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. Making Texas history: Legendary Waggoner Ranch sells to Rams owner All together, as one may imagine, with this many contiguous acres, there is an immense variety of land types on the Waggoner. 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 Bold Brand - The Land Report Depending upon weather and moisture conditions, the ranch has been operated with 11,000 14,000 mother cows, plus calves, bulls and replacements; however, due to the recent drought, and in order to protect the ranch, current stocking rates have been reduced to around 7,000 mother cows/calves, plus replacements and bulls. Historically, potable drinking water has been an issue on the Waggoner Ranch, and for that matter, on many other ranches in this area of North Texas. The W.T. 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. 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 is one of the 20 largest cattle ranches in the U.S. and is known worldwide for its quarter horses. 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. The settlers, most of them German or Czech, moved north of Paradise Creek, which runs just beyond the present northern boundary of the ranch. A unified decision has now been made by the shareholders to sell this legendary ranch. Choose from multiple print sizes, border colors, and canvas materials. Hawley has a cell phone handy, and the ranch radio under the dash crackles with voices from isolated posts miles away. Houses back then were very dark, with low ceilings and small windows. Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch - Cowboys of Waggoner Ranch He knows the ranch, its cast of characters, and its skeletons and stories as well as any outsider. This is a robust and versatile multi-faceted operation like none other available on the market today. Both were famous for breeding, the King Ranch for Santa Gertrudis cattle, the Waggoner Ranch for cutting horses. In total, the ranch spans nearly 800 square miles. Quanah delivered the land to the Waggoners and other cattle baronsat one time, Waggoner and son leased 650,000 acres for an annual payment of $30,000and the cattle barons made Quanah rich and famous. W.T. Meanwhile, W.T.s widow, Ella, ran the ranch as dowager empress until her death, in 1959. Besides receiving revenue from these house lot leases, the ranch charges a daily use fee for boating and fishing on these lakes and also controls concession rights. Waggoner Ranch, among US' largest, listed for sale - Chron Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. No Waggoner is buried on the ranch, only this one cowboy and a few early settlers in unmarked graves. The many improvements and related assets mentioned above combine to offer the purchaser an extremely attractive depreciation schedule. As land was cleared for settlement, he gradually moved west and by the late 1870s settled along Beaver Creek near Electra Texas. Worth Metroplex area. This is the job I set my sights on, he says. You Can Now Buy a Texas Ranch That's the Size of a Small Nation, For Shortly before she ended her eighteen-year marriage to A.B., she purchased another magnificent home on Preston Road in Highland Park and named it Shadowlawn. As previously noted, this massive holding spans six North Texas counties. The ranchs famous reverse triple-D brand, for example, supposedly got that way when a blacksmith inadvertently read W.T.s hand-drawn design upside down. Waggoner Ranch, the 800-square-mile plot of land in North Texas, is really big. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Since his retirement, in 1991, Proctor has lived in Vernon, raising a few cows and tending his yard. 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. The 1905 hunt was a classic Waggoner production. King Ranch. Historically, the Waggoner Ranch has been operated as a cow/calf ranching unit, with stocker cattle used for seasonal grazing on wheat fields. Waggoner Estate Ranch. Now look at it! I ask him what he thinks of the family feud that threatens to end the way of life that he knew. Ill draw a line and you take first pick, he offered. and 283. Waggoner Estate Ranch and related assets are now, for the first time ever, being offered for sale at a guideline listed price of. The W. T. Waggoner Estate is seeking a working relationshipwith an industry partner to furtherexplore and develop the ranchlands. The Waggoner Ranch Store is located in the Waggoner Estate building in Vernon Texas. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. At an early age, Dan started building what would become a ranching empire and founded the Waggoner Ranch in 1849. The assets of the estate have been estimated at $200 to $300 million, but it would surely fetch far less if liquidated. But even as board members, they were powerless to exercise any authority over the ranch, except to elect future trustees. Texas Purple Hull Pea Festival Is More Than an Event. [5], The ranch is located west of Wichita Falls, Texas, south of Vernon, near the Red River. (It still is, except for the magnificent Wise County courthouse.) Waggoner Ranch - AQHA - American Quarter Horse Association Consequently, climate data can vary over such a large area of the state. Copyright 2023 Waggoner Ranch Store - All Rights Reserved. When Judge Tom Neely, who is in charge of the current lawsuit to break up the ranch, was a young attorney in a previous round of Waggoner lawsuits during the sixties, he and other lawyers found some of E. Pauls letters to Helen. 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! We were talking in Buckys office, a large corner suite on the second floor of the long, low W. T. Waggoner Estate Building just off the main highway in Vernon. 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. [9] It also includes 30,000 acres of arable land and about 1,100 producing oil wells. They almost killed him with kindness, literally. But W.T. And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. W T Waggoner Ranch Brand Honoring Waggoner Ranch Family and Owners Canvas Print by Richard W Linford. G. 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. In later years, W.T. $725 million Waggoner Ranch in Texas finds lender for - Chron 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. 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. I saw them together at a backyard wedding two years ago, but they stayed on opposite sides of the yard, Jim Hughes told me. 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. 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 property is divided into approximately 16 camp or division units. [6] Meanwhile, Electra Waggoner Biggs became a renowned sculptor. 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. Bucky and Gene and their lawyers were there. When they supplied them, he fumed. Photographs of his wife and children occupied a bookshelf beside four footballs labeled Coach Bucky Whartongifts from former University of Texas coach David McWilliams, whod invited Wharton to join him on the sidelines at several UT games. He went on and on about how heartbroken he was and how much he missed them, but he didnt write them. Though there are more than two thousand miles of road inside the ranch, there are hardly any road signs or navigational landmarks. What must be going through his mind? But the Willinghams arent talkingabout the lawsuit or anything else. This iconic ranch property has been owned and operated by Waggoner heirs for approximately 165 years. The gifts were not entirely altruistic. 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. The land was used primarily to raise crops, beef cattleand horsesas well as for oil production. On the other three sides are a number of buildings constructed of identical reddish-brown stone, quarried on the eastern part of the ranch. While drilling for water, W.T. As a consequence, the King Ranch scions moved comfortably in elite Texas social, political, and business circles, while the Waggoners never achieved the same degree of prominence. Thats what folks in Vernon, Electra, Seymour, and other towns near the Waggoner Ranch are asking as they watch one of Texass greatest ranching empires teeter on the brink of disintegration. Dan sent Tom (his son), who was only 16 years old at the time, to Kansas City with a herd of 5,000 steers. 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. The horse operation, known as the Whiteface Division, is a state-of-the-art training/breeding facility located in the northeastern portion of the Waggoner Ranch. Legend has it that Electra once blew $1 million in a single day at Neiman Marcus. In his entire life, he never drew a paycheck from anyone but the Waggoners. Its pastures and wheat fields, cattle and horses, mansions. Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch. 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. Some people think that the last chance for a settlement died with Electra II. They married in 1969. Vista Caliente - Signed Print by Woodrow M. Blagg - Cowboys - Waggoner We try not to put stress on the livestock.. 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. It was notable for being the largest ranch within one fence in the United States. These are the men who made the ranch work while the Waggoners were off in Fort Worth or New York or Europe. Land Broker and Land Appraisalfirm established in 1920. Subscribe Contact Us We love our customers, so feel free to visit during normal business hours.