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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. He first settled on Catlett Creek near the site of present Decatur. They say he was as mad as a nest of hornets. The Waggoner Ranch Store is located in the Waggoner Estate building in Vernon Texas. This rare phenomenon. No way I could live in the city. He means Vernon (population: 12,000). Bernard Uechtritz, one of the property brokers, told the. declared a misdeal and had them draw again. 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. 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. E. Paul was a dapper, dashing Hollywood-style cowboy, with a mustache and mischievous eyes. Waggoner Estate operating approximately 150 of these wells and 40 independent operators operating the balance. Hughes grew up in Vernon and has been hunting and fishing on the ranch since high school. Its pastures and wheat fields, cattle and horses, mansions. [7] Parts of it can be seen from highways U.S. 183 Two of the camp divisions, the Zacaweista and the Santa Rosa, are very highly improved. [6] Thirty cowboys, and about 120 people overall, are employed on the property. The Waggoner Ranch can be characterized as a potential sportsmans paradise. The Waggoner is one of the 20 largest cattle ranches in the U.S. and is known worldwide for its quarter horses. Some people think that the last chance for a settlement died with Electra II. Waggoner first settled his wife and son, William Thomas (Tom) Waggoner,qv in a home on Catlett Creek near the site of present Decatur. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. It was in terrible condition, Joline explained as she showed me through their home. When it is necessary for them to be in the same room, they let third parties do the talking. It may be hard to truly comprehend the sheer vastness of the Waggoner Ranch. 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. SOLD. Waggoner Ranch cowboys like and respect both families and consider them fair and generous. 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. The land was used primarily to raise crops, beef cattleand horsesas well as for oil production. The Waggoner Ranch was founded by a man named Dan Waggoner around 1854 when he and his son relocated to a 160-acre farm in Wise County, TX, after the untimely passing of Dan's wife Nancy in 1853. 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. In total, the ranch spans nearly 800 square miles. This treated water is used for human consumption to serve the substantial headquarter improvements. Our ranching operation includes, cattle, horses and the farm. Poco Bueno sired 36 AQHA Champions, and many of his offspring have excelled in all the different disciplines of modern day horse events. Nothing is too trivial to spark an argument. Fire Ants Have Unleashed Chaos in Texas for Decades. 27 of 56 28 of 56 Cowboys on the Waggoner Ranch brand calves in the spring of 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. Anne was the granddaughter of W.T.s friend Burk Burnett and hardly the type to sit around waiting for a roving husband. As Smith put it, They were a beer-and-champagne twosome.. Two large, privately-owned lakes are located on the Waggoner Ranch. She joined him in the apartment, and they set to work remodeling the Zacaweista mansion, which had sat vacant for nearly a dozen years. We invite you to browse through our store and shop with confidence. The W.T. The 1905 hunt was a classic Waggoner production. 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. His daddy worked this ranch for fifteen years, and Shane grew up on Cowboy Row. Numerous food plots are located adjacent to these protected creek bottom areas, and these food plots serve as a magnet for wildlife. 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. They seldom speak and hardly ever socialize. Land Broker and Land Appraisalfirm established in 1920. No Waggoner is buried on the ranch, only this one cowboy and a few early settlers in unmarked graves. 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. We opened it up. Today the home is bright and welcoming. [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. 20% off all products! Waggoner had built a great ranch, but in 1909 he was 57 years old and thinking about its future. This historic brand has been used in one form or another since that date, making it one of the very oldest brands in Texas. How could things have spun so wildly out of control? From the highway, its pastures seem timeless and impregnable. In one last attempt to keep the range open, W.T. Thistle Hill, as Electras mansion was called, stands to this day on the crest of Summit Avenue, near downtown. Marketing is done through private treaty and production sales. Many thousands of additional acres of native pasture are suitable for cultivation, if desired. An additional 320 acres were then purchased in 1856 near the small town of Decatur, marking the first major expansion of Waggoner's estate. Waggoner acquired more land. American Made Cap has manufactured for all types of customers, from professional baseball teams to local ranches, including the world-famous Waggoner Ranch just down the road. The main headquarters at the Waggoner Ranch has municipal-quality water from Vernon. Biggs second in command was comptroller Killen Moore, a onetime Internal Revenue Service agent. 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. The bidding period on the ranch, going for $725 million, ended Oct. 20 with about six serious potential buyers. One of the most interesting properties at Zacaweista is the gothic stone barn where Buster Wharton bred his polo ponies. This is your chance to purchase the W.T. The farmers probably didnt need intimidating. . Its been vacant ever since. Dan and W.T. The terrain varies from fairly level to gently rolling, sloping and hilly, but there are areas of rougher breaks and scenic, very eroded, red clay badland. The Waggoner has been owned by the same family almost as long as Texas been a state. Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch. The cowboys sided with Bucky, who felt that hunters left litter, cut fences, and left gates open. The Wichita River, the two branches of Beaver Creek, countless small streams and tributaries, and dozens of stock tanks supply the ranchs water. Add to cart. . The Municipal Airport at Wichita Falls is served by American Eagle, and the runway is 13,100 feet long. They communicate by written memos, even though their offices are separated by only a few feet. 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. We met in the boardroom at the Waggoner building, Roberson told me. 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. I never saw him on horseback except during a parade. E. Paul was a famous charmer, though his wife, Helen, perhaps saw his romanticism through more practical eyes. [8] By 1903, he sold some of the land near China Creek to developers. Dan Waggoner passed away in 1903, and his son, W. T. (Tom) Waggoner continued to expand his ranching interests. In the lower draws and creek bottoms, hackberry and soapberry trees are common. When full, Lake Kemp covers an area of over 16,540 surface acres and Lake Diversion covers approximately 3,420 surface acres. I ask him what he thinks of the family feud that threatens to end the way of life that he knew. [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. The Waggoner Ranch got into oil in a big way, and today oil wells still methodically pump as cattle graze around them.. It doesnt seem real to even think about it, he says. 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! The headquarters at Zacaweista is a small, self-contained village built around a park that the cowboys call the square. In its center lies the grave of Tony Hazelwood, a legendary Waggoner cowboy and longtime foreman, who died in 1965. Busters card room, on the second floor, which was once walled in leather, now has the original wood exposed. Its a constant battle. Over these past three decades, Bucky has absorbed every inch of this ranch and most of its colorful history. Both families are already fabulously wealthy, though the wealth is in the land rather than their pockets. The family feud began the moment the old man rigged the game. Its the Story of Shankleville, One of the States Early Freedom Colonies. There are none to be seen, because there is not a drop of groundwater. When they supplied them, he fumed. In May, Judge Neely heard the motion for partial summary judgment and made his ruling. They plied him with extravagant gifts: engraved pearl-handled revolvers, diamond stick pins, junkets to Fort Worth, Dallas, and Washington, D.C. Some of the wells discovered in the 1920s are still in operation. 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. 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. Since his retirement, in 1991, Proctor has lived in Vernon, raising a few cows and tending his yard. The ranch is reported to be the largest contiguous ranching operation of its kind under one fence in Texas, and one of the largest in the United States. Electra prevailed, as usual. 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. They include a bunkhouse for single cowboys, more homes for the foreman and senior cowboys, a cookhouse, several maintenance sheds, and a truck barn. W.T. asked his children to draw cards for the three parcels. Choose from multiple print sizes, border colors, and canvas materials. B. Wharton III, known as Bucky. B. W.T. The house sits on high ground, mostly hidden by oak and pecan trees and a fieldstone wall. By the time he was 27, Tom had full reins of the Waggoner cattle empire.. 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. At every opportunity, Dan Waggoner purchased land. 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. Texas became the 28th state on December 29, 1845, so the Waggoner Ranch is nearly as old as Texas itself. 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. Hawley has a cell phone handy, and the ranch radio under the dash crackles with voices from isolated posts miles away. discovered oil while trying to drill for water, Hughes tells me. We try not to put stress on the livestock.. 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. As the frontier pushed westward, he expanded his herd and bought more land, in Clay and Wichita counties.