Waggoner Estate Ranch and related assets are now, for the first time ever, being offered for sale at a guideline listed price of. Waggoner divided the Waggoner Ranch into four subsections: one for himself (White Face); and three smaller 8,500 acre sub-ranches for his children: Zacaweista, Four Corners, and Santa Ros. Recently, new ownership has brought substantial investment in both equipment and design. John and Electra had two daughtersa third Electra and Helen. [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. Some people dont see it, but shes beautiful. Dan and W.T. [6], In 1991, Electra Waggoner Biggs sued to be able to sell the ranch. On the other three sides are a number of buildings constructed of identical reddish-brown stone, quarried on the eastern part of the ranch. One side wants the ranch divided equally but otherwise left intact. (Tom) Waggoner had a good eye for quality horse flesh and developed a herd of broodmares to produce working ranch geldings for his cowboys. Now the fate of the ranch was up to the court. In addition to Lake Kemp and Lake Diversion, the ranch boasts several other large private lakes, some of which, such as Santa Rosa Lake, are reserved for the exclusive use of the families. [8] By 1903, he sold some of the land near China Creek to developers. They have been up since three and have had a hefty cookhouse breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, biscuits, and gravy. The ranch originally operated under the name of Dan Waggoner & Son. Wharton, a Philadelphia blue blood she met while traveling in the Himalayas. 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. In 1965 he replaced Tony Hazelwood as foreman. 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. 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. Our ranching operation includes, cattle, horses and the farm. Disgusted, he continued drilling for water. 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. cattle inventory, horse inventory, horse facilities, brands . 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. The dam was right on the dividing line. When E. Paul drew Zacaweista instead, W.T. We farm approximately 25,000 that we use to graze cattle and raise crops for sale and internal use. (Waggoner) hit oil instead. [6][12], When Guy Waggoner died in 1950, his sons sold their share of the estate to members of the family. A granite tombstone, set in the center of a small, neatly trimmed pasture, marks the grave of the greatest cutting horse of all time. Or so people say.. Bucky and Gene run the operation from offices in the W. T. Waggoner Estate Building. The Waggoner Ranch Store is located in the Waggoner Estate building in Vernon Texas. We have unique items that feature our brand. All pens are very well maintained. [6] It has about 14,000 cows and bulls as well as 500 horses. Some whitetail deer on the Waggoner Ranch are estimated to be of Boone and Crockett quality. 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 would love to have our customers come by and see us and see our newly remodeled store. Sign up to receive timely, useful information in your inbox. Patricia Sharpe writes a regular restaurant column, Pats Pick, for Texas Monthly. Yet the Waggoner Ranch has outlasted its South Texas rival in one respect: It is still under the direct control of its founding family. [9] In 1902, W.T. Sep 1989 - Present33 years 6 months. 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. Mrs. Biggs called ahead and had the director meet us on the front step. Meanwhile, the Waggoner family tree was sprouting more branches. Members of American Quarter Horse Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, National Beef Council, Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, and the Texas Land and Mineral Owners Association. Waggoner acquired more land. 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. Our horses are American Quarter Horses and we raise them for our use on the ranch. Hughes grew up in Vernon and has been hunting and fishing on the ranch since high school. 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. Seymour, the county seat of Baylor County, is several miles south of the ranch, and has a runway that is 4,300 feet long. What does it take to be a good cowboy? I ask. Then, twelve years ago, the two branches of the Waggoner family that control the W. T. Waggoner estate, which in turn controls the ranch, locked themselves in a lawsuit no one can win. 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. They married in 1969. As land was cleared for settlement, he gradually moved west and by the late 1870s settled along Beaver Creek near Electra Texas. 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. St Louis, Missouri, United States. They almost killed him with kindness, literally. | 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. On the map of Texas it appears as a great emptiness south of Vernon, occupied only by the thin strip of U.S. 183/283. 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. Then, in 1997, Bucky and Roberson drew another map, this time setting aside the two homesteads, and again offered Gene first choice. Lonny Morrison [Genes attorney] said he knew an expert who could advise on that matter. 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. 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. the estate. Judge Neely accepted this language. This treated water is used for human consumption to serve the substantial headquarter improvements. Buster never liked cows; the only thing about the ranch he cared about was horses, especially his polo ponies. For several years there were no further attempts to settle. We have unique items that feature our brand. Biggss brother-in-law was the president of General Motors, and he later named a Buick model for Electra. The ranch includes thousands of cattle, hundreds of horses and oil wells, and 30,000 acres of. One of the most interesting properties at Zacaweista is the gothic stone barn where Buster Wharton bred his polo ponies. [14] After Electra Waggoner Biggs's death, her share was inherited by Electra Waggoner Biggs's daughter Helen Biggs and her husband, Gene Willingham. Dan sent Tom (his son), who was only 16 years old at the time, to Kansas City with a herd of 5,000 steers. 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. In 1923, W. T. formed what is known today as the W. T. Waggoner Estate. We see a bunch of javelinas too, and a bobcat as big as a mountain lion. Nobodys sure. In fact, when this ranch was first established, Abe Lincoln was in Congress, California was petitioning to join the U.S. as a free state, and neighboring Oklahoma was Indian Territory. 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. Reply Anonymous February 3, 2013 at 8:00 PM Houses back then were very dark, with low ceilings and small windows. Employees of the Waggoner Ranch horse operation concentrate on raising horses for working ranch purposes and strive to create athletic and trainable horses that are 15-hands tall with outstanding conformation. Dan died in 1903, leaving everything to Tom. How could things have spun so wildly out of control? Legend has it that Electra once blew $1 million in a single day at Neiman Marcus. According to a 2005 article in The Western Horseman Magazine, But another event in 1902 had a lasting impact on the Waggoner Ranch. You get in here far enough, it just swallows you up, Hughes tells me. He was teaching at Will Rogers Elementary School, in Houston, where Helen Biggs was also a teacher. Didnt any of them have to work or suffer to get it. Hostile Comanches and Kiowas, plus a few foolhardy nesters trying to scratch out a living, occupied this endless stretch of grassland. Heath Ownbey. It is as much a part of the legacy as horses, cattle, oil, opulent mansions, divorces, and drunken sprees. Guy, who eventually settled on another ranch the family owned in New Mexico, married eight times. They communicate by written memos, even though their offices are separated by only a few feet. In addition to land and cattle, the family owned five banks, three cottonseed mills, and a coal company. 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. and 283. W.T. But for how much longer? When I asked Joline if they had found any memorabilia from Electras time, she laughed. These live creeks and their tributaries provide a desirable source of livestock water throughout the property. At the same time, they amended the bylaws to allow either party to give notice of termination within certain windows of timean amendment that would later prove crucial in the battle over the ranch. We love our customers, so feel free to visit during normal business hours. He kept the east side of the ranch, called White Face, for himself. Copyright 2023 Waggoner Ranch Store - All Rights Reserved. They wintered the herd that year in Clay County and the following spring drove it to market, netting a profit of $55,000. [4] It was acquired by Stan Kroenke, who is married to Ann Walton (niece of Sam Walton), in February 2016. . After a time everyone seemed in agreement on all except one pointmaintenance of the dam at Santa Rosa Lake. Her best-known work is the statue of Will Rogers on horseback at the entrance to the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, in Fort Worth. Cowboys are a different breed. [8] Although it still spans six counties, it is primarily centered on Wichita County and Wilbarger County. Today, Waggoner descendants still reside at the ranch in two main compounds: Albert B. Wharton, III lives at the Zacaweista (Indian term for good grass) Headquarters and Helen Biggs Willingham and her husband Gene live at the Santa Rosa Headquarters. 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. It was in terrible condition, Joline explained as she showed me through their home. Weve root-plowed, sprayed, pulled it up with a tractor, dug it up with a backhoe. Worth Metroplex area. I cant sit down, never could, he tells me. All framed prints are professionally printed, framed, assembled, and shipped within 3 - 4 business days and delivered ready-to-hang on your wall. All-night parties that started at Shadowlawn sometimes ended up on the ranch, after a trip by private railroad car, so that Eastern dandies could be treated to the sights of cowboys branding and castrating calves. Millionaire ranchers from Argentina and the elite of East Coast society came in their private planes for weekends of polo and debauchery. And so they were, for a hundred years and more. HOUCHRON CAPTION (07/27/2003): A calf is branded on the ranch in 1983. W T Waggoner Ranch Brand Honoring Waggoner Ranch Family and Owners Framed Print by Richard W Linford. Fort Worth-based Jeremy Enlow was given exclusive access to the cowboys behind the prestigious reversed triple D brand of the Waggoner Ranch, the largest ranch in the United States under one fence. Waggoner found oil while drilling for water. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. In the Roaring Twenties, Electra Waggoner was the most infamous socialite in Texas. Some of the wells discovered in the 1920s are still in operation. I didnt ask for the nuts and bolts, he said and walked away. Its a constant battle. Over these past three decades, Bucky has absorbed every inch of this ranch and most of its colorful history. Marketing is done through private treaty and production sales. Very few test wells havepenetrated the remaining 400,000 acres. Hunting big game in Africa and hosting extravagant parties at the ranch occupied most of Busters time. The letters were typed by his secretary, Neely told me. Concerned about the future of the ranch, W.T. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. In total, the ranch spans nearly 800 square miles. This was probably a bluff. Waggoner Ranch livestock have access to water at both lakes. One story has it that a gunslinger named Jimmie Roberts, originally hired to deal with rustlers, was sent out to make farmers an offer they couldnt refuse. The farmers probably didnt need intimidating. Consequently, climate data can vary over such a large area of the state. In 1879, the Waggoners foiled rustlers by changing their brand from the D-71 to the now-legendary three reverse Ds. Thistle Hill, as Electras mansion was called, stands to this day on the crest of Summit Avenue, near downtown. W. T. Waggoner Ranch is located 13 miles south of Vernon, Texas with office headquarters in Vernon. They include a bunkhouse for single cowboys, more homes for the foreman and senior cowboys, a cookhouse, several maintenance sheds, and a truck barn. Why do they fight on? There are several other large ponds, as well as hundreds of livestock ponds scattered throughout the property. The W.T. Land Broker and Land Appraisalfirm established in 1920. WHAT WE DO: We deliver strategic, brand-driven marketing communications solutions and deploy content that truly resonates . Sign up to hear from us about specials, sales, and events. When my wife got sick with cancer, Gene and Buck got the company plane to fly her to M. D. Anderson. 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. 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. Yesterday a helicopter herded one hundred mother cows and their calves into a trapa corner of the large pastureand soon cowboys on horseback will be stripping the calves away from their mothers, herding them into separate pens and loading them onto trucks for transportation to other parts of the ranch. As Parker biographer Bill Neeley has noted, ethics and morality played no part of this business arrangement. Inside the Decades-long Effort to Commemorate a Notorious Waco Lynching. [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. $720,000,000 I ask him what he thinks of the family feud that threatens to end the way of life that he knew. The Waggoner Ranch fully supports the AQHA initiative to implement the Ranchers Heritage Breeders Program and the AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse Program with current staff serving as a member of two AQHA Committees. No Waggoner is buried on the ranch, only this one cowboy and a few early settlers in unmarked graves. At that time, Gene wanted to sell leases to hunters and Bucky didnt. 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. 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. A unified decision has now been made by the shareholders to sell this legendary ranch. 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. [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. At the time of acquisition, the ranch comprised 520,527 acres (210,650ha), or 800sqmi (2,100km2) but additional acreage was included in the sale making the total closer to 535,000 acres (217,000ha). The major block of this farmland, which is located on the northwest side of the ranch, contains approximately 14,000 acres. Seafood City (California, Hawaii, Washington, Nevada, Illinois) - Filipino American. The Bronc-busting, Cow-punching, Death-defying Legend of Boots ONeal, At Texas Swingers Clubs, the Lifestyle Is Booming. She took everythingthe furniture, even the light fixtures. Handsome and trim, Joline once competed in the New York and Paris marathons and still gets up before first light to run. Waggoner raised Quarter Horses on the ranch, including Poco Bueno, who was buried on the ranch. 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. 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. Bring on the Shiplap. But Gene and Helen seem determined to do just that. What the hell could he do with oil! No one, it seems, wants to witness the breakup of a mythic Texas ranchexcept the Waggoner heirs. It's one of the largest ranches in the world with 825,00 acres. 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. They gathered information on the value of individual pastures, with the help of foreman Jimmy Lee Smith. Joe Roberson, who was the estates auditor for many years, describes him this way: Big belt buckle, expensive boots, a bottle of whiskey. E. Paul had a good eye for horseshe bought Poco Bueno, the great cutting horse sireand loved to be seen as the ultimate cattle baron, but a retired Waggoner Ranch foreman named G. L. Proctor told me, He wasnt much of a rider. Waggoners have a series of brands that go on each foal, the history of which goes back to the days of W. T. Waggoner. 20% off all products! The squabbling that has ensnared the ranch for almost a century began on Christmas Day of. Free shipping for many products! But Buckys mother was not about to give up her sons inheritance without a fight. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. This was a time when much of Texas was open range and unexplored. Can College Sports Get More Absurd Than SMU Joining the Pac-12? Bernard Uechtritz, one of the property brokers, told the. Slaughter (Slaughter Ranches), Jim Loving (JA Ranch) and Dan and W.T. In 1869 Dan made seventeen-year-old W.T. 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. The three smaller, 85,000-acre parcelsZacaweista, Four Corners, and Santa Rosawere gifts to his three children, Electra, Guy, and E. Paul. Some say these deer may have never heard a rifle shot. Much of the ranch is covered with mesquite, cedar, and prickly pear, and when the sun softens late in the evening, the dull green of the vegetation and the deep red of the soil give the ranch the pastel serenity of a Mexican village. 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. 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). . W. T. Waggoner Ranch is currently developing hunting opportunities for quail, wild hog and deer. Electra prevailed, as usual. E. Paul was a dapper, dashing Hollywood-style cowboy, with a mustache and mischievous eyes. Waggoner had built a great ranch, but in 1909 he was 57 years old and thinking about its future. 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. Approximately 41.67% of the mineral rights with a pro-rata portion of the executive leasing rights are expected to convey with the sale. 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. Now 56, Bucky is one of the protagonists in the battle over the future of the ranch. The other half belonged to Electra Waggoner Biggs, through various trusts. [9] It also includes 30,000 acres of arable land and about 1,100 producing oil wells. There is also a rumor that the Willinghams have already bought a home in Fort Worth. 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. Moore astonished Bucky by trying to buy his stock in the estate. Electra married A.B. In later years, W.T. That became the seed money for the Waggoner empire. Things were working smoothly at that moment, but neither side believed the harmony would last. From the highway, its pastures seem timeless and impregnable. All canvas prints are professionally printed, assembled, and shipped within 3 - 4 business days and delivered ready-to-hang on your wall. 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. Killen told Bucky, Take this, go back to New Mexico, and live your life. Some of the larger main shipping pens are equipped with hydraulic chutes and scales. The Waggoner has been owned by the same family almost as long as Texas been a state. 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. One thing you dont see on the ranch is windmills. Another number brand is placed on the left hip to denote the year. But by the 1920s, with the advent of the automobile, W.T.s attitude about oil had changed. [6] Thirty cowboys, and about 120 people overall, are employed on the property. 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! They buried him standing up, Hughes informs me. The W.T. Since Electra IIs death, in 2001, the board has been composed of these two men who rarely speak to each other. The wooded river and creek courses offer exceptional cover and desirable habitat for native game.
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