The answer lies in the rich and rowdy heritage of the Waggoner clan. Meanwhile, the Waggoner family tree was sprouting more branches. 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. Some people dont see it, but shes beautiful. The Waggoner Ranch Store is located in the Waggoner Estate building in Vernon Texas. As their cattle business grew, the ranch needed more grazing land, especially as barbed wire began to close in the open range. After a big wedding in Decatur, the couple honeymooned in Europe and then planned to settle in Philadelphia. Recently, new ownership has brought substantial investment in both equipment and design. But Gene and Helen seem determined to do just that. Its a weird deal. He was teaching at Will Rogers Elementary School, in Houston, where Helen Biggs was also a teacher. Its been vacant ever since. Ill draw a line and you take first pick, he offered. 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. Vernon Regional Airport has a 5,100 foot long runway. The facility is equipped to do embryo transfers and has both indoor and outdoor arenas, two barns, and over 30 stalls. These live creeks and their tributaries provide a desirable source of livestock water throughout the property. 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. Genes got to drive within fifty feet of Buckys house every morning and again every evening to get to his own place. We always meet with our employees present, and nothing is really handled. They have quarreled over which wells to cap or abandon, over control of the corporate airplane, over the purchase of bulls and the size of cow herds. He offered to pay Buckys attorney fees and pitch in an extra one million. 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. 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. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. 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. It is as much a part of the legacy as horses, cattle, oil, opulent mansions, divorces, and drunken sprees. 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. But for how much longer? I tried college in Vernon for a little while, but it wasnt for me. Though their homesteads are only a few miles apart, the families of Bucky Wharton, the original Electras grandson, and Gene Willingham, Electra IIs son-in-law, might as well live on separate continents. This is the job I set my sights on, he says. The major drainages through the ranch are Beaver Creek, which starts on the west side of the ranch and runs through the entirety of the northern portion of the property, and the North Wichita and the South Wichita Rivers, which converge in the southwest portion of the ranch and meander through the entire south side of the property. Quality horses are always the pride of a true rancher, and this original set of broodmares became a huge influence in the development of the Quarter Horse breed. The major block of this farmland, which is located on the northwest side of the ranch, contains approximately 14,000 acres. No way I could live in the city. He means Vernon (population: 12,000). On each of those transactions, Kroenke had relied on Leadbetter's counsel and the insights of Sam Connolly, general manager of Kroenke Ranches. Sign up to hear from us about specials, sales, and events. Other areas show substantial regrowth, and those areas of the ranch with a dense canopy of mesquite offer exceptional protection for wildlife. This is a robust and versatile multi-faceted operation like none other available on the market today. What he got was just the opposite. [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. Approximately 30,000 acres are in cultivation. The Waggoner Ranch got into oil in a big way, and today oil wells still methodically pump as cattle graze around them.. Electra II married twice, the second time for keeps to John Biggs, a Texan who worked for International Paper Company, in New York, in 1943. The house eventually fell apart and was torn down. It seems inconceivable that they cant agree on a compromise. Hughes grew up in Vernon and has been hunting and fishing on the ranch since high school. In early 1963 Buster filed a lawsuit, seeking a dispensation to sell shares, but he died before the matter was litigated. [8], After the death of Daniel Waggoner in 1902, his son W.T. Copyright 2023 Waggoner Ranch Store - All Rights Reserved. As it turned out, he didnt. The W.T. 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. Its now the residence of Gene and Helen Willingham. He secretly wanted his favorite, Electra, to draw Zacaweista, because it was nearest to his homestead. Some whitetail deer on the Waggoner Ranch are estimated to be of Boone and Crockett quality. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. [13] He once played there with polo champion Cecil Smith. The cowboys are already waiting on horseback just outside the loading pens, cutting up like schoolboys awaiting the bell for recess. The majority of the ranch is in native pasture, supporting a mixed variety of palatable native grasses. And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. 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. Add to cart. 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. [6][12], When Guy Waggoner died in 1950, his sons sold their share of the estate to members of the family. The Waggoner Ranch was established in 1849 by Dan Waggoner. This sprawling property is approximately three-fourths the size of Rhode Island. After that, negotiations were dead in the water. Gene remembered it differently. The W.T. The 1905 hunt was a classic Waggoner production. 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. 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. We love our customers, so feel free to visit during normal business hours. Electra married A.B. Waggoner Ranch, the 800-square-mile plot of land in North Texas, is really big. W.T. The Waggoner Ranch, 550,000 acres extending into six counties, a realm steeped in Texas history, teeters on the brink of liquidation. He first settled on Catlett Creek near the site of present Decatur. At one dinner party, two Texans pulled six-guns from their dinner jackets and shot up the ceiling. 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). 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. [9] In 1902, W.T. In total, the ranch spans nearly 800 square miles. 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. It may be hard to truly comprehend the sheer vastness of the Waggoner Ranch. Now look at it! A good cowboy does what the foreman tells him and waits for his paycheck and for the sun to go down., Now the sun is going down on the Waggoner Ranch, perhaps forever. We have unique items that feature our brand. They were super, super people. Nevertheless, Smith resigned in 1997, tired of being caught in the middle of the power struggle. The main headquarters at the Waggoner Ranch has municipal-quality water from Vernon. 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 Reversed 3Ds is still used as a symbol representing the historic Waggoner Ranch. Thats where Electra Waggoner Biggs lived and where she kept her studio, Hughes tells me. Both were famous for breeding, the King Ranch for Santa Gertrudis cattle, the Waggoner Ranch for cutting horses. Heath Ownbey. 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. 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. Electra prevailed, as usual. These cows are bred to Hereford, Angus, and Charolais bulls. 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. 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. Its pastures and wheat fields, cattle and horses, mansions. Cowboys ambling from the bunkhouse to the cookhouse for their five-thirty breakfast see her loping across pastures, dodging bulls and pump jacks. 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. Choose from multiple print sizes and hundreds of frame and mat options. Waggoner had built a great ranch, but in 1909 he was 57 years old and thinking about its future. The family feud began the moment the old man rigged the game. Buckys pride in this place was unmistakable. They married in 1969. I didnt ask for the nuts and bolts, he said and walked away. Over the years, a substantial amount of brush work has been done, and the mesquite canopy ranges from nearly extinct to moderate over portions of the ranch. Now he lives in the bunkhouse. As Smith put it, They were a beer-and-champagne twosome.. They ride the trails of their forebearers, living a life and practicing skills that have almost disappeared. 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. Or so people say.. Poco Bueno sired 36 AQHA Champions, and many of his offspring have excelled in all the different disciplines of modern day horse events. Main interests of the company are ranching, oil, and approximately 26,000 acres in cultivation.
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