After Guy died, E. Paul and Buster faced the issue of what would become of his shares in the Waggoner estate. Its a weird deal. Its second only to the King Ranch in size, and second to none in its history of drink, divorce, and dissension. A portion of this acreage is seeded to very productive Coastal Bermuda. Growing up, the ranch didnt seem like a big deal, Bucky told me. It seems inconceivable that they cant agree on a compromise. Its been vacant ever since. It is as much a part of the legacy as horses, cattle, oil, opulent mansions, divorces, and drunken sprees. Bickering and backstabbing have been a way of life in the family. 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. Its now the residence of Gene and Helen Willingham. [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. LOCATION Brooks, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, and Willacy counties. The land was used primarily to raise crops, beef cattle and horses as well as for oil production. The answer lies in the rich and rowdy heritage of the Waggoner clan. Santa Rosa Lake covers approximately 1,400 surface acres when full. Bernard Uechtritz, one of the property brokers, told the. Because of Toms great influence on the horse industry, he became a founding member of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). The ranch is approximately 175 miles northwest of the Dallas/Ft. 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. Some area ranches have rural water systems available, but still principally rely on creeks and ponds as their major water source. This land sits atop the Seymour Aquifer, while the ranch itself is bone-dry. 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. How could things have spun so wildly out of control? At midnight, March 31, 2003, the clock ran out on the W. T. Waggoner trust. By 1881, his ranch had reached its modern dimensions: half a million acres sprawling over six counties the largest ranch in Texas under a single fence. Waggoner biographer Roze McCoy Porter writes that Electra spent $90,000 remodeling the one-year-old mansion and another $55,000 on draperies. [6], In 1991, Electra Waggoner Biggs sued to be able to sell the ranch. Find a huge selection of trailers from DooLittle and SureTrac in MO. At an early age, Dan started building what would become a ranching empire and founded the Waggoner Ranch in 1849. They gathered information on the value of individual pastures, with the help of foreman Jimmy Lee Smith. Heath Ownbey. Land Broker and Land Appraisalfirm established in 1920. These cows are bred to Hereford, Angus, and Charolais bulls. The Municipal Airport at Wichita Falls is served by American Eagle, and the runway is 13,100 feet long. Both families are already fabulously wealthy, though the wealth is in the land rather than their pockets. The Waggoner Ranch is a historic north Texas ranch located 13 miles south of Vernon, Texas. Approximately 160,000 acres of the 560,000 acres areproven prolific oilproperties. After a hard rain, this endless maze of graded red clay becomes a network of quagmires. Hes not a large man, but his pleasant and unassuming manner and his quiet, considered confidence give him stature. He served as trustee, and his three children, Guy Waggoner, Electra Waggoner Wharton, and E. Paul Waggoner comprised the Board of Directors. Nothing is too trivial to spark an argument. The cattle will be sold, along with the trucks that haul them, and the vast pastures will be chopped up, and who knows what will replace them. [8] By 1903, he sold some of the land near China Creek to developers. 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. Add to cart. 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. They were mailed while she was socializing in New York with her daughter, named after E. Pauls sister, Electra, and known as Electra II. [6] Thirty cowboys, and about 120 people overall, are employed on the property. They wintered the herd that year in Clay County and the following spring drove it to market, netting a profit of $55,000. 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. 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. 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. The mesquite trees that now dominate the land arrived later, their seeds transported in cow droppings as herds from South Texas passed through on their way to railheads in Kansas. Jim Hughes, a longtime attorney for the Waggoner estate who was being groomed to become a trustee before the feud cost him the opportunity, slows down as a dozen or more wild turkeys scamper across the highway and disappear into thick stands of mesquite. Additionally, all livestock (cattle and horses), an extremely substantial inventory of rolling stock, farm equipment, pickups, trucks, etc., and considerable other personal property are included in this offering. Maybe thats why Judge Neely told me that he has no intention of setting a deadline. He began buying land in western Wise County in 1870. Horses have always been big business at the Waggoner Ranch. Even when he was a young lad of 14, W.T. 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. 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. They chose the latter. But even as board members, they were powerless to exercise any authority over the ranch, except to elect future trustees. Waggoner Ranch cowboys like and respect both families and consider them fair and generous. Oil was a nuisance, and any good cattleman knew the value of water. Ranch Manager. To sum up the great legacy of the Waggoner Horse Program, it has produced three AQHA Hall of Fame Members (one Waggoner heir and two Waggoner horses): E. Paul Waggoner, Poco Bueno and Poco Lena; it is the number one All-Time Leading Breeder of NCHA Hall of Fame Members, Poco Lena, Poco Mona, Poco Stampede and Snipper W; it is the number three All-Time Breeder of AQHA Champions; and it is the Breeder of All-Time Leading Sires, Poco Pine, Poco Tivio, Poco Dell and Poco Bob. Many thousands of additional acres of native pasture are suitable for cultivation, if desired. 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. She was strikingly pretty, with a long, sensitive face and dark, sparkling eyes. As Smith put it, They were a beer-and-champagne twosome.. Bucky Wharton didnt think of the ranch as his heritage until he was in high school at Culver Military Academy, in Indiana. In May, Judge Neely heard the motion for partial summary judgment and made his ruling. Meanwhile, W.T.s widow, Ella, ran the ranch as dowager empress until her death, in 1959. After the Biggses requested liquidation, he hired Hughes and Roberson to draw a map, splitting the ranch in a way that would be acceptable to both sides. The dam was right on the dividing line. . One of the striking sights as you leave the ranch is the sudden appearance of enormous green fields of cotton, wheat, and alfalfa. Two years after Prathers resignation, Bucky gave notice of termination of the trust in a letter to Electra IIs family. The summer after his discharge, in 1970, Bucky decided it was time to move to the ranch and begin his real education. 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. By the 1880s, the Waggoners Victorian mansion, El Castile, was the most prominent structure in Decatur. 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. Lake Kemp, a popular North Texas fishing and recreational site, is located approximately 40 miles west of Wichita Falls in Cara Blanca Park, the recreational park surrounding the lake. Look out there! was determined to keep Electra nearby. Waggoner, a widower, and his young son, William Thomas, settled on Catlett Creek, near present-day Decatur. The King Ranch, based in south Texas, has more acreage spread over several parcels. Nearby Vernon, which serves as the famed headquarters for the ranch operations office complex, receives an average of 28 inches per year. The Waggoner Ranchis a historic north Texasranch located 13 miles south of Vernon, Texas. In addition to land and cattle, the family owned five banks, three cottonseed mills, and a coal company. But selling the ranchor, worse still, permitting the court to liquidate itwould cost both sides dearly in taxes and prestige. 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 Big Pasture, however, remained available for grazing and hunting. (and future trustees) would have the sole right to make all management decisions. (It still is, except for the magnificent Wise County courthouse.) Killen told Bucky, Take this, go back to New Mexico, and live your life. Either Guys two children would become their partners or E. Paul and Buster would have to buy them out. A unified decision has now been made by the shareholders to sell this legendary ranch. The ranch originally operated under the name of Dan Waggoner & Son. 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. 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.
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