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. [6] However, in 1923, he changed his mind, and set up a Massachusetts trust. 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. [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. [6] It is the second largest ranch in Texas (after the King Ranch),[6] enclosing 510,527 acres (207,000ha; 798sqmi; 2,070km2) of land. I was there. An enormous picture window with a panoramic view of the ranch replaced the porthole-size window of 1910. Vernon, the county seat of Wilbarger County, is located approximately 12 miles due north of the ranch. In 1877, Burk Burnett (6666 Ranch), Col. C.C. He had grown up in Albuquerque, where his mother, the third of Buster Whartons four wives, had moved after their divorce, when Bucky was two. All rights reserved. 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. The main set of shipping pens are located along the highway at the Zacaweista Headquarters Division. As Parker biographer Bill Neeley has noted, ethics and morality played no part of this business arrangement. Since Electra IIs death, in 2001, the board has been composed of these two men who rarely speak to each other. Waggoner Ranch livestock have access to water at both lakes. Stretching across six North Texas counties, the Waggoner Ranch is considered to be extremely well located. We have unique items that feature our brand. 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. Nothing is too trivial to spark an argument. [10], By 1909, W.T. SOLD. Today, the W. T. Waggoner Ranch is managed by Sam Connolly of Bozeman. I cant sit down, never could, he tells me. Mrs. Biggs called ahead and had the director meet us on the front step. Some whitetail deer on the Waggoner Ranch are estimated to be of Boone and Crockett quality. [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. I didnt ask for the nuts and bolts, he said and walked away. I worked a couple of weeks gauging wells. The answer lies in the rich and rowdy heritage of the Waggoner clan. They cant wait to get started. Roosevelt remembered later: We broke into a lope a mile outside the limits, and by the time we struck the main street, the horses were on a run and we tore down like a whirlwind until we reached the train.. 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 Reversed 3Ds is still used as a symbol representing the historic Waggoner Ranch. Bucky wanted to make it clear that he believed the situation was untenable. As their cattle business grew, the ranch needed more grazing land, especially as barbed wire began to close in the open range. asked his children to draw cards for the three parcels. 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. Waggoner left behind in East Texas the grave of his wife. 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. After her husband died, Electra II did not keep up the pressure on Bucky, as John Biggs and Killen Moore had done. Hes not a large man, but his pleasant and unassuming manner and his quiet, considered confidence give him stature. Now the fate of the ranch was up to the court. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire, More Colorful Texas Sayings Than You Can Shake a Stick At. (Waggoner) hit oil instead. W.T. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. He borrowed a large sum from his nonagenarian grandmother, Ella, who later transferred the note to E. Paul. It was notable for being the largest ranch within one fence in the United States. Its second only to the King Ranch in size, and second to none in its history of drink, divorce, and dissension. Land Broker and Land Appraisalfirm established in 1920. The letters were typed by his secretary, Neely told me. When they supplied them, he fumed. Thistle Hill, as Electras mansion was called, stands to this day on the crest of Summit Avenue, near downtown. Perhaps they are afraid of ghosts. Richard King and Captain James Walworth's King Ranch brand was registered June 27, 1859 3. W. T. Waggoner Ranch is located 13 miles south of Vernon, Texas with office headquarters in Vernon. It may be many years before a similar ranch of this magnitude becomes available, if ever. 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. It doesnt seem real to even think about it, he says. It is as much a part of the legacy as horses, cattle, oil, opulent mansions, divorces, and drunken sprees. Some say these deer may have never heard a rifle shot. As previously noted, this massive holding spans six North Texas counties. Approximately 160,000 acres of the 560,000 acres areproven prolific oilproperties. W. T. Waggoner Ranch is currently developing hunting opportunities for quail, wild hog and deer. 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. Cowboys are a different breed. Both ranches once covered more than a million acres. Daniel Vaughn is the countrys first barbecue editor, and he has eaten more barbecue than you have. 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. Cowboying isnt a profession, its a life, but if the Waggoner Ranch is broken up into pieces, that life will exist no more. Waggoner raised Quarter Horses on the ranch, including Poco Bueno, who was buried on the ranch. [14] Her second cousin, Albert Buckman Wharton III, also known as Bucky Wharton, who was Buster Wharton's son, appealed to stop the liquidation. But W.T. Two large, privately-owned lakes are located on the Waggoner Ranch. The W.T. One morning she packed, jumped in her car, and headed for town, not bothering to stop and open any of the ten gates on the way. Be alert all the time and ready to go, he says in a strong, sure voice. In one, he wished Electra happy birthday and said, I bought you a $2,500 bond.. In the lower draws and creek bottoms, hackberry and soapberry trees are common. 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. It was a crash course, but I learned more in those six months than Id learned my whole life. In 1975 he married Joline, a young woman he had met in Albuquerque seven years earlier. 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. One closet was filled with fur coats, another with 350 pairs of shoes, and yet a third with the latest gowns from Paris and New Yorkand she was said never to wear one more than once. The many improvements and related assets mentioned above combine to offer the purchaser an extremely attractive depreciation schedule. There is also a rumor that the Willinghams have already bought a home in Fort Worth. E. Paul was a dapper, dashing Hollywood-style cowboy, with a mustache and mischievous eyes. Her best-known work is the statue of Will Rogers on horseback at the entrance to the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, in Fort Worth. This sprawling property is approximately three-fourths the size of Rhode Island. 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. Under the terms of the trust, each of the children owned one third of the 100,000 shares in the estate, elected the board of directors of the trust and served on the board themselves, and retained their homesteads. The only time we dont work, Hawley tells me, is when its raining and lightning, or when its very hot. Most other ranches in this general area also rely on creek water and earthen ponds. But Buckys mother was not about to give up her sons inheritance without a fight. At midnight, March 31, 2003, the clock ran out on the W. T. Waggoner trust. 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. Thats the only reason anyone would want to sell.. Bucky Wharton didnt think of the ranch as his heritage until he was in high school at Culver Military Academy, in Indiana. 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. When I asked Joline if they had found any memorabilia from Electras time, she laughed. The Waggoner Ranch, 550,000 acres extending into six counties, a realm steeped in Texas history, teeters on the brink of liquidation. 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. Growing up, the ranch didnt seem like a big deal, Bucky told me. Dan Waggoner passed away in 1903, and his son, W. T. (Tom) Waggoner continued to expand his ranching interests. But for how much longer? B. He knows the ranch, its cast of characters, and its skeletons and stories as well as any outsider. What must be going through his mind? But the Willinghams arent talkingabout the lawsuit or anything else. Even when he was a young lad of 14, W.T. He kept the east side of the ranch, called White Face, for himself. The cowboys sided with Bucky, who felt that hunters left litter, cut fences, and left gates open. One side wants the ranch divided equally but otherwise left intact. 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. In 1965 he replaced Tony Hazelwood as foreman. 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. The history of the land and the Waggoner family is so entwined with myth and legend that nobody can untangle the truth. After Buckys father died, Lula [the last of Busters four wives] stripped this place. Instead of six bedrooms, it now has four. Now available for sale on the open market, the Waggoner Ranch represents a singular opportunity so rare, it only comes along every 165 years or so. Moore astonished Bucky by trying to buy his stock in the estate. Ranching operations began with 230 head of longhorn cattle and some horses. When E. Paul drew Zacaweista instead, W.T. Two of the camp divisions, the Zacaweista and the Santa Rosa, are very highly improved. Its a trade that suits only a select few for whom the life satisfies rather than restricts. But even as board members, they were powerless to exercise any authority over the ranch, except to elect future trustees. In addition to land and cattle, the family owned five banks, three cottonseed mills, and a coal company. 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. She hosted parties of celebrities, movie stars, and barons of capitalism, including the daughter of J. P. Morgan. 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. A drought in the last part of the nineteenth century made the land where the Waggoner Ranch now sits nearly useless for growing crops. The W.T. Electra died in 1925 at the age of 43, her life and much of her fortune spent on extravagance. The Texanist: Why Dont Texas Houses Have Basements? Poco Bueno sired 36 AQHA Champions, and many of his offspring have excelled in all the different disciplines of modern day horse events. 940-552-2521 x:270. The settlers, most of them German or Czech, moved north of Paradise Creek, which runs just beyond the present northern boundary of 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. | and 283. Busters card room, on the second floor, which was once walled in leather, now has the original wood exposed.

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