Texas Almanac, 1949-1950 Page: 264
[674] p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
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4 1 1 \ 1. 11.1.\1f1C -1949-1u50
W. F. Ikard who had large ranches in Clay.
Archer and Wichita Counties about 1870 and
in the early 1880s in old Greer County; C. T.
Herring, in the Comanche-Kiowa country, and
later in the Panhandle; the "O Bar O" of
J. J. Hittson In Fisher and Kent Counties:
L. F. Wilson in the Archer-Wichita section
and In Oklahoma and New Mexico from the
1870s; W. B. Worsham in Clay. Hardeman
and Foard Counties; Belcher Brothers of
Gainesville with the "R2", later owned by W.
B. Worsham and partners; Luther T. Clark
of Quanah. the last living survivor of the
small group which organized the Texas and
Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association at
Graham in 1877; H. B. Sanborn of barbed wire
fame, in Clay County before establishing the
"Frying Pan" ranch in the Panhandle - Har-
rold Brothers, in several sections, including
old Greet County, and many other cattlemen
along and south of the Fort Worth & Denver
City Railway.
Cattle \Raising in Panhandle.
Discussion of the development of the cattle
business in the Panhandle has been reserved
for the last, as It, perhaps more than any
other section, portrayed the cattle business of
song, story and motion picture.
Around some of the waterings of the Pan-
handle as early as the latter part of the
eighteenth century, sheepmen from New
Mexico had established crude headquarters,
some of which were used seasonally.
Nucleus of two immense holdings were es-
tabl:shed In the Eastern Panhandle in 1876-
by Charles Goodnight and Thomas S. Bugbee.
There is difference of opinion as to which
actually got settled first, but O. H. Nelson
and others state it was Goodnight.
Goodnight came in with a herd from Colo-
rado and took "squatter's rights" in Palo
Duro Canyon, while Bugbee came in from
Western Kansas and turned loose on Bugbee
Creek neat Plemons.
Goodnight began a memorable cattle career
as a boy near Waco. He soon moved to Palo
Pinto County, then was in partnership for
several years with John S. Chisum. Goodnight
disposing of herds in Colorado that Chisum
drove out of Texas and turned over to Good-
night. To buy enough land to secure the
Palo Duro Ranch and sufficient cattle to stock
it, he interested John Adair, a wealthy Irish-
man. in a partnership, Goodnight to remain
as manager. The brand, "JA," was taken
from Adair's initials. It is still run on the
large Adair estate in Armstrong, Donley. Bris-
coe and Hall Counties.
Goodnight withdrew from the partnership
in 1887, taking the "F," or Quitaque Ranch.
T.e sold this ranch, then organized the Good-
night-Thayer Cattle Compan. selling out
again in 1900. He lost headily in Mexican
mining property, returning in 1916 to a small
acreage he had at the town of Goodnight.
Thomas S. Bugbee trailed herds north from
Texas from 1869. He operated out of Lakin.
Kan.,. a few years, then moved into the
Northeastern Panhandle to establish his
"Quarter Circle T" domain. This was sold in
1882. then Bugbee was in partnership with
O. H. Nelson In Hall County and on leased
range in the Cheyenne Nation with C. W.
Ward. The Hall County range branded "Shoe
Bar." Bugbee and John C. Knorpp were the
purchasers of the Goodnight-Thayer interests.
Following Goodnight and Bugbee In the
Panhandle were the "LX" of W. H. Bates and
David T. Beals, north of Amarillo in 1877,
the brand and part of the holdings now
being owned by the Lee Bivins estate of
Amarillo. The same year, George W. Little-
field of Gonzales located the "LIT" Ranch
near Tascosa. The "Bar CC" of Hank W.
Cresswell was also established in 1877 near
the prewt town of Canadian."LE" and "LS" Ranches.
Accounts differ on the establishment of the
"LE" and "LS" Ranches. One gives the "LE"
as having been established on the Romero
near the New Mexico line about 1880 or 1881
by W. M. D. Lee and E. A. Reynolds. exten-
sive traders. Another states Lee & Reynolds
established the "LS" first. Lee bought out
Reynolds. who then established the "LE."
Lucian Scott at one time was part owner of
the "LS" brand. Both of these brands are
still used on large holdings. The John M.
Shelton estate runs the "LE," while the
LS" is used by the estates of C. T. and W.
E. Herring. Part of the "LE" range was
used Icr years by John and Pat Landergin of
Amarillo.
In 1877. Leigh Dyer, who located the "JA"
Ranch for his brother-in-law, Charles Good-
night, established another ranch near th
present town of Canyon. This was sold to Jot
Gunter, W. T. Munson and John Summerfield
who used the "GMS" brand. When Jules
Gunter bought out Summerfield. the ranch
became the famous "T Anchor."
R. L. McNulty established the "Turkey
Track" near Adobe Walls in 1878. W. T. Coble
of Amarillo bought the old headquarters in
1916 and started using the "Turkey Track
brand.
Other Early Panhandle Ranches.
Other early Panhandle ranches included
those of Ellsworth Torrey, west of Tascosa.
1878, and later in the Cherokee Reservation.
John S. Chisum in Chisum Canyon, about
1878; Saunders and Couch on Pat's Creek
and Joe Morgan and Mose Hays near Cana-
dian in 1877; W. E. Anderson started the
Adobe Walls Ranch with the "Scissors"
brand; Huff, Mell and Frank Wright in the
Central Panhandle: Robert Moody near Ca-
nadian: James Cator in Hansford County.
Berry and Boice on the North Palo Duro in
1881; Snowden Brothers, who sold to Bates
and Beals in 1877. had located in Sherman
County; Barton Brothers min Ochiltree County
The "Frying Pan" of Sanborn and Glidden
was established in 1881.
In the Eastern Panhandle came Nick T.
Eaton and Tobe Odom on the North Fork of
Red River and McClellan Creek; Perry LeFors
was there with a small herd in 1878. Others
in this section were Henry Frye, Billie Miller.
G. W. Arrington, Cape Willingham, Mark
Muselby and Henry Fleming.
To the south was L. G. Coleman who located
on Tue Creek in 1878. The next year he
went to Red River in Hall County where he
located the "Shoe Bar."
W. R. and Jim Curtis or Curtis & Atkinson
(or Adkinson), started the "Diamond Tail"
in 1879 in Donley, Collingsworth and Childress
Counties.
Baker Brothers in 1877 located their "Lazy
F" range on the Qultaque. This ranch was
acquired by Adair and Goodnight about 1882
Morrison Brothers located their "Doll
Baby" Ranch near the present town ot Giles
Rowe Brothers ran the "RO" along Salt Fork
of Red River. with the "Spade" of J. F.
Evans just to the west. The "Shoe Nail" was
started in Donley County about 1880. Swift &
Company bought the ranch and brand from
the Ellson Company about 1906.
XIT Ranch.
Nearly every Texas schoolboy knows thr
story of the Capitol Syndicate and its "XIT"
Ranch. The state needed a Capitol and did not
have the money to build it. It did have land.
so in 1882 it traded 3.0,000u act es for erec-
tion of the present Capitol at Austin, and al-
located another 50.000 acres as payment for
surveying the Capitol land. With the backing
of British capitalists. Taylor, Babcock &
Company (Abner Taylor. John V. Farwell, A
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Texas Almanac, 1949-1950, book, 1949; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117167/m1/266/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.