Cattle Rancing and Palo Duro

Charles Goodnight (March 5, 1836 - December 12, 1929) is about as famous a Texas cattleman as there ever will be.  He was moved to Texas at the age of ten by his parents, and by the age of twenty was serving with the local militia fighting Commanche Indian raiders and began his first cattle raising venture.  A year later, 1857, he joined the Texas Rangers.

To get a handle on Charles Goodnight, think of the "Lonesome Dove" story.  It was virtually a historical depiction of some of Goodnight's exploits, with the character Woodrow F. Call representing Goodnight.

During the Civil War, Texas cattle roamed free.  After four years they were scattered all over the state.  Goodnight, who returned from the Confederacy,  joined in "making the gather" encompassing nearly the entire state, and then sorting the cattle out by virtue of the brands.  The question then became how to turn a profit by selling them.  Goodnight knew the war-ravaged "South" was destitute of funds and so there was no market there.  Goodnight decided to go west to New Mexico and Colorado, braving the dry west Texas high plains.

His partner in all of this was an old, seasoned rancher by the name of Oliver Loving (1812 - 1867).  (In Lonesome Dove, Loving's character was Augustus McCrae, played by Robert Duval.)

To attempt the first historic crossing of west Texas in 1866 with 2,000 head of cattle, they wisely planned things down to the last foreseeable detail.  One of the more memorable things they invented, or created, was the now famous chuckwagon. 

The Goodnight-Loving Trail from Belknap, Texas to Fort Sumner, New Mexico, 1000 miles, would forever be known as one of the most amazing feat of cattle driving ever accomplished.  Once in New Mexico they partnered with John Chisum (from whom the Chisum Trail gets it's name) to provide cattle to the U. S. Army.  From there, Goodnight and Loving headed up into Colorado.

As in the Lonesome Dove, story, Loving was attacked by Indians and wounded by an arrow.  During the two weeks it took him to die from the wound, Goodnight never left his side.  After Loving's death, just as in Lonesome Dove, Goodnight kept his promise to Loving and carried his body back  for burial in Weatherford, Texas.

Chisum and Goodnight eventually extended the Goodnight-Loving Trail up into Wyoming for a total of 2,000 miles.  Now THAT'S a cattledrive!

Back in Texas, in 1876, in order to take advantage of available grass, timber, water, and game, Goodnight partnered with yet another person, John Adaire, to form the JA Ranch.  Adaire put up the money; Goodnight put up the expertise.  This established the very first cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle - and their headquarters was in Palo Duro Canyon.