The JA Ranch

The JA Ranch was first begun by Charles Goodnight in 1876 when he moved approximately 1600 head of longhorn cattle into the Palo Duro Canyon region of the Texas Panhandle. It was the first ranch of the Texas Panhandle and is still functioning today. After getting the men and cattle settled on the new ranch, Goodnight returned to Colorado to move his wife to the Panhandle. While he was in Denver, he met John Adair who had an interest in getting into the cattle business. Adair and Goodnight began a partnership together where Adair would supply the money and Goodnight supply the brains of the outfit. In 1877, the Adairs and Goodnights set off for the ranch with 100 head of Durham bulls. John Adair took inventory and made sure everything was up to par. Before the Adairs return to Ireland, the partners drew up a five-year contract. The contracts stipulations were that Adair would receive two thirds of the property and profits and Goodnight would receive the remaining third. Goodnight also received a $2,500 salary from Adair. Goodnight suggested that the brand and ranch name would be John Adair's initials. As the years went on, more land and cattle were added to the JA ranch. In 1878, Goodnight had his first JA ranch trail herd and drove them to Dodge City, Kansas. The contract was renewed for a second term. John Adair died in 1885 prior to the end of this term. Mrs. Adair then took over the remaining time of the contract. In 1887, Charles Goodnight decided not to renew the contract and go off on his own with his one third of the property. Descendants of Mrs. Adair kept the ranch in the family and continue to manage the ranch today.

Left-the JA brand, Right-Hired hand and horse taken in 1908

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/apj01

http://www.ranches.org/JAranch.htm

Ties to Lonesome Dove

Many of you may know the story of the movie Lonesome Dove. What you may not know though is that the story is based on one of Charles Goodnight's trails. Goodnight and Oliver Loving formed a cattle trail together leading from Fort Belknap in Texas to Fort Sumner, New Mexico where they would sell cattle to the Army for Indians on a reservation. In the movie, Gus is depicted as Loving and PI plays the role of WJ Wilson. They are sent ahead to scout the area out. It is said that they were attacked by 500 Comanches. They took refuge in a ditch on the river bank and held off the Indians for hours. Loving was hit in the side and in the wrist by arrows. Wilson was sent to find help and Loving remained for 2 days and then set off to find help himself. He was picked up by three men and taken to Ft. Sumner. Captain Call plays the role of Goodnight and goes to Ft. Sumner to find his best friend on his death bed. Loving made Goodnight promise to take care of his family and return him to the home cemetery in Texas. Loving died on September 25, 1867 and he was returned to Texas on February 8, 1868 was taken back to Weatherford and buried. In December of 1868, Goodnight returned to Weatherford and paid Loving's family his half of the trail earnings which equaled out to about $36,000. In the movie Lonesome Dove, the character of Deets is based on a real African American cowboy that worked for Loving during Loving's and Goodnight's partnership. This cowboy's name was Bose Ikard and he became good friends with Goodnight and remained with him after Loving's death. Unlike the movie however, Ikard died in 1929 at the age of 85. Goodnight had a granite gravestone made for him. Goodnight is quoted after Ikard's death and a reference is made to his words when Deets is buried in Lonesome Dove. I find it very interesting of where this story comes from because Lonesome Dove in my mind is one of the best movies of all time.

Davis, Joe Tom. Legendary Texians. Burnet, Texas: Eakin Press, 1982. 123-146. Print

http://www.ejlanham.com/TheRealLonesomeDove.html

Contributions of Charles Goodnight

Goodnight had many contributions throughout his life on shaping the ways of the West. He had what you could call inventions to help with trail drives and other things. One claim to fame that he had was the invention of the chuckwagon. It was a portable kitchen that was taken on trail drives. It was able to carry many different foods and water for meals and was usually drawn by oxen or mules. Goodnight also created the calf wagon which was used on trails also. This calf wagon was capable of carrying up to forty calves at a time. When calves were born on the trail, hands would pick them up and put them in sacks to hold their scents in and then put them in the wagon. At night the sacks were removed and the calves would be turned loose to nurse on their mothers. The cows were able to distinguish their calves from others because the scents were not mixed together. Goodnight was also the first to make a hybrid breed called the cattalo. This was a cross between a buffalo and cattle. Goodnight was also known for being the first to introduce barbed wire fences to the Panhandle. A reference to this was also made in the sequel, The Return to Lonesome Dove, when Captain Call builds fences in Montana so the cattle won't be mixed together with other ranches.

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blchuckwagon.htm

Davis, Joe Tom. Legendary Texians. Burnet, Texas: Eakin Press, 1982. 123-146. Print

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/apj01

Goodnight College

Goodnight College was established in 1898 near the community of Goodnight, Texas. Charles Goodnight and his wife helped to start the college and at first the classes were taught in the Goodnight Methodist Church. The college had 3 teachers on the staff. Goodnight gave the school 340 acres of land for industrial use. In 1898, the church was built on to and 5 dormitories were built. In 1905, the college was transferred to the Baptists. By 1906, enrollment in the school had reached 175 and a three-story brick administration building was constructed. The faculty doubled to six. In 1914, the Goodnight College became a junior college. In 1916, the first yearbook was printed called The Buffalo. In 1917, due to lack of funds and the formation of West Texas State Normal College (now known as West Texas A&M University in Canyon) and the formation of Clarendon college, the Goodnight College closed its doors. The buildings were used by Buckner Orphans Home until 1920. Afterwards, the land was given back to Charles Goodnight who then gave it to the independent school district of Goodnight.

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/kbg14

The graduating class of Goodnight College 1899 - 1900

http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasPanhandleTowns/Goodnight-Texas.htm

Charles Goodnight: Obituary

"Col. Charles Goodnight: Pioneer of Texas Panhandle Dies at 93 in Tucson, Ariz.." New York Times [New York] 13 12 1929, 27. Print.

Colonel Charles Goodnight died on December 12, 1929 at age 93 in Tucson, Arizona. He was very well known for blazing cattle trials and fighting Indians. He was survived by his wife, Corinne Goodnight.  He was known at the "Father of the Texas Panhandle." During the Civil War he was a scout for a frontier regiment during the struggle between the states. He became even more envied when he successfully domesticated buffalo. He crossed buffalo with angus cows and produced what was known as the catallo. Goodnight led an active life until his fatal influenza attack.

Mrs. Adair's Contributions

When Cornelia Adair died, she made many contributions. She left very pricey land in the United Kingdom. She left $35,000 to the Adair Hospital in Clarendon, Texas. She left $10,000 to the St. Mathew's Home for Children of Dallas, Texas. She also willed possessions and money to Irish churches, members of her household, and some of the staff of the JA Ranch in Texas. She was 84 years old when she died. She was known well of her generosity to help others.

"Bequests by Mrs. Adair: General Wadsworth's Daughter Left $45,000 to Texas Charities." New York Times [New York] 26 01 1922, 15. Print.

Where the Buffalo Roam

Charles Goodnight knew and lived with buffalo for approximately 70 years of his life. At one time he drove about 10,000 buffalo 15 miles through the Palo Duro canyon so that his cattle could have the better grass in the canyon to grass on. He was surprised to that this many had survived with all the hunting that had been taking place on the tableland. He had been sure that the buffalo would become extinct with all the hide hunters killing them. It was at the suggestion of his wife, Mary Ann, that he raise a domestic herd. His herd that started with two head ended up with about 250 head.  Because of the scarcity of the buffalo, it had become an expensive commodity. Goodnight even crossed his buffalo with cattle to produce what was called the “cattalo”. Another activity that Goodnight participated in was holding buffalo hunts for his friend Quanah Parker and other Indians.

Robertson, Pauline, and R.L. Robertson. Cowman's Country Fifty Frontier Ranches In The Texas Panhandle 1876-1887. Amarillo, TX: Paramount Publishing Company, 1981. (accessed April 22, 2012).

Montie Ritchie- Obituary

In July of 1999, Montie Ritchie died at age 88. He was the grandson of John and Cornelia Adair. He was born in Ashwell, England and moved to Texas to take over the JA Ranch. He was the son of James Ritchie who didn't have the knack to run the ranch. Montie moved to the JA Ranch in 1931 and managed the ranch with his brother Richard and sister, Gabrielle Keiler. Montie took over sole control of the ranch after 1941 when Richard died and Gabrielle sold her interest in the ranch. He later retired and turned the ranch over to his daughter, Ninia Ritchie Bivins. During his life, Ritchie was a photographer and art collector. He was also a director of the Continental Bank in Fort Worth and an honorary vice president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.

Chapman, Art. "Montgomery H.W. Ritchie Owner, Operator of Texas' JA Ranch." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [Pittsburgh] 30 07 1999, Sooner B-6. Print.

Cornelia Wadsworth Adair

Cornelia Wadsworth Adair was born on April 6, 1837 in Philadelphia. She was the second of six children born to General James Samuel and Mary Craig Wadsworth. She spent her childhood near Geneseo, New York. In 1857, she married Montgomery Ritchie and they had two sons. Ritchie died in 1864. Cornelia moved her sons two Paris and her oldest son died there. She met John Adair in New York City in 1867. They married in 1869 and moved back and forth between America and Adair estates in England and Ireland. The Adairs formed their partnership with Goodnight in 1877 and lived "sporadically" on the ranch in Armstrong County, Texas. When John died, Cornelia took over the partnership. She spent most of her time in Ireland but she also had a home in Clarendon and made many generous contributions in the area. She died on September 22, 1921 and was buried with John in Ireland.

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad02

John George Adair

John George Adair was an Englishman who owned estates in England and Ireland. Although he was educated for diplomatic service, he chose the finance route. In 1866, he traveled to New York City and established a brokerage firm in hopes of giving British loans at higher interest rates in America than could be given in Britain. He married Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie in 1869. Early in their marriage, they divided their time between America and Ireland. In 1874, the Adairs went to Nebraska to go on a buffalo hunt. Although unsuccessful, Adair liked the ways of the west and saw potential in what the West had to offer. In 1875, he moved his brokerage business to Denver, Colorado. In March of 1876, his firm loaned money to Charles Goodnight and Adair began to gain interest in the cattle business. In 1877, Adair and Goodnight formed a partnership and started the JA Ranch. Adair tallied the cattle and saw to it that the ranch was under-way and returned to England. Adair died in St. Louis on May 14, 1885 on his third trip back to the ranch. His remains were shipped back to Rathdair to be buried.

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fad03

Charles Goodnight

Charles Goodnight was born on March 5, 1836 near the Madison and Macoupin county line in Illinois.  During his childhood, the Goodnights faced many hardships and moved around a lot. In late 1845, Hiram Daugherty, Goodnight's step-father, moved the family to Texas. This trip was what formed Goodnight's fond bond with horses and the frontier. At a very early age, Goodnight started hiring out to local farmers for pay. At around age 20, Goodnight started his frontier journeys in search of money and wilderness. The frontier and wilderness way of life had always intrigued him.  As a young man, he began freighting using oxen and large wagons before the railroads were brought into the country. In 1858, Goodnight started a career with the Texas Rangers during a time where there were many Indian raids and uprisings.  In 1866, Goodnight teamed up with Oliver Loving on a trail drive of Longhorn cattle to Ft. Sumner. Here, they sold the steers to the reservation that had Navajo and Mescalero Indians. From Ft. Sumner, Oliver trailed the 800 head of cows and calves to Denver and sold them to John Wesley Iliff. This trail became known as the Goodnight-Loving Trail. The partnership fell apart after Loving's fatal encounter with Comanche Indians. Goodnight went on to drive many more cattle and cut out several new trails. On July 26, 1870, Goodnight married Mary Ann Dyer and lived in Pueblo, Colorado. In 1877, Goodnight formed a partnership with John Adair. They formed a five year long partnership on the basis of the cattle business in the Palo Duro Canyon region of the Texas Panhandle. The stipulations of the partnership was that Adair financed the enterprise and Goodnight handled the buying of cattle and running of the ranch. Goodnight received a salary and received one third of the assets after the five year contract ended. By the mid 1880s, the JA ranch encompassed 1,335,000 acres and had 100,000 head of cattle. In 1886, Goodnight started writing Mrs. Adair in London and wanted to dissolve the partnership. He had managed the ranch for a total of eleven years with much success. Goodnight received the Quitaque Ranch with 140,000 acres and 20,000 cattle as his payment for the partnership. In 1890, he sold half interest in the ranch and later owned a home ranch near what is now known as Goodnight, Texas. His wife, Mary Ann, died on April 11, 1926 and Goodnight sold out his ranch on the terms that he could stay the remainder of his life in the ranch house. On his ninety-first birthday in 1927, he married once more to Corrine Goodnight, a nurse who nursed him back to health. She was twenty-six at the time. He spent his last winters in Phoenix, Arizona. On December 2, 1929 he suffered a heart attack and on December 12, 1929 he passed at the age of ninety-three. He was buried by Mary Ann's side.

Davis, Joe Tom. Legendary Texians. Burnet, Texas: Eakin Press, 1982. 123-146. Print.

Haley, J. Evetts. Charles Goodnight: Cowman and Plainsman. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1949. Print.