Show cy TT y i JL 0 sk T I 1 IW by ELMO SCOTT WATSON HEX col charles goodnight died in tucson ariz on december 12 1929 at the of ninety three years it not only marked the passing of one of the most interesting figures of the old west but it also seemed clely to spell the doom of the largest herd of boffilo in the united states more than in number but only a pitiful remnant of the millions which had once roamed the great plains for the famous goodnight herd of buffalo in texas had passed into other hands and there were rumors afloat that the new owners were planning a big game hunt where eastern sportsmen upon payment of a big fee would be allowed to enjoy the thrills of an old time buffalo chase immediately a storm of protest against the destruction st ruction of the goodnight buffalo herd arose among texans and the legislature passed a bill authorizing the state game and fish commission to purchase the buffalo provided a suitable place for keeping them could be obtained but no ap was forthcoming for the project and it was not until a syndicate headed by A C of dallas was formed to tale over the buffalo and a part of the goodnight estate and to finance the project of maintaining the herd intact that its preservation was assured no finer monument could be erected to the memory of col charles goodnight the father of the texas panhandle and his wife mary dyer goodnight than the preservation of this rearguard rear guard of the thundering herds of long ago in fact the existence of this particular herd la due largely to the efforts of aunt mary goodnight as she was lovingly known in the texas panhandle back in the late seventies this pioneer woman witnessing the ruthless daughter of the buffalo by hide hunters real iced that it was only a question of time until the great shaggy beasts would be extinct she began talking to uncle charley about capter ing a few of the calves and starting a herd of their own so in june 1879 colonel goodnight roped two buffalo calves and gave them to his wife she was much interested in the little brown fel lows was greatly delighted at the alacrity with which they learned to drink milk and was sur at their appetites which seemed to be insatiable one of her pets requiring as much as three gallons a day two vears later a neigh boring ranchman captured two full grown but falo and presented them to mrs goodnight and three calves were also added to her little group the present of her brother from this beginning came the great herd of nearly today on the game refuge which the established on their ranch were also started herds of elk deer and antelope but they never thrived as did the buffalo it was on the goodnight ranch also that n new animal was created the catalo produced by crossing buffalo with aberdeen angus cattle this hybrid according to colonel goodnight was hardier than tange cattle thrived on less food was immune from all disease did not so easily nor drift with storms and had other advantages which made it a more valuable type of beef animal for the plains lie found an enthusiastic disciple in the work in the person of the late buffalo jones and at one time it seemed likely that their experiments in producing the catalo might have a revolutionary effect upon the cattle industry of this country although texas claims col charles good night as one of her greatest men he was a native of another state illinois he was born there march 5 1830 just three das after texas declared her independence from mexico so his history paralleled her history ills parents moved to texas in isa the year texas entered the union and young goodnight grew up as a pioneer of the lone star state with its hard chips aa a part of his everyday life by the time he was nineteen ne decided that he knew texas pretty well and was about ready to move farther west to a newer country california with a young companion and an ox team and a few horses they started on the long trek west but by the time they had gone a few hundred miles into west texas they decided that the stale was large enough for them so goodnight went back to pain pinto counte where he ranched and supported his widowed mother during the civil he served with the texas rangers mostly indians mexicans and cattle thieves after the war there was no cattle market the plains swarmed with herds and cattle could be bought on credit goodnight saw the necessity of fin ling a western market so did borne others but the young plainsman then thirty differed from the rest in that he determined ter mined to find it there was already one up st Abl leng kan where many of the cattle aft r apart of the goodnight men took their herds to sell but goodnight siw a greater opportunity up in new mexico colondo and wyoming where there were looking for beef and willing to kiy well for it the drift back in the scheme was that between the panhandle and this promising territory lay a great of desert and territory innab cited by indians ready to pounce upon invaders and drive off the cattle without heavy protection no herd could get through goodnight knew that as well as any of his neighbors and he laid the plin before them lie knew the country and mapped out a route by which he hoped to trail his up into colorado but the other cowmen had troubles of their own to attend to when he sought their coop they saw only the danger connected with the venture and extolled themselves hut young found a partner he was oliver loving who became one of his closest companions was probably the most experienced coimin tn texts at the time in 1859 while the corn n lies were quiet he had taken a herd through 1 fo lorido on a dl route loung goodnight ind helped him out of the timber country as f r if ked river loving also hid trailed cattle into illinois and to the new orleans markets HP asked to go with on his trail blazing venture goodnight had prepared prep ired a huge bols d arc wagon requiring twenty oxen to pull which he believed the first chuck ever seen in the cow country etch ann gither cd up his own cattle making a combined herd of some thousand head of mixed stuff they started in tune with eighteen adventuresome cow hand and fort sumner two months later on the whole trip not an indian hid been sighted through COO miles of totally unan country a new route for texas had been blazed immediately becoming known as the goodnight trail the first and greatest grei test of the colonel s trail broil ing achievements later it was extended through the raton moun bains past pueblo and denver and into chey anne and fort laralle three hundred thousand bittle passed over it in six years while thousands perished on the way or fell into the hands of the Co manches when goodnight arrived at fort sumner he found the government had apaches loose herded like cattle there living and good night sold their bittle two beirs old and up on the hoot for eight cents n pound an enormous price for the time loving took the stock cat tie cut back by the government into colorado and goodnight took a pirt of alie hands and in gold and silver and returned to pilo pinto county there purchased extensively of his neighbors and trilled bick over the route he had marked out it was in the spring of thit loving lost his life the partners pirt ners started with two herds the two men going ahead with the first one the second herd made up of well or cattle lost 1000 head to the Co before it had readied the pecos another band of indians attacked goodnight and loving on the cleir fork of the brazos toe loving who was no relation to oliver loving was shot in the neck the herd and ago head of bittle ran out goodnight pulled an arrow out of loving s neck with a pair of nippers and joe got well after the herd hid been driven about miles up the pecos from horseshoe crossing oliver living decided to take one mm and go ahead to fort sumner one armed bill allson the coolest hold in the outfit according to colonel goodnight s description was selected as escort what happened on the trip Is still an epic of the cow camps the second day out in the southern part of new mexico the two men were att id ed by some BOO comancho warriors the only shel ter was the pecos four miles they heid ed for it on a long run dismounting they hid in the cane brakes an indian creeping through the cane shot loving in the arm and side not wishing to die and his folks not know of his end loving persuaded allson to go for help allson swam the river and barefooted walked three days down the goodnight trail through cactus mesquite and other plants thorns until he came to the goodnight herd colonel goodnight took all available hands and set out for the scene of the fight sixty miles away late the next day the party ar rived but there waa no trace of loving two weeks later a texan told goodnight the star news loving was at I 1 ort sumner good night hastened there and learned that the day after V allson s departure for help the indians had left loving s bend as the place Is now called losing had dragged himself miles to a narrow pass where he five days and was eating a glove when some mexicans found him he gave the mexicans to take him he miles in a cart to fort sumner al though loving was walking about the wound in his arm was infected and nine days after goodnight s arrival loving died goodnight went on up into colorado and in january returned the coffan he drove with it COO miles to weatherford texas where he delivered it to lovings family A year later he turned over to the loving estate gave his partner sheek and with as his own share went his way alone the second of the famous trails blazed by the colonel was that known as the new goodnight trail from alamogordo Alamo gordo N M to gra nada colo colonel goodnight found ten cents a head was being charged for all stock which passed through raton pass the only known passage through the alaton mountains in new mexico by the famous uncle dlce wooton the keeper of the gate through the mountains the colonel refused to pay he struck another trail miles shorter through the mountains and up to cheyenne goodnight was married on july ag 1870 to miss mary A dyer of tennessee and soon aft edwards established a ranch in colorado but the panic of 1871 ruined him financially and he had just 1800 head of cattle with which to mal e a new start he turned his face as al davs toward the new country and the pan handle seemed to hold the greatest possibilities with the fewest inhabitants in fact none but indian and buffalo it held though that great palo duro canyon with its rim of cap rock its ragged depth of 1 feet its marvelous mir valley 15 miles wide in places a paradise for cattle palo duro canyon proper begins in the western part of randell county and extends 75 miles colonel goodnight took supplies for months erected a four room log house and re turned to denver for mrs goodnight at this time john george adaar of wrath dalr ireland was consumed with the idea of a ranch in america he was breezing about in denver talking cattle and range and look ing for a man big enough to handle his broj act A few years previous john adaar had opened a brokerage office in new york had met and married an american girl in and they then divided their time between their estate in ireland and the joys of the new world mrs adaar was the daughter of major general wadsworth and the young widow of montgomery rachle attached to general wads esaff john adaar and charles goodnight met in denver and made a contract which brought the first development to the panhandle it Is there today the J A ranch with its acres and its 19 room ranch house tint was built around the log home of ch irles good night the ranch at one time comprised 1 WO acres and more than head of cattle the first contract made was to run he years and specified that acres should he bought the first year with additional increase In creise to 2 00 acres adaar however so respected the judg ment of charles goodnight that he gave him personal authority to bev what he siw fit an at the end of the first five years acres were on record goodnight bought land at various prices as well various places pacing on an average of ai cents to 3 cents an acre he admitted that he bought up eveir good water hole every good range every place a rancher was likely to go and that it was the arv devil to survey this original section was called the old crazy quilt john adaar bought the land gave goodnight a yearly salary and at the end of the five years one third of the land and cattle but charged 10 per cent interest for the use of the money during that imp it might seem a little salary and a bh rate of interest but charles goodnight knew he would be rich in the end and incidentally the contract was renewed for another five years from the J A ranch colonel G next laid off a trail to dodge ann traversing territory then inhabited onla hv indians and buffalo it was 20 miles in length and known as the palo duro dodge cita trail this was the third of the great trails he had belayed after a of ten beirs with adaar colonel goodnight sold his third interest in the property to his partner and together with n man named moore from kansas city bought the ranch later he sold this property and in 1888 purchased what was known as the goodnight ranch which he operated until recent years mrs goodnight died in 1020 and a year later colonel goodnight a marriage to mis corenne goodnight a twenty six year old telegraph operator and former nurse in montana attracted nation wide attention although bear ing the same name the ninety one year old plainsman and his young bride were not related their romance developing during A correspond we started by the similarity of their names |