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Famous Ranches and Stations

Waggoner Ranch: Half a Million Acres Behind One Fence in North Texas

Started with a few hundred Longhorns near Vernon, the Waggoner grew to about 520,000 acres and still raises cattle, horses and oil.

How Did the Waggoner Ranch Start?

Dan Waggoner started with a modest herd. According to the Waggoner Ranch article on Wikipedia, he began in 1852 near Vernon with 230 Longhorns and some horses, naming it Dan Waggoner and Son for his newborn son William Thomas, called W. T. or Tom. The ranch's own About page gives 1849 as the start and says Dan began buying land in western Wise County in 1870.

In 1873 Dan and his 21-year-old son drove cattle to Kansas and came home with $55,000, per the ranch. Dan died in 1902, and W. T. then built the holdings to their maximum size.

How Big Is the Waggoner Ranch?

Wikipedia gives 520,527 acres, and the ranch says about 525,000 contiguous acres across six counties, with about 26,000 acres in cultivation. From 1889 to 1903 the family acquired land in Wichita, Wilbarger, Foard, Knox, Baylor and Archer counties, and at its largest the ranch exceeded one million acres before sales and division. It is described as the largest ranch within one fence in the United States and second in Texas to the King Ranch.

The Oil Discovery and the Waggoner Estate

In 1902, while drilling for water, W. T. found oil, according to Wikipedia. In 1909 he divided the ranch into four subsections, one for himself and three of about 8,500 acres each for his children, then changed course in 1923 and formed a Massachusetts trust, now the W. T. Waggoner Estate, with his children electing the trustees. Oil remains a main business interest alongside ranching, with about 1,100 producing wells, a wind farm of 367 megawatts and a lake that supplies Wichita Falls.

Cattle and Quarter Horses

The ranch's herd began with Longhorns, and it is now one of the country's largest cow-calf operations, with about 14,000 cattle and 500 horses, per Wikipedia. W. T. bred quarter horses, including the famous Poco Bueno, who was buried on the ranch, and E. Paul Waggoner also raised them. The ranch says many of its working horses carry Poco Bueno bloodlines.

The Key to the Waggoner's Success

The Waggoner Ranch has stayed whole for more than a century because its owners kept land, minerals and management inside a single legal structure. The family's later fights show the cost of that choice.

  • Dan and W. T. bought land steadily across six counties rather than all at once.
  • A water search turned into an oil discovery that gave the family a second income.
  • The 1923 trust kept the ranch under one board instead of splitting it among heirs.
  • Horse breeding added a prestige line beside the cattle.
  • Family disputes eventually surfaced: in 1991 one heir sued to sell the ranch and a cousin fought the liquidation.
  • It was listed in August 2014 at $725 million and sold in February 2016.

Heirs and the 2016 Sale

After W. T.'s death his children Guy, E. Paul and Electra each inherited a section under the board. Guy lived on the ranch with his wife Anne Burnett, heir to the 6666, until their 1928 divorce. In 1950 Guy's sons sold their shares to relatives, and Electra Waggoner Biggs, E. Paul's daughter and a noted sculptor, became a major owner. The ranch sold to Kroenke Ranches in February 2016, bringing its total to near 535,000 acres per Wikipedia.

Polo Ponies, Sculpture and Staff

The later Waggoner generations left their own marks. Albert Buckman Wharton Jr., known as Buster, raised polo ponies and founded the El Ranchio Polo Club on the ranch, while Electra Waggoner lived mostly at Thistle Hill in Fort Worth, where her husband ran a livery yard and stables on the ranch. Wikipedia counts about 120 people working on the ranch, including 30 cowboys, while the ranch's own count is about 96, covering cowboys, farm hands, oil field workers and office staff. Both figures show a large, varied payroll for what is still a livestock operation at heart.

Visit or Learn More

The Waggoner is a working ranch rather than a visitor site. For more on Texas ranching, see the ranching section on farm.FM and a farm.FM story about the Waggoner Ranch.

Timeline

  1. 1852Dan Waggoner starts the ranch near Vernon (the ranch itself says 1849)
  2. 1873Dan and W. T. drive cattle to Kansas and return with $55,000
  3. 1902Dan dies; W. T. finds oil while drilling for water
  4. 1909W. T. divides the ranch into four subsections
  5. 1923W. T. forms the trust now called the W. T. Waggoner Estate
  6. 1950Guy Waggoner's sons sell their share to relatives
  7. 2014Ranch listed for $725 million in August
  8. 2016Sold to Kroenke Ranches in February

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Waggoner Ranch?

Wikipedia gives 520,527 acres, and the ranch says about 525,000 contiguous acres across six counties. It is described as the largest ranch under one fence in the United States.

Who owns the Waggoner Ranch?

Waggoner descendants sold the ranch to Kroenke Ranches in February 2016. Stan Kroenke is the husband of Ann Walton Kroenke.

Who founded the Waggoner Ranch?

Dan Waggoner founded it near Vernon, Texas, around 1849 to 1852, depending on the source. His son W. T. Waggoner expanded it into one of the largest ranches in the country.

Does the Waggoner Ranch have oil?

Yes. W. T. Waggoner found oil in 1902 while drilling for water, and oil is still a main business, with about 1,100 producing wells reported.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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