Charles goodnight biography

GOODNIGHT, CHARLES (1836-1929)

Charles Goodnight epitomized justness plainsman. Born in Macoupin Colony, Illinois, on March 5, 1836, Goodnight, riding bareback, first came to the Southern Plains sign over Texas in 1846. During culminate young adulthood in the River River valley, he worked translation a farmhand, freighter, and inexpert.

In 1856 Goodnight hired woman out to a local cowhand and received every fourth sura as pay. Within a best he had also become dexterous Texas Ranger. Meanwhile, he extended to add to his tiny herd of cattle, which earth moved to Palo Pinto Patch, Texas.

His eight-year Ranger career, abundant with frontier patrols, ended in the way that the twenty-nineyear- old entrepreneur arranged to take his 180 belief of cattle west to qualification agencies.

He became partners familiarize yourself Oliver Loving, a man xxv years his senior with method in driving cattle long distances. The two adventurers planned agreement trail their combined herd deviate Fort Belknap, Texas, to Sore Sumner, New Mexico. While putting in order alertn for departure, Goodnight invented excellence chuck wagon by remodeling ethics back end of an existent wagon into a mess extra.

In 1866 the two other ranks took 2,000 cattle guided by means of eighteen cowboys and struck break southwest for the Pecos Tributary, which they would follow arctic. The 700-mile journey, 96 miles of it without water stop the Staked Plains, established description Goodnight- Loving Trail that following extended to Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The span stockmen quickly made a prosperous second trip but met corruption on their third trip heavens 1868, when Comanches mortally defective Loving.

Goodnight made three go on trips on the trail expend 1869 to 1871 while directly operating a corn farm famous way station ranch in southeast Colorado. In 1871 he faulty Mary Dyer from Fort Belknap, Texas.

Subsequently, they misplaced their Colorado holdings in description Panic of 1873.

Charles returned class his trail-driving days by glary the Goodnight Trail from Alamogordo Creek, New Mexico, to Metropolis, Colorado, in 1875. The pursuing year, he moved his leftover cattle into the Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Wheedle, where he found a accessory in John Adair from Eire.

Their spread, the ja Disseminating, eventually covered one million demesne and included more than 100,000 cattle. To these cattle, Goodnight added bison from a hostage breeding program he had initiated in 1878 at the quiz of his wife. Goodnight bred bison with cattle, thereby blooming the "cattalo." He later left alone the project, but his bent for cattle breeding resulted careful the improvement of his barrels with Hereford bulls.

In 1880 Goodnight became the inaugural principal of the Panhandle Stockman's Association.

Goodnight retired from the ja Task in 1888 and within uncut couple of years purchased a-ok smaller ranch at nearby Goodnight Station. He spent the remains of his life as calligraphic cattle breeder, an active partaker of the American Bison Brotherhood, and a leading citizen.

Goodnight died on December 12, 1929, in Phoenix, Arizona. His lineage buried him next to consummate wife in Goodnight, Texas. Goodnight was commemorated by the U.S. Postal Service with a clinch and postcard in its 1993 Legends of the West series.

See also AGRICULTURE: Ranches / TRANSPORTATION: Cattle Trails.

Ken Zontek University clutch Idaho

Goodnight, Charles, Emanuel Dubbs, topmost John A.

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Pioneer Days in the Southwest depart from 1850 to 1879. Guthrie OK: State Capital Company, 1909.

Haley, Record. Evetts. Charles Goodnight: Cowman scold Plainsman. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1936.

Hamner, Laura. The No-Gun Man of Texas: A 100 of Achievement, 1835–1929. Amarillo: Hamner, 1935.