Ken Bridges/Contributing writer
In the years before oil dominated the Texas economy, farmers and ranchers made the state’s reputation through the hard days of tilling the soil and driving countless herds of cattle. Of all the ranchers who poured their sweat and blood into the dust to build lives for themselves, and ultimately their communities, Charles Goodnight stands out. He led the creation of one of the most important cattle trails in the Southwest and became a leader in ranching for western Texas.
Goodnight was born into a farming family in Illinois in 1836. His father and namesake, Charles Goodnight, died while he was still quite young. In 1846, shortly after statehood, he moved with his mother, siblings, and stepfather to Texas. The family settled in Milam County, roughly between Georgetown and Bryan.
He took many different jobs with the emerging farms and ranches in the region. By the late 1850s, he had joined local militias in ongoing fights with the Comanche tribes. He also served briefly in the Civil War.
In 1866, now in the Weatherford area, he and his friend Oliver Loving were determined to improve their fortunes in the cattle market. The two organized a drive of hundreds of head of cattle from the Ft. Belknap area in Young County to army posts in New Mexico. By the next year, the two were also heading north into Colorado to sell cattle. However, Loving died in a fight with Comanches in 1867, but Goodnight continued to share the profits with his family afterward. Their route, which became known as the Goodnight-Loving Trail as others followed, became one of the most important cattle trails in the region, creating important new markets for Texas cattle at unprecedented profits.
Cattle prices collapsed in 1873, forcing Goodnight to find new lands. In 1876, Goodnight staked out a new ranch in the Panhandle at PaloDuro Canyon, building a homestead in what became the community of Goodnight, southeast of modern Amarillo. The JA Ranch, founded with partner John G. Adair, was one of the first in the Panhandle.
With a fortune amassed from his many adventures, he became known for his generous philanthropy. He donated endangered buffalo to zoos across the nation. He gave generously to churches, and though he had less than a year of formal education himself, ultimately established a college.
Goodnight College opened in 1898 originally as a co-ed preparatory school. The institution opened its first classes in the local Methodist church, and Goodnight donated 340 acres to let students work off their tuition. Although it eventually expanded into a two-year college, the pressures of World War I and competition from other nearby colleges forced its closure in 1917. The site, however, continued to operate briefly as an orphanage.
His later years were met with disappointment. His wife of 56 years, Mary Ann, died in 1926, leaving him totally despondent. When the Mexican government, upset over the loss of its mining wealth to other nations, took over ownership of all foreign-owned mines in 1919, Goodnight saw all of his investments in Mexican silver mining evaporate overnight. He was forced to sell his ranch, only with the provision that he could live there for the rest of his life. He died quietly at his home in 1929.
In the years following his death, Goodnight was widely honored. Several Texas communities named streets for him, and Pueblo, Colorado, named an elementary school for him. The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, which opened in 1933, includes a statue, his personal letters, and a number of his possessions. Reportedly, famed Texas author and Archer City native Larry McMurtry based his 1985 novel Lonesome Dove on one of Goodnight’s cattle drives.
Dr. Ken Bridges is a proud father, professor, native Texan, and author of seven books. His columns appear in 85 newspapers. He can be contacted by e-mail at drkenbridges@gmail.com.