| W. T. Waggoner Estate[1] | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of the W. T. Waggoner Estate[1] area | |
| General information | |
| Location | United States of America |
| Construction started | 1849[1] |
| Owner | Stan Kroenke |
| Grounds | 520,527 acres |
TheWaggoner Ranch is a historic ranch located 13 miles south ofVernon, Texas, innorth Texas near theRed River andOklahoma border. Founded in 1852 byDaniel Waggoner,[2] it is the largest ranch within one fence in the United States.[3][4] The land has been used to raisecrops,beef cattle, andhorses and toproduce oil.
In February 2016, it was acquired byStan Kroenke, husband ofAnn Walton (niece ofSam Walton).
The ranch is located west ofWichita Falls, Texas, south ofVernon, near theRed River.[5] Other towns nearby includeElectra andSeymour.[5]
It encloses 520,527 acres (211,000 ha; 813 sq mi; 2,110 km2) of land.[4] It is the second-largest ranch inTexas, after theKing Ranch.[5] It spans six counties[4][5] and is half as large asRhode Island.[6] Parts of it can be seen from highwaysU.S. 183and283.[5]
The ranch was founded in 1852 near Vernon, Texas, byDaniel Waggoner under the name of Dan Waggoner & Son, which included his newborn sonWilliam Thomas "W.T." Waggoner. Ranching operations began with 230longhorn cattle and some horses.[2][7] From 1889 to 1903, they acquired land inWichita County,Wilbarger County,Foard County,Knox County,Baylor County andArcher County.[7]
After Daniel Waggoner died in 1902, his son W.T. acquired more land.[7] At its largest, the ranch spanned more than a million acres of land.[7] By 1903, he sold some of the land nearChina Creek to developers.[7] Although it still spans six counties, it is primarily centered on Wichita County and Wilbarger County.[7] W.T. Waggoner raisedQuarter Horses on the ranch, includingPoco Bueno, who was buried on the ranch.[8] In 1902, W.T. Waggoner found oil while drilling for water.[9]
By 1909, W.T. Waggoner divided the Waggoner Ranch into four subsections: one for himself (White Face); and three smaller 8,500 acre sub-ranches for his children: Zacaweista, Four Corners, and Santa Ros.[5] However, in 1923, he changed his mind, and set up aMassachusetts trust.[5] His children would elect a board of trustees, who would make decisions with him at the helm.[5]
After W.T. Waggoner's death, his three children,Guy Waggoner,E. Paul Waggoner, andElectra Waggoner each inherited a section of the ranch, although there was still a board of trustees.[5] Guy Waggoner lived there with his wifeAnne Burnett, the daughter of cattle baron and oilmanSamuel Burk Burnett and heiress of the6666 Ranch, from 1922 until their divorce in 1928.[5][10] E. Paul Waggoner raised Quarter Horses on the ranch.[5] Electra Waggoner mostly resided atThistle Hill inFort Worth, although her husband,Albert Buck Wharton, operated alivery yard and horsestables on the ranch.[5][11]
When Guy Waggoner died in 1950, his sons sold their share of the estate to members of the family.[5] Specifically, this went toAlbert Buckman Wharton, Jr., also known asBuster Wharton, who was Electra Waggoner's son, andElectra Waggoner Biggs, who was E. Paul Waggoner's daughter.[10] Buster raisedpolo ponies and established theEl Ranchio Polo Club on the ranch.[12] He once played there withpolo championCecil Smith.[5] Meanwhile, Electra Waggoner Biggs became a renowned sculptor.[5]
In 1991, Electra Waggoner Biggs sued to be able to sell the ranch.[13] Her second cousin,Albert Buckman Wharton III, also known asBucky Wharton, who was Buster Wharton's son, appealed to stop the liquidation.[13] After Electra's death, her share was inherited by her daughter Helen Biggs and her husband, Gene Willingham.[10]
The ranch has been surveyed by theUnited States Department of Agriculture for matters of preservation.[5] Thirty cowboys, and about 120 people overall, are employed on the property.[5] It has about 14,000 cows and bulls as well as 500 horses.[8] It also includes a 367 MW wind farm,[14] 30,000 acres of arable land and about 1,100 producing oil wells.[8] One of the lakes on the ranch provides water for the City of Wichita Falls.[8]
In August 2014, the ranch was listed on the real estate market with an asking price ofUS$725 million.[4][13][15] It was sold in February 2016 to billionaireStan Kroenke, the husband ofWal-Mart heiressAnn Walton Kroenke.[16] At the time the ranch comprised 520,527 acres (210,650 ha), or 813 mi2 (2,110 km2); additional acreage included in the sale brought the total close to 535,000 acres (217,000 ha).[16]
33°54′N99°00′W / 33.9°N 99.0°W /33.9; -99.0