Pitchfork Ranch
Encyclopedia
The Pitchfork Ranch, established in 1883, encompasses some 181000 acres (73,248.2 ha) in Dickens and King counties in West Texas
, in the United States, with an annex in Jefferson County
in southern Oklahoma
. Previous properties in Kansas
and Wyoming
have been since sold.
Officially known as the Pitchfork Land & Cattle Company of St. Louis, Missouri
, the ranch runs commercial cattle: Angus
and Herefords as well as the “black baldy”, a term which refers to the cross-breeding of Angus and Hereford. There are also South Texas crossbreds. The Pitchfork boasts 113 windmills, 80 pastures enclosed by more than 300 miles (482.8 km) of fence, and 5,000 cows and bulls. The ranch has never sold an acre in Texas
but has slowly expanded from its original 52500 acres (21,246 ha). The Pitchfork is also unlike most ranches in that it is larger today than when it was established, whereas most large ranches have followed the opposite course over the years and sold off acreage.
Known for its natural beauty, the ranch is featured in a photographic book Pitchfork Country by its past manager Bob Moorhouse, a member of the ranch board of directors. It is open to the public for hunting
and for organized tours.
and 13 miles (20.9 km) west of Guthrie
on U.S. Highway 82. D. B. Gardner and J. S. Godwin bought the three-pronged pitchfork brand as well as the range lands in 1881. The ranch is therefore still sometimes called “The Forks”. In 1882, Godwin sold his interest to Williams. The Pitchfork company was organized in 1883, with Gardner as general manager.
The Pitchfork is one of two West Texas ranches granted fifty-year charters, without having had a change in ownership. Ranch headquarters are located on the Geneva Fork of the Wichita River
, which traverses the land from east to west. Several strategically located camps minimize travel and the necessary movement of equipment. All buildings, fences, and improvements are of modern high-grade construction.
. He went on trail drives to Kansas and joined surveying parties for a couple of years to locate land grants authorized to the Texas and Pacific Railway
. After working for D.W. and J.S. Godwin as a cowhand and eventually as ranch boss, Gardner became a partner with the brothers in the ranch. D.W. Godwin later withdrew from the partnership, and a new arrangement was formed between Gardner and J.S. Godwin. The pair moved into King and Dickens counties to purchase the Pitchfork brand, cattle, and range rights.
Gardner, meanwhile, had become acquainted with Eugene Williams, who was in Texas as a representative of the Hamilton-Brown Shoe Company. Their families had known each other in Alabama
, and a warm friendship developed between the two men. In 1881, Williams bought J.S. Godwin’s interest in the Pitchfork to become Gardner’s partner. Williams placed total trust in his friend, a decision which proved invaluable.
On December 13, 1883, the Pitchfork company was established with 52500 acres (21,246 ha) and 9,750 cattle. Unlike most ranches established during the great cattle boom of the 1880s, the Pitchfork survived drought
and price depression of the cattle market. The company named A.D. Brown as president; Eugene Williams as vice-president; A.P. Bush, Jr., as secretary, and D.B. Gardner as general manager. At the end of the first year, Bush withdrew from the company, and Gardner was made secretary in addition to his duties as general manager.
. He paid $45 for good bulls, a considerable amount in the early 20th century. Most of his management years were spent at ranch headquarters on the Wichita, where the literary-inclined Gardner established an impressive library
. Gardner was married in 1889 to the former Sula Pope Ellison. She lived only two years after the marriage. A son, Sula Gardner, died in Fort Worth
in the late 1930s.
At the time of Gardner’s death in June 1929, the Pitchfork had reached a national standard in breeding. He attributed much of the success of the Pitchfork to the wagon bosses, John McKenn, Med Gardner, Dick Germany, Press Goen, and W.H. Bryant. Gardner was a respected officer of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
in Fort Worth, and many cattlemen sought out his advice over the years.
Gardner served as manager until 1928, a year before his death. The management then passed to O. A. Lambert, 1928–1930; Virgil V. Parr, 1930–1940; Rudolph Swenson, 1940–1942, who was killed by a train
; Douglas Burns (1895–1977), who served from 1942–1965; Jim Humphreys
(1921–2007), who served from 1965–1986; Bob Moorhouse (born 1947), who served from 1986–2007, and Ron Lane (born 1969), whas has managed the ranch since 2007. Fencing of the ranch began in 1887, and oil
drilling followed early in the 20th century. In the early 21st century, the Pitchfork had no income, however from either oil or natural gas
. In addition to the cattle, the ranch raises championship quarter horses, having won the 1993 American Quarter Horse Association
Remuda
competition in Amarillo
.
Hermon "Babe" Oliver (July 17, 1920—February 3, 2009) worked for the Pitchfork Ranch for forty-two years. In 1960, he was elected as one of the four King County county commissioners, a part-time position which he held until 1976, when he was elected King County sheriff
. In 1984, he was appointed King County administrative county judge, a position which he held until his retirement in 1990. Oliver was born to M.N. and Ada Oliver in Steedman in Pontotoc County
in southern Oklahoma
. He moved to Texas with his family in 1934 and thereafter was a United States Army
veteran of World War II
. On February 25, 1945, he married the former Bama Nell Smith (1924–2007) in Paducah
, the seat of Cottle County, Texas. The Olivers relocated in 1995 to Pampa
, the seat of Gray County, and then to Clyde
in Callahan County
in West Texas
in August 2007. Oliver was survived by two daughters, Linda and husband, Jimmy Barton, of Clyde and Beth Watson and husband, Randy Watson, of Pampa; one son, Terry and wife, Linda Oliver, of Dumont
in King County; nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Services were held at the First United Methodist Church in Paducah. Interment was at Garden of Memories Cemetery in Paducah.
For a century, the Pitchfork's profits and losses were affected only by the weather and the price of cattle. The ranch is now a diversified modern agricultural business: cattle ranching, hunting for deer
, boar
, and game birds, oil exploration (with finds in the Tannehill sands area), and farming. Helicopter
s and computer
s are as common at the Pitchfork as traditional ropes and saddles. The Pitchfork hands, however, still eat at the same table as did the cowboys of 1900. The ranch manager is Ron Lane, who assumed duties in 2007, upon Moorhouse’s retirement.
, her recipes and comments on ranch living reveal a real enthusiasm for preparing food for her guests. The book provides not only the ingredients of her special dishes but a glimpse into West Texas ranch life.
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
, in the United States, with an annex in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Oklahoma
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 6,818. Its county seat is Waurika.-Geography:...
in southern Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Previous properties in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
have been since sold.
Officially known as the Pitchfork Land & Cattle Company of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, the ranch runs commercial cattle: Angus
Angus cattle
Angus cattle are a breed of cattle much used in beef production. They were developed from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus in Scotland, and are known as Aberdeen Angus in most parts of the world....
and Herefords as well as the “black baldy”, a term which refers to the cross-breeding of Angus and Hereford. There are also South Texas crossbreds. The Pitchfork boasts 113 windmills, 80 pastures enclosed by more than 300 miles (482.8 km) of fence, and 5,000 cows and bulls. The ranch has never sold an acre in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
but has slowly expanded from its original 52500 acres (21,246 ha). The Pitchfork is also unlike most ranches in that it is larger today than when it was established, whereas most large ranches have followed the opposite course over the years and sold off acreage.
Known for its natural beauty, the ranch is featured in a photographic book Pitchfork Country by its past manager Bob Moorhouse, a member of the ranch board of directors. It is open to the public for hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and for organized tours.
Early years of the ranch
The Pitchfork is still operated by descendants of its first financial backer, Eugene F. Williams of St. Louis. It is located 80 miles (128.7 km) east of LubbockLubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
and 13 miles (20.9 km) west of Guthrie
Guthrie, Texas
Guthrie is a Census Designated Place in King County in the U.S. state of Texas. It lies at the junction of U.S. Routes 82 and 83 ninety-six miles east of Lubbock, and serves as the principal headquarters of the Four Sixes Ranch...
on U.S. Highway 82. D. B. Gardner and J. S. Godwin bought the three-pronged pitchfork brand as well as the range lands in 1881. The ranch is therefore still sometimes called “The Forks”. In 1882, Godwin sold his interest to Williams. The Pitchfork company was organized in 1883, with Gardner as general manager.
The Pitchfork is one of two West Texas ranches granted fifty-year charters, without having had a change in ownership. Ranch headquarters are located on the Geneva Fork of the Wichita River
Wichita River
The Wichita River, part of the Red River watershed, lies in north-central Texas. Rising in northeastern Knox County at the confluence of its North and South Forks, the river flows northeast across Baylor, Archer, Wichita, and Clay counties before joining the Red River just west of Byers Bend in...
, which traverses the land from east to west. Several strategically located camps minimize travel and the necessary movement of equipment. All buildings, fences, and improvements are of modern high-grade construction.
D.B. Gardner and Eugene Williams
In 1871, D.B. Gardner arrived in Texas as a well-educated 21-year-old cowboyCowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
. He went on trail drives to Kansas and joined surveying parties for a couple of years to locate land grants authorized to the Texas and Pacific Railway
Texas and Pacific Railway
The Texas and Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California....
. After working for D.W. and J.S. Godwin as a cowhand and eventually as ranch boss, Gardner became a partner with the brothers in the ranch. D.W. Godwin later withdrew from the partnership, and a new arrangement was formed between Gardner and J.S. Godwin. The pair moved into King and Dickens counties to purchase the Pitchfork brand, cattle, and range rights.
Gardner, meanwhile, had become acquainted with Eugene Williams, who was in Texas as a representative of the Hamilton-Brown Shoe Company. Their families had known each other in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, and a warm friendship developed between the two men. In 1881, Williams bought J.S. Godwin’s interest in the Pitchfork to become Gardner’s partner. Williams placed total trust in his friend, a decision which proved invaluable.
On December 13, 1883, the Pitchfork company was established with 52500 acres (21,246 ha) and 9,750 cattle. Unlike most ranches established during the great cattle boom of the 1880s, the Pitchfork survived drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
and price depression of the cattle market. The company named A.D. Brown as president; Eugene Williams as vice-president; A.P. Bush, Jr., as secretary, and D.B. Gardner as general manager. At the end of the first year, Bush withdrew from the company, and Gardner was made secretary in addition to his duties as general manager.
Gardner’s legacy
For forty-six years, Gardner augmented and managed the ranch, adding more range land and cattle, fencing the property, and fighting business panics and blizzards. No matter the obstacle, Gardner made the Pitchfork pay an annual dividendDividend
Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business , or it can be distributed to...
. He paid $45 for good bulls, a considerable amount in the early 20th century. Most of his management years were spent at ranch headquarters on the Wichita, where the literary-inclined Gardner established an impressive library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
. Gardner was married in 1889 to the former Sula Pope Ellison. She lived only two years after the marriage. A son, Sula Gardner, died in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
in the late 1930s.
At the time of Gardner’s death in June 1929, the Pitchfork had reached a national standard in breeding. He attributed much of the success of the Pitchfork to the wagon bosses, John McKenn, Med Gardner, Dick Germany, Press Goen, and W.H. Bryant. Gardner was a respected officer of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association was created in 1877, when 40 Texas cattlemen joined together out of their common interest to end unbridled livestock theft and formed what was to become Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association....
in Fort Worth, and many cattlemen sought out his advice over the years.
Later managers
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
; Douglas Burns (1895–1977), who served from 1942–1965; Jim Humphreys
Jim Humphreys
James O'Neill Humphreys, Sr., usually known as Jim Humphreys , was a prominent Texas rancher and the former board chairman of the National Ranching Heritage Center, an entity of Texas Tech University in Lubbock...
(1921–2007), who served from 1965–1986; Bob Moorhouse (born 1947), who served from 1986–2007, and Ron Lane (born 1969), whas has managed the ranch since 2007. Fencing of the ranch began in 1887, and oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
drilling followed early in the 20th century. In the early 21st century, the Pitchfork had no income, however from either oil or natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. In addition to the cattle, the ranch raises championship quarter horses, having won the 1993 American Quarter Horse Association
American Quarter Horse Association
The American Quarter Horse Association , based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive events and maintains the official registry...
Remuda
Remuda
A Remuda is a herd of horses from which ranch hands select their mounts. The word is of Spanish derivation, for "change of horses" and is commonly used in the American West. The person in charge of the remuda is generally known as a wrangler.-Necessity:...
competition in Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
.
Hermon "Babe" Oliver (July 17, 1920—February 3, 2009) worked for the Pitchfork Ranch for forty-two years. In 1960, he was elected as one of the four King County county commissioners, a part-time position which he held until 1976, when he was elected King County sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
. In 1984, he was appointed King County administrative county judge, a position which he held until his retirement in 1990. Oliver was born to M.N. and Ada Oliver in Steedman in Pontotoc County
Pontotoc County, Oklahoma
Pontotoc County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 35,143. Its county seat is Ada.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,879 km²...
in southern Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. He moved to Texas with his family in 1934 and thereafter was a United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
veteran of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. On February 25, 1945, he married the former Bama Nell Smith (1924–2007) in Paducah
Paducah, Texas
Paducah is a town in Cottle County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,498 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cottle County...
, the seat of Cottle County, Texas. The Olivers relocated in 1995 to Pampa
Pampa, Texas
Pampa is a city in Gray County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,887 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Gray County.Pampa is the principal city of the Pampa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Gray and Roberts counties....
, the seat of Gray County, and then to Clyde
Clyde, Texas
Clyde is a city in Callahan County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,345 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Clyde is located at ....
in Callahan County
Callahan County, Texas
*Baird*Belle Plain*Callahan City*Clyde*Cottonwood*Cross Plains*Eula*Putnam-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Callahan County, Texas-External links:* at the University of Texas*...
in West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
in August 2007. Oliver was survived by two daughters, Linda and husband, Jimmy Barton, of Clyde and Beth Watson and husband, Randy Watson, of Pampa; one son, Terry and wife, Linda Oliver, of Dumont
Dumont, Texas
Dumont is an unincorporated community in King County, Texas, United States. It lies in the far northwestern corner of the county, near the Dickens County line...
in King County; nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Services were held at the First United Methodist Church in Paducah. Interment was at Garden of Memories Cemetery in Paducah.
The Pitchfork today
The cowboys work the range in a manner consistent with their forebears who first rode for the brand in the 1880s. The ranch also produces the “Pitchfork Gray”, a gray horse with a black mane and tail – has now become as synonymous with the ranch as the brand itself.For a century, the Pitchfork's profits and losses were affected only by the weather and the price of cattle. The ranch is now a diversified modern agricultural business: cattle ranching, hunting for deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, boar
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
, and game birds, oil exploration (with finds in the Tannehill sands area), and farming. Helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s and computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s are as common at the Pitchfork as traditional ropes and saddles. The Pitchfork hands, however, still eat at the same table as did the cowboys of 1900. The ranch manager is Ron Lane, who assumed duties in 2007, upon Moorhouse’s retirement.
Pitchfork ranch cookbook
Ranch manager Douglas Burns’ wife, the former Mamie Sypert (1896–1982) published Recipes of a Pitchfork Ranch Hostess: The Culinary Legacy of Mamie Burns. She assumed management of the ranch’s Big House, including the feeding and entertaining of personal and business guests. The recipes and reminiscences in her notes, reproduced in the cookbook, reveal that Mrs. Burns set a bountiful table. Though she claimed not to have enjoyed cookingCooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
, her recipes and comments on ranch living reveal a real enthusiasm for preparing food for her guests. The book provides not only the ingredients of her special dishes but a glimpse into West Texas ranch life.