Daniel Waggoner (July 7, 1828 – September 5, 1902) was an early American settler and rancher in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. He also owned five banks, three cottonseed oil mills, and a coal company. He established the

Waggoner Ranch The Waggoner Ranch is a historic ranch located 13 miles south of Vernon, Texas, in north Texas near the Red River and Oklahoma border. Founded in 1852 by Daniel Waggoner, it is the largest ranch within one fence in the United States.

, which spanned eight counties: Wise County,

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

, Wichita County, Wilbarger County, Foard County,

Baylor County Baylor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,465. Its county seat is Seymour. History In 1858, the Texas Legislature established Baylor County, naming it for Henry Weidner Baylor, a ...

, Archer County, and Knox County. In 1959, he was inducted into the

Hall of Great Westerners The Hall of Great Westerners was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1958. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of more than 200 men and women of the American W ...

of the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

Early life

Daniel Waggoner was born on July 7, 1828, in

Lincoln County, Tennessee Lincoln County is a county located in the south central part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,319. Its county seat and largest city is Fayetteville. The county is named for Major General Benjamin L ...

.B. Jane England, "WAGGONER, DANIEL," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa08), accessed November 12, 2014. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the

Texas State Historical Association The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...

. His father, Solomon Waggoner, was a farmer, cattleman and horse and slave trader. His mother was Elizabeth (McGaugh) Waggoner. He moved to

Hopkins County, Texas Hopkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 36,787. Its county seat is Sulphur Springs. Hopkins County is named for the family of David Hopkins, an early settler in the area. Hopk ...

with his parents in 1848.

Career

In the 1850s, he moved from Hopkins County to

Wise County, Texas Wise County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 68,632. Its county seat is Decatur. Wise County is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth– Arlington metropolitan statistical area. Its Wise Eyes crime ...

with his son, an African slave, six horses and 242 Longhorn cattle.Gary Cartwright
Showdown at Waggoner Ranch
''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...

'', January 2004 They settled on Catlett Creek, near Decatur. The land was 'open range' when they first arrived. In 1856, he purchased 320 acres of land near

Cactus Hill Cactus Hill is an archaeological site in southeastern Virginia, United States, located on sand dunes above the Nottoway River about 45 miles south of Richmond. The site receives its name from the prickly pear cacti that can be found growing abunda ...

, and moved his family there. He later purchased more land on

Denton Creek Denton Creek is a creek in Texas, beginning in Wise County, and flowing south-east into Denton County. It was dammed by the Army Corps of Engineers to make Lake Grapevine. The Army Corps of Engineers are in charge of the height but still flooded ...

, seven miles east of Decatur. Each time, the whole family moved with him. Over the next three decades, he purchased more land in Wise County as well as

, Wichita County, Wilbarger County, Foard County,

, Archer County, and Knox County. Some of the land was acquired after he sent gunslinger Jimmie Roberts to intimidate small farmers into selling it to them. However, many sold it willingly, as there was a drought at the time. Many of those small farmers moved to

Lockett, Texas Lockett is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. It is in the western part of the county, along U.S. Route 70, which lead ...

, where they enjoyed access to the Seymour Aquifer. Waggoner's landholdings became known as the 'Waggoner Ranch.'Wise County Historical Society: The Waggoner Mansion
/ref> The ranch operated under the company name of 'Waggoner and Son.' With his son, he also owned five banks, three cottonseed oil mills, and a coal company.

Personal life

He was married twice. His first wife was Nancy (Moore) Waggoner, the daughter of William Moore, whom he married in the late 1840s. They had a son,

William Thomas Waggoner William Thomas Waggoner (August 31, 1852 – December 11, 1934) was an American rancher, oilman, banker, horsebreeder and philanthropist from Texas. He was the owner of the Waggoner Ranch, where he found oil in 1903. He was the founding president ...

. He became a widower shortly thereafter. In 1859, he married Sicily Ann (Halsell) Waggoner, the daughter of Electious and Elizabeth J. Halsell. She was only sixteen years old at the time, while he was thirty-one. In 1883, he built the

Waggoner Mansion The Waggoner Mansion (a.k.a. El Castile) is a historic mansion in Decatur, Texas. The sixteen room mansion was built in 1883 by the Waggoner Family. It was purchased in 1942 by Mr. and Mrs. Phil Luker. Location The mansion is located at 1003 ...

, also known as 'El Castile', in Decatur, where he resided with his family.

Death

He died of kidney disease on September 5, 1902, in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waggoner, Daniel 1828 births 1902 deaths People from Lincoln County, Tennessee People from Wise County, Texas Businesspeople from Colorado Springs, Colorado Ranchers from Texas Businesspeople from Texas American bankers People from Decatur, Texas