Changes

'''The Pitchfork Ranch''', established in 1883, encompasses more than 180,000 acres in Dickens and King  counties in  [[Texas]] and an annex in Jefferson County in southern [[Oklahoma]]. Previous properties in [[Kansas]] and [[Wyoming]] have been since sold.<ref name=ranch>{{cite web|url=https://www.thepitchforkranch.com/|title=The Pitchfork Ranch|publisher=The Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company|accessdate=November 20, 2019}}</ref>

'''The Pitchfork Ranch''', established in 1883, encompasses more than 180,000 acres in Dickens and King  counties in  [[Texas]] and an annex in Jefferson County in southern [[Oklahoma]]. Previous properties in [[Kansas]] and [[Wyoming]] have been since sold.<ref name=ranch>{{cite web|url=https://www.thepitchforkranch.com/|title=The Pitchfork Ranch|publisher=The Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company|accessdate=November 20, 2019}}</ref>

 

Officially the Pitchfork Land & Cattle Company of [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], the ranch runs commercial Angus and Herefords as well as the cross-bred “black baldy." The Pitchfork has more than a hundred windmills, eighty pastures enclosed by fence, and five thousand cows and bulls. The ranch has never sold an acre in [[Texas]] but has slowly expanded from its original 52,500 acres. 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 reverse course over the years and sold off acreage.<ref name=ranch/>

 

Officially known as the Pitchfork Land & Cattle Company of [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], the ranch runs commercial Angus and Herefords as well as the “black baldy,” a creation through the cross-breeding of Angus and Hereford. The Pitchfork has 113 windmills, 80 pastures enclosed by fence, and 5,000 cows and bulls. The ranch has never sold an acre in [[Texas]] but has slowly expanded from its original 52,500 acres. 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 reverse course over the years and sold off acreage.<ref name=ranch/>

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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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theworx.com/bigranch/pitchfork.html|title=Big Ranch Country - Pitchfork Land & Cattle Company|publisher=theworx.com|accessdate=November 19, 2019}}</ref>​

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theworx.com/bigranch/pitchfork.html|title=Big Ranch Country - Pitchfork Land & Cattle Company|publisher=theworx.com|accessdate=November 19, 2019}}</ref>​

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==D. B. Gardner and Eugene Williams==​

==D. B. Gardner and Eugene Williams==​

In 1871, D. B. Gardner arrived in Texas as a well-educated 21-year-old [[cowboy]]. 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 F. Williams, a representative of the Hamilton-Brown Shoe Company. Their families had known each other in [[Alabama]], and a warm friendship developed between the two. In 1881, Williams bought J. S. Godwin’s interest in the Pitchfork to become Gardner’s partner.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.westernheritageclassic.com/p/events/ranch-rodeo/qualifications-and-ranches/218|title=Pitchfork Land & Cattle Company: Western Heritage Classic|publisher=Western Heritage Classic|accessdate=November 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/ttusw/00068/tsw-00068.html|title=Pitchfork Land and Title Company: An Inventory of  its Records|publisher=Southwest Collection at [[Texas Tech University]]|accessdate=November 20, 2019}}</ref>​

In 1871, D. B. Gardner arrived in Texas as a well-educated 21-year-old [[cowboy]]. 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 F. Williams, a representative of the Hamilton-Brown Shoe Company. Their families had known each other in [[Alabama]], and a warm friendship developed between the two. In 1881, Williams bought J. S. Godwin’s interest in the company to become Gardner’s partner.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.westernheritageclassic.com/p/events/ranch-rodeo/qualifications-and-ranches/218|title=Pitchfork Land & Cattle Company: Western Heritage Classic|publisher=Western Heritage Classic|accessdate=November 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/ttusw/00068/tsw-00068.html|title=Pitchfork Land and Title Company: An Inventory of  its Records|publisher=Southwest Collection at [[Texas Tech University]]|accessdate=November 20, 2019}}</ref>​

 

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 dividend. 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.​<ref name=farrington/>

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 dividend. 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.​<ref name=farrington/>

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At the time of Gardner’s death in June 1929, the Pitchfork had reached a national standard in breeding. 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.<ref name=farrington>Fred Arrington, ''History of Dickens County; Ranches and Rolling Plains,'' 1971.</ref>​

At the time of Gardner’s death in June 1929, the Pitchfork had reached a national standard in breeding. Gardner was an officer in the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association in Fort Worth, and many cattlemen sought out his advice over the years.<ref name=farrington>Fred Arrington, ''History of Dickens County; Ranches and Rolling Plains,'' 1971.</ref>​

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==Later managers==​

==Later managers==​

[[Category:Texas]]​

[[Category:Texas]]​

[[Category:Oklahoma]]

[[Category:Oklahoma]]