Changes

The Pitchfork is still operated by descendants of its first financial backer, Eugene F. Williams of St. Louis. It is located eighty miles east of [[Lubbock]] and thirteen miles west of Guthrie, Texas, 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.<ref name=handbook>{{cite web|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/app02|title=Pitchfork Ranch|publisher=Texas State Historical Association: ''The Handbook of Texas''|accessdate=November 19, 2019}}</ref>​

The Pitchfork is still operated by descendants of its first financial backer, Eugene F. Williams of St. Louis. It is located eighty miles east of [[Lubbock]] and thirteen miles west of Guthrie, Texas, 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.<ref name=handbook>{{cite web|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/app02|title=Pitchfork Ranch|publisher=Texas State Historical Association: ''The Handbook of Texas''|accessdate=November 19, 2019}}</ref>​

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

==Managers 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 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>​

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>​