Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight Ranch

Have you ever read the book or seen the movie Lonesome Dove?  Well, it's loosely based on this guy named Charles Goodnight and his partner, Oliver Loving. I first learned about these guys when we stopped at the Armstrong County Historical Museum in Claude. I'd heard of the movie, of course but I'm not much into westerns so...

But the docent at the museum was telling us about a real guy that lived right up the street in a town called Goodnight, Texas. She was so compelling that we made a special trip to visit the Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight Ranch.

Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving were trailblazers, literally! They created the Goodnight-Loving Trail when they drove their cattle from Texas to New Mexico in 1866. It was around this time he developed the "Chuck Wagon" by taking an army wagon and then modifying it by added a box to the back that would contain all the items the cowboys might need on a cattle drive.

In 1870, he married Mary Ann "Molly" Dyer who was a teacher. In 1876, they moved from Colorado to Palo Duro Canyon. In 1877, he partnered with John D. Adair and started the JA Ranch. When he left the partnership, the ranch encompassed 1,325,000 acres!

In 1887, he bought 102,000 acres in Armstrong County and built this house. Let's take a look!

As you walk in, this is the entryway. There was a train station directly across US 287 from the ranch. Visitors would disembark the train, they could walk straight up the path to the Goodnight home and they would be welcomed. It didn't matter if they were known to the Goodnights or if they were strangers.

Stepping past that into the hallway. The winding staircase leads upstairs to the bedrooms.

This is the "greeting room". Guests would follow the hallway to this room where they would find Mary Ann sitting by the window watching kids play outside while there may also have been kids playing inside. The Goodnights didn't have children but they allowed all kids to come play on their property.

Mary Ann's room was on the first floor off the greeting room. Oddly this gave her a little more privacy that if her room had been upstairs with the other bedrooms. Charles loved Mary Ann and basically gave her whatever she wanted...

...including this walk-in closet! Can you imagine? Though in the 1880s, she probably needed a big closet because those dresses were huge. 

Rachel was our Texas Historical Commission guide and she did an amazing job of giving us the story of the Goodnights and their house. This room was the parlor. The Goodnights were big believers in education and had started a school called Goodnight College. Some of the students would come here to visit and listen to Mary Ann play the piano. Unfortunately, due to the stiff competition, the school closed in 1917.

At the top of the stairs to the left was the "preacher's room". This room was for visiting preachers but was most often occupied by one preacher in particular, Adam Sheek and his wife. Rachel is pointing out the glass in the window. It's original and each triangle is an individual pane of glass.

The quilt that is on the bed was made by the preacher's wife. Here in this photo, she's 91 and working on another quilt!

This is the "sewing" room. It's next to the preacher's room. The Historical Commission isn't sure what it's used for but it was a rather large room and it might have been like a dormitory to have places for visitors to stay overnight. Or, it could have been a sewing room.

While the Goodnight's didn't have any children of their own, their housekeeper had one son and they loved him. At the top of the stairs to the right is his room.

This is the back porch on the second floor where Charles Goodnight slept year round. In the summer, screens were put up to keep the bugs out and in the winter, tarps were hung to keep it warm. The door at the far end leads to...

...the maid's room. All the rooms had closets, which was unusual for the time period.

Back downstairs on the first floor is Charles Goodnight's study. This is definitely a man's room with the buffalo hide on the floor and the couch with the horns for arms. The photo on the wall is Oliver Loving, Charles' friend and the basis for the book, Lonesome Dove.

Charles's rolltop desk. I love a good rolltop desk. 

This is the paymaster room where Mary Ann, not Charles, would dole out money. There's a cutout on the floor by the chair where the safe was kept.

The dining room where you never knew who you would sit down next to. Mary Ann often had out of town visitors, locals, etc. sitting at her table.

This is the third kitchen at the Goodnight Ranch. The first two were destroyed by fire. You'd think they would have made it a separate building but I guess third time is a charm.

I'm not sure how anyone could cook a big meal for several people on this small stove but I guess you worked with what you had.

Outbuildings on the Goodnight Ranch.

The bunk house. I'm not sure if there were several of these or just the one. If there was just the one, then I'm surprised it was so roomy inside.

One of the rooms inside the bunkhouse. There were only two rooms in this bunk house but this room is quite nice.

A view of the house from the back. The building to the left is the kitchen. The stairs lead to the sleeping porch where Charles Goodnight slept and the small steps lead to the paymaster room.

I wanted to get a photo of this cool statue but the way the sun was didn't allow me to get a good one.

There's the face. It's to honor Mary Ann Goodnight. She was instrumental in saving bison. Charles brought several calves to the ranch and bred them. He even tried cross breeding them with cattle and was successful breeding a "Cattalo". I don't think it caught on though.

These girls are direct descendants of the original buffalo herd the Goodnights raised. By 1900, Charles had reduced his land holdings to 38,000 acres near the railroad (across 287 from the ranch). Then in 1926, Mary Ann died and Charles fell ill soon afterwards. His 26-year old distant cousin from Montana came to help nurse him and in 1927, on Charles' 91st birthday, they married. They sold the ranch and the house and moved to Clarendon.

Charles died in December 1929. In his later years, he sat for interviews with author J. Evetts Haley who eventually wrote a book about him called Charles Goodnight: Cowman and Plainsman. They became good friends and the visitor center is named for him.

As usual, the Texas Historical Commission has done a great job of documenting and maintaining the legacy of Charles Goodnight. The house is right off US 287 between Clarendon and Claude. You can tour the house without a guide but you only get to see the downstairs. I highly recommend the full tour. Check out the Goodnight Ranch!