The Goodnight Story

In 1876, Charles Goodnight co-founded the JA Ranch, the first cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle. Alongside his wife, Mary Ann, he built not just a home but a legacy—managing the land, pioneering new ranching practices, and working to preserve the American bison from extinction. By 1887, after dividing the larger JA Ranch, Goodnight established his own Quitaque division, where the ranch became a center for agricultural experiments. Here he raised an experimental bison herd to help save the species, alongside other animals, blending innovation with stewardship.

His Victorian home, complete with a broad second-floor porch overlooking the descendants of that original herd, still stands today as the Goodnight Ranch State Historic Site. Charles Goodnight’s work earned him the title “Father of the Texas Panhandle,” but his story is as much about family and preservation as it is about cattle. For decades, the Goodnights lived from the bounty of this land, shaping a way of life that balanced grit, innovation, and care for the natural world.

That spirit endures. Today, Goodnight Ranch honors its namesake by welcoming a new generation of families. In partnership with Benchmark Austin, the community carries forward the Goodnights’ legacy of stewardship—offering not just homes, but a place to belong, grow, and create new legacies of its own.

*Sources: Texas Historical Commission and The Goodnight Family