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Looking Back on the Waggoner Ranch

June 5, 2017

For the last year and half, we’ve had the honor of sharing the story of the Waggoner Ranch cowboys. From the pages of our award-winning book Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch to the stories we post every day on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, we love helping more people discover these hardworking cowboys.

the waggoner ranch sold recently after 165+ years of family ownership

Today, we’re sharing some of our favorite stories of the W.T. Waggoner Ranch from the last year and a half.

Good Morning, Waggoner

Start your photographic tour of the Waggoner Ranch in the dark morning hours. The Waggoner Ranch cowboys go to work under the light of the moon. This gallery shows the vivid Texas night sky and as the cowboys and their horses head to work.

Never Before Seen Photographs of the Waggoner Ranch

During his time on the W.T. Waggoner Ranch, Jeremy Enlow capture more than 14,000 images. That’s a whole lot of #cowboylife photos. Obviously, most of these photos never made their way into the book. Take a peek into his archives here.

Bobby Daniel Retires After 51 Years

Bobby Daniel is a legend around the Texas ranch. Cowboying on the ranch from 1965-2016, he comes from a long line of Waggoner cowboys. Learn more about Bobby’s story (and the Daniel legacy on the ranch!).

Stan Kroenke Closes on Famed Waggoner Ranch

This is the sale that put the Waggoner Ranch front and center in national news. After years of legal disputes between the heirs, the ranch was sold to Stan Kroenke. With a listing price of $725 million, the sale made headlines.

The History of the Waggoner Ranch

Want to learn more about the history of the largest ranch under one fence in the United States? We round up the most important facts (and some of our favorite trivia) for you here.

 

 

Thank you to everyone for following us! We hope you keep sharing the Waggoner cowboys’ story.

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Memorial Day Sale Ends Today!

May 29, 2017

this memorial day take 25% off cowboys of the waggoner ranch today only

Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch is on sale for the first time ever! In honor of Memorial Day, take 25% off your purchase, plus enjoy free shipping! Just use code 25MEMORIAL17 at checkout. This sale ends today, so get your order in fast.

 

“It was my honor to document this vital piece of Texas history for future generations to enjoy, before it’s gone,” says Jeremy Enlow. “I was shocked a ranch this size still existed with so many Cowboys still practicing cowboying the way it was done 100 years ago, with just their ropes and horses.  The land on the Waggoner is beautiful, but it’s the Cowboys on the ranch that make it a special place.”

Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch is proudly made in the USA. Printed in North Texas, the book is a GO TEXAN product. A portion of the proceeds of the book benefits the Waggoner Ranch Cowboys Fund.

 

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Serving Up Some Cowboy Wisdom

March 12, 2017

Cowboying on the largest ranch under one fence is no easy task. Many of the cowboys featured in the book have been at it for decades, working the Waggoner Ranch for 10 hours a day, five or more days a week. Along the way, they’ve learned cowboy skills and a heck of a lot of wisdom. We can all learn from the way Waggoner Ranch cowboys live their lives.

“They are cowboys. They live by another ethic that reveals itself in their work and how they relate to each other. They value people over things. They have a sense of personal responsibility. They know who they are, and they aren’t going to be less than that for anybody.” –from the book

We’ve collected some of our favorite bits of cowboy wisdom and quotes from the book below. Want more? Be sure to follow us on Pinterest where we share Western wisdom, Texas cowboys, and ranch life photographs.

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Weldon Hawley Retires

March 6, 2017

Weldon Hawley came to the Waggoner Ranch in 1972 after serving in Vietnam. His father, Charlie, was a cowboy on the ranch, and Weldon carried on the family tradition. He started at the bottom, living in the bunkhouse before working his way up to Ranch Manager. He retired at the end of February after 45 years as a Waggoner Ranch cowboy. In 2005, Weldon was presented the Top Hand Award at the 25th Annual North Texas Rehab Ranch Roundup

“When I started thirty years ago, we had two vehicles,” he says. “We rode in the camper in the back of the wagon boss’ truck. The chuck wagon was out (instead of cowboys driving in to eat at the cook shack). We have radios and cell phones and the helicopter. Everything else is about the same as it always has been.”

 

After 45 years as a Texas cowboy Weldon Hawley retires

 

Weldon has a reputation as a hardworking man of integrity. People often visit our Facebook page to leave comments about him, recalling old stories and praising his hard work.

People stop to congratulate Weldon Hawley on his Top Hand award at the North Texas Ranch Roundup

 

In 2016, Weldon was interviewed in Western Horseman Magazine for a story on the book. There, he reflected on what it is like to work on a historic ranch. “We’ll be the last bunch of cowboys working under the W. T. Waggoner Ranch. The book shows we’re still surviving doing things like they did 100 years ago, the cowboy way.”

For 45 years, Weldon has devoted himself to the Waggoner Ranch. It’s been an honor to get to know him, and we wish him all the best in his retirement. You can see more photos of Weldon Hawley from the book below.

 

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And the Winner is…

February 27, 2017

Last week, we announced our one of a kind giveaway: a copy of Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch signed by Bobby Daniel. More than 200 of you entered the giveaway on our Facebook page. Thank you to everyone who entered and shared it with friends!

 

Bobby Daniel signed a one of a kind copy of Jeremy Enlow's book Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch

 

And now, we are excited to announce that the giveaway winner is Matthew Zeiger. Enjoy your book! It’s truly a piece of Texas history, signed by a legend who worked the Waggoner for more than 50 years.

About Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch

Made in Texas, by Texans, about Texans, Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch tells the story of 26 working cowboys on the historic Waggoner Ranch. Photographed and published by Fort Worth based photographer Jeremy Enlow, it has won a number of awards and is currently on its third printing. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book benefits the Waggoner Ranch Cowboys Fund.

 

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Waggoner Ranch: 1 Year Later

February 13, 2017

A lot has happened this year on the Waggoner Ranch. Last February, the Waggoner sold to Stan Kroenke after being listed for $725 million. With the sale, 165+ years of family ownership came to an end. The largest ranch under one fence in the United States remains a contiguous working ranch, although things have changed throughout the year.

Stan Kroenke bought the Waggoner Ranch 1 year ago

After the sale of the ranch, the bunkhouse and cook shack closed down. About one third of the Waggoner cowboys have retired or been let go. Then the Waggoner made news when Kroenke forced Lake Diversion residents to leave their homes.

“But they will survive. They are cowboys. They live by another ethic that reveals itself in their work and how they relate to each other. They value people over things. They have a sense of personal responsibility. They know who they are, and they aren’t going to be less than that for anybody.” -Jan Batts in Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch

The cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch are resilient men, adept at coping with life’s many unpredictable changes. Bobby Daniel has retired to Seymour, Texas, where he raises goats. Some cowboys have moved on to other ranches. And many show up day after day to work the largest ranch under one fence in the United States as they have for decades.

The Waggoner Ranch was family owned for 165+ years before selling to Stan Kroenke in 2016

A year after the sale, we’re proud to be telling the story of this historic ranch and the cowboys who have called it home. Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch was photographed the year before the ranch sold, preserving a way of life for future generations.

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Waggoner Ranch from Overhead

January 30, 2017

It can be hard to visualize what a 510,527 acre ranch looks like. On the ground, the Waggoner Ranch looks endless, stretching as far as the eye can see in any direction. To get a better look at the scope of the ranch, Jeremy Enlow photographed the ranch from a Cessna airplane. You can see his aerial photographs of the Waggoner Ranch below.

Wanting to capture just the right moments on the ranch, Jeremy didn’t use a drone for any of the aerial photographs. Instead, he took all of the images himself while flying overhead.  These aerial shots can be seen in Jeremy’s book Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch. Get yours today and enjoy free shipping in the United States!

 

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Order Up

January 15, 2017

Jeremy’s photographs of the Waggoner Ranch document many iconic aspects of the ranch.  Taken a year before the ranch sold to Stan Kroenke, they capture the ranch right before its historic change of hands, preserving a way of life for future generations. Some things have changed on the Waggoner since then, including the closing of the Waggoner Ranch cook shack. As time passes, this photographic history of the ranch becomes increasingly precious.

Debbie’s cooking philosophy was simple: “Lots of calories,” she laughs. None of it goes to waste. The cowboys filled their plates from the cafeteria-style line up of from-scratch comfort food. When the cook shack was open, Debbie made breakfast and lunch six days a week for the twenty-six cowboys.

You can see more photos of the Waggoner Ranch cook shack here, and what it looked like in the 1980s here.

Jeremy Enlow of Steel Shutter Photography photographed the cow camp at the Waggoner Ranch

It takes a lot of coffee to be a cowboy.

Debbie’s cooking was always mouthwateringly delicious and filling.

Weldon Hawley, right, is always the last to eat and the first to head to work.

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Everyday Grit

January 2, 2017

“I was shocked a ranch this size still existed with so many Cowboys still practicing cowboying the way it was done 100 years ago, with just their ropes and horses.  The land on the Waggoner is beautiful, but it’s the Cowboys on the ranch that make it a special place.” -Jeremy Enlow

The Waggoner Ranch cowboys work hard to keep the ranch’s cattle camp operations going. A work week is 5 and a half days long, averaging 10 hours per day.  “When I started thirty years ago, we had two vehicles,” says Weldon Hawley. “We rode in the camper in the back of the wagon boss’ truck. The chuck wagon was out (instead of cowboys driving in to eat at the cook shack). We have radios and cell phones and the helicopter. Everything else is about the same as it always has been.”

Cowboying this way is a hard, demanding way of life that requires a lot of grit. As predictable as their work is, any number of things – the weather, a startled horse, a debilitating accident, disease taking hold of the herd – can change everything in a moment. Cowboys are accustomed to uncertainty. They face each new day as it comes, making the best of it.

These are the cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch.

Jeremy Enlow of Steel Shutter photography documented the Waggoner Ranch in 2015

Waggoner Ranch near Vernon, TX photographed by Dallas advertising photographer Jeremy Enlow

Jeremy Enlow is a Dallas / Fort Worth advertising and media photographer

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Cowgirl of the Waggoner Ranch

December 26, 2016

In Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch, one cowgirl stands out. Cassidy “Butch” Chambliss lends a hand on the ranch during the summer. Well acquainted with the work at hand, she helps show the younger kids the ropes, too. The initiative modeled by the Waggoner cowboys is demonstrated in the way she works. Nobody has to tell her to hurry up or pay attention, the Waggoner work ethic having been instilled the previous summer. Not intimidated by the heat or the dust or the cattle, Butch hasn’t decided whether she wants to be a veterinarian or a cowgirl.

A Waggoner Ranch veteran, Butch Chambliss loves riding horses

Eleven-year-old Cassidy works with the cowboys during summer vacation. “Everybody calls me Butch,” she says. “I’ve been riding since I was two years old.” When Jeremy visited the ranch, she was happy to be riding her favorite horse, Romeo. “He likes to go fast!” she says with a grin.

You can see Cassidy riding Romeo in photos from Jeremy’s archives here.

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