The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 31, July 1927 - April, 1928 Page: 345
390 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
A History of the J A Ranch
these two men had learned how to handle bad men without blood-
shed.
In the opinion of Colonel Goodnight, the settlement of the Pan-
handle was accomplished with less bloodshed than any other fron-
tier in this country, barring the Indian depredations, regardless of
the fact that it gained the reputation of being the "Wild and Woolly
West." Judge O. H. Nelson, in speaking of this, said, "The Pan-
handle of Texas was settled with less trouble-except for early In-
dian depredations-and fewer killings than any other area of like
size in America."
The year 1879 witnessed the establishment of the first county in
the Panhandle, namely, Wheeler County, with Mobeetie as the
county seat. It was an exceedingly large county and included in
its boundaries what is now twenty-six counties, or in other words,
the Panhandle of Texas today. Rev. E. Dubbs was elected county
judge." Colonel Goodnight says about him: "Being elected judge
of Wheeler County at this time gave him an opportunity to serve
his country in a way that can never be paid for, that could not
now be thoroughly appreciated or understood, and he will never
be repaid for the services rendered and the risks run. Through
his influence and effort the county was eventually pulled into
shape of civilization. Had it not been for Judge Dubbs, the
school land would have been wasted and many other things
squandered."
Henry Fleming was the first sheriff.6 Mr. Fleming had been a
saloon man and gambler by profession; yet in the language of
Colonel Goodnight, "He was the only man who could preserve the
law and arrest men in their wild drunken orgies without bloodshed,
and for the four years that he was sheriff, he made many arrests,
but never shot a man and was never shot."
The Christian Colony (Old Clarendon) was also established in
1879 on Salt Fork at the mouth of Carroll Creek, about seven miles
north of the present town of Clarendon. It was composed of
twenty-five or thirty families of easterners. According to Colonel
Goodnight, they were well educated, but were poorly fitted or
equipped for frontier life, and as a result, after a few years of
"Ibid.
,Ibid.345
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 31, July 1927 - April, 1928, periodical, 1928; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101088/m1/369/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.