18/06/2025
On this day in 1876, Charles Goodnight and John G. Adair drew up the contract that brought the JA Ranch into being. The JA is the oldest privately owned cattle ranch in the Panhandle. Goodnight had met Adair, an English aristocrat interested in going into the cattle business, in Denver. Adair agreed to furnish the capital Goodnight needed to build up his "Home Ranch" in Armstrong County.
The five-year contract provided for two-thirds of the property and profit to go to Adair and one-third to Goodnight. At Goodnight's suggestion the ranch was named for Adair's initials. The arrangement was profitable, and when the contract expired, it was extended for another five years.
When Adair died in 1885 his wife continued the partnership. At the end of the twentieth century the ranch had seen many changes and was substantially fenced and cross-fenced. It was still noted for its purebred Herefords and Angus bulls.
Today, the JA Ranch remains a private operation run by Cornelia’s descendants. It is a National Historic Landmark.
To experience Panhandle cattle industry history, the JA Ranch and the legacy of Charles Goodnight, visit the Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight Ranch State Historic Site and the Armstrong County Museum, Inc.
📷 Headquarters of the JA Ranch, Texas Historical Commission
📷 Historical marker for the JA Ranch, TSHA
