Ransom, Don 2007-06-25
Don Ransom talks about Charles Goodnight. He reflects on farming and ranching carried out in the panhandle of Texas during his youth.
General Interview Information
Interviewee Name: Don Ransom
Additional Parties Recorded:
Date: June 25, 2007
Location: Amarillo, Texas
Interviewer: David Marshall
Length: 01:46:55
Abstract
About Mary Ann Goodnight; Her personality; Charles Goodnight’s personality; Father’s job description; Incident involving Charles Goodnight; Physical description; Stories told by him about Charles Goodnight; Recollections of Charles Goodnight; Bull whips were commonly used; Cattle herding incidents; Encounter with Indians; Topics his father and Goodnight discussed; Cattle drive recollections; Types of horses; Methods of procuring cattle; Charles Goodnights Personality; Incident involving Butch Cassidy; Met Frenchy McCormick; Aunt suggested going to Tascosa, Texas; Description of the house; Physical appearance; Met Billy Dickson’s widow; Drives through the Canadian River; Loss of cattle; Issues with trees falling; Stampedes; Recollections of cattle drives he was part of; Leased pasture at Ashtola, Texas; Drove calves to Claude, Texas; Issues due to rains; Rains of 1941; Lack of proper roads; Issues with river crossing; JA ranch; Visits; Rounded up strays; Brief change of ownership; Cattle market during WWI and WWII; Cotton seed cake; Best feed for cattle; Manufacturing process; Other supplements; Cattle-feeding and cash crops production then and now; About cattle industry; Issues; Incident involving wild hogs; Reasons for the decline in deer population; Branding of cattle; Description of equipments; Description of equipments used in farming earlier; Process; Digging equipment; Work on the farm; Seeders; Farming issues; Ways they dealt with mesquite; Why chaining mesquite is ineffective; About wolf population; Methods employed to decrease it; Sightings; Panther sightings; Cattle on his ranch; Breed used initially; Information on the breed brought by Mr. Goodnight; Breed used currently; Obtaining lean meat; About Monte Ritchie; Financial situation of JA ranch; Steps he took to improve it; Other ventures of Charles Goodnight; Silver mining; Goodnight College; Effects of infrastructure; Reasons people moved to Amarillo, Texas; Reasons people are moving to Claude; Childhood memories; Schooling; Transportation; Drought of 1930’s; Water sources; Natural springs in the area; Effects of irrigation wells; Windmill water; Other recollections; Charles Goodnight’s disciplinarian nature; Memories of good times; Mother’s background; Grandfather’s profession in Arkansas; Originally wanted to move to Mexico; Farming career of grandfather; Issues; Grew watermelons; Cars purchased by his father.
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Transcript: No transcript available
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