In Literature
In 1935, six years after Goodnight's death, Laura Vernon Hamner, who knew Charles and Molly Goodnight, from her time in Claude, the seat of Armstrong County, Texas, published a novelized biography of the cattleman, The No-Gun Man of Texas.
Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Lonesome Dove is a fictionalized account of Goodnight and Loving's third cattle drive. Woodrow F. Call represents Goodnight, Augustus McCrae is Loving. Though the characters have personalities rather different from their real-life counterparts, the novel borrows heavily from actual events, in particular Loving's ambush by Indians, and Goodnight's attentive care as Loving died from an arrow-induced infection. Call returns McCrae's body to Texas, just as Goodnight returned Loving's body for burial in Weatherford, Texas. The grave marker that Call carves for McCrae is based on the gravestone Charles Goodnight created for Loving.
All four "Lonesome Dove" novels include brief appearances by Goodnight. He plays his largest role in the final volume, Streets of Laredo. His appearance in the prequel Dead Man's Walk is historically inaccurate. The story takes place during the Santa Fe Expedition of 1841, when Goodnight would have been only five years old. Goodnight is played in Dead Man's Walk by Chris Penn, in Comanche Moon by Jeremy Ratchford and in Streets of Laredo by James Gammon.
The Western novelist Matt Braun's novel Texas Empire is based on the life of Goodnight and fictionalizes the founding of the JA Ranch.
The song The Goodnight-Loving Trail by Utah Phillips describes a chuckwagon cook on a cattle drive.
The West Texas songwriter Andy Wilkinson wrote "Charlie Goodnight: His Life in Poetry and Song". The CD was produced by Lloyd Maines of Lubbock, Texas.
Mari Sandoz's Old Jules Country in the part "Some dedicated Men" relates the difficulties of Goodnight's cattle drives to Colorado .
In James A. Michener's book Centennial, the Skimmerhorn Trail is based on the actual Goodnight-Loving Trail. In addition his name is mentioned in the novel and the character R.J. Poteet appears to have been based on Goodnight.
Ralph Compton's novel The Goodnight Trail, is heavily based on the first use of Goodnight's Trail.
Albertan Ian Tyson wrote goodnight Charles grave about leaving bandannas near his grave
Read more about this topic: Charles Goodnight
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