Pitchfork Ranch - D.B. Gardner and Eugene Williams

D.B. Gardner and Eugene Williams

In 1871, D.B. Gardner arrived in Texas as a well-educated 21-year-old cowboy. He went on trail drives to Kansas and joined surveying parties for a couple of years to locate land grants authorized to the Texas and Pacific Railway. After working for D.W. and J.S. Godwin as a cowhand and eventually as ranch boss, Gardner became a partner with the brothers in the ranch. D.W. Godwin later withdrew from the partnership, and a new arrangement was formed between Gardner and J.S. Godwin. The pair moved into King and Dickens counties to purchase the Pitchfork brand, cattle, and range rights. Gardner, meanwhile, had become acquainted with Eugene Williams, who was in Texas as a representative of the Hamilton-Brown Shoe Company. Their families had known each other in Alabama, and a warm friendship developed between the two men. In 1881, Williams bought J.S. Godwin’s interest in the Pitchfork to become Gardner’s partner. Williams placed total trust in his friend, a decision which proved invaluable. On December 13, 1883, the Pitchfork company was established with 52,500 acres (21,200 ha) and 9,750 cattle. Unlike most ranches established during the great cattle boom of the 1880s, the Pitchfork survived drought and price depression of the cattle market. The company named A.D. Brown as president; Eugene Williams as vice-president; A.P. Bush, Jr., as secretary, and D.B. Gardner as general manager. At the end of the first year, Bush withdrew from the company, and Gardner was made secretary in addition to his duties as general manager.