JA Ranch
The JA Ranch, jointly founded by John George Adair and Charles Goodnight, is the oldest privately owned cattle ranch in the Palo Duro Canyon section of the Texas Panhandle southeast of Amarillo. At its peak size in 1883, the JA, still run by descendants of the Adair family, encompassed some 1,335,000 acres (5,400 km2) of land in six counties and a herd of 100,000 cattle. The name "JA" is derived from the initials of John Adair, a businessman from Ireland. Goodnight managed and expanded the ranch, while Adair provided the working capital. Upon Adair's death, his wife, the former Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie, took over Adair's interest in the JA. In 1888, Goodnight left the arrangement to establish his own ranch and in time ventured into other business activities as well. The ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Armstrong County, Texas in 1966.
Read more about JA Ranch: Cornelia Adair, Palo Duro Country, Expanding The JA Ranch, Goodnight As Ranch Manager, Later Ranch Managers, U.S. Senator James Wadsworth, Troubles With Timothy Hobart, The Montie Ritchie Years