Timothy Dwight Hobart - Disposing of Panhandle Lands

Disposing of Panhandle Lands

Hobart established headquarters at Mobeetie in Wheeler County, one of the first three Panhandle settlements. He surveyed, fenced, and improved lands for leasing and subdividing among various cattle operations. Hobart noted that sales increased where pastures were fenced, and water was easily available. He devised a plan, approved by Evans, to lease land to large cattle operations for grazing at the rate of four cents an acre and applying the first year’s rental to improvements. Hobart reasoned that the improvements would bring greater profits down the line. Execution of the plan required the stringing of hundreds of miles of barbed wire, cutting thousands of fence posts, and the digging hundreds of wells with accompanying windmills. There were also earthen dams required to hold the water. The fence posts came from the Palo Duro Canyon to the south; most were cut by two bachelor brothers, Ben and Sebe Merry, believed to have been over seven feet tall, who were paid seven to nine cents for each post.

As the number of settlers, some foreigners, increased, so did the demand for smaller tracts. Some of the largest sales included the North Fork Pasture of 190,000 acres (770 km2), the Sam Lazarus Pasture of 100,000 acres (400 km2), and the Nick Eaton Range of 88,000 acres (360 km2). By 1897, most of the large cattle concerns had been divided into smaller units, and large tracts were not so available for leasing. That situation had compelled Charles Goodnight to end his partnership in the JA in 1888. The leasing of smaller parcels, at from five to eight cents per acre continued to provide funds for improvements. By 1900, the company’s Panhandle lands had been improved and sold at profitable prices ranging from $1.75 to $3 an acre.