From the Annals of the Cattle Barons –  In 1929, Charles Goodnight, co-founder of the famous Goodnight-Loving Trail, died at the age of 93.  Goodnight came to  Texas at the age of 9 and was apparently born to live the rugged frontier life.  Using his frontier and scouting skills he was appointed as a regimental guide during the Civil War. By the end of the war, Goodnight had somehow built up a herd of cattle on his ranch in Palo Pinto County.  Combining his ranching and trailblazing skills, Goodnight decided to drive his cattle to New Mexico and Colorado instead of the standard route to the railheads in Abilene and other towns in Kansas for shipment East.

In preparing for the long drive, Goodnight met Oliver Loving, another cattleman similarly noted for his frontier and livestock skills. Loving joined with Goodnight and in 1866, they blazed a 500-mile route from Fort Belknap, Texas, to Fort Sumner, New Mexico, which became known as the Goodnight-Loving Trail. The Trail quickly became one the most heavily used cattle trails in the Southwest.  The route entailed risks as demonstrated when Loving was killed by Commanches in his third trip on the trail.

In 1875, Goodnight extended the trail from New Mexico to Colorado and then retired from trail driving to work on his new ranch in Colorado.  Unfortunately, that venture was a failure and Goodnight was forced to relocate his remaining cattle to Palo Duro Canyon.  With help from other investors, Goodnight built the JA Ranch into a hugely profitable operation eventually running more than 100,000 cattle. At his death he was recognized as one of the great cattle barons of Texas.