Goodnight, The Charles Memorial Trail

The highway from this museum to the Palo Duro State Park (12 miles east) approximates course used by Charles Goodnight, outstanding Texas cowman and trail blazer, when he trailed 1600 cattle from Colorado to found first ranch on the staked plains of Texas in 1876. He entered precipitous Palo Duro Canyon by way of old Comanche Indian trail; drove thousands of buffalo from what is now park area; established his home ranch a few miles farther down canyon. Goodnight was born in Illinois, March 5, 1836. At age of 9 he rode bareback to Texas behind covered wagon driven by his parents; he hunted with Caddo Indians beyond the frontier at 14; guided Texas Rangers fighting Comanche and Kiowas at 25; blazed cattle trails about 2,000 miles long with Oliver Loving at 30. In partnership with John G. Adair, he expanded his original Palo Duro ranch into the giant JA and other holdings of more than a million acres and 100,000 cattle. He preserved the buffalo, founded a college, encouraged the settlement of the plains and led in a long fight for law and order. This foremost plainsman died March 12, 1929; and is buried at Goodnight, Texas. (1968)

Goodnight, The Charles Memorial Trail is a historical marker in Canyon, Randall County, dedicated in 1968. It is one of 38 historical markers documented in Randall County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 49 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 34.9815, -101.9174 near Canyon. The nearest cataloged historic site is Panhandle-Plains Museum (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Sam Wood Cabin, West Texas A&M University, and Georgia O'Keeffe in Canyon.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5381005302. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.