Willingham Land and Cattle Company
Roby, Fisher County, Texas
Marker Inscription
BROTHERS WELBORN B. WILLINGHAM (1868-1923) AND STERLING A. WILLINGHAM, JR. (1871-1950) TRADED SHEEP TO MR. CLEGG FOR LAND NEAR HOBBS IN 1886-87. THE FAMILY ACQUIRED MORE LAND IN FISHER AND SCURRY COUNTIES WITH MANY SECTIONS FROM THE GARDNER RANCH. W.B. WILLINGHAM (1899-1982), A FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE SWEETWATER PRODUCTION CREDIT ASSN. AND A NOTED RODEO JUDGE AT THE TEXAS COWBOY REUNION IN STAMFORD, EXPANDED THE FAMILY FARM INTO LIVESTOCK AND RANCHING EFFORTS. IN 1949, W.B., HIS WIFE, MADGE EASON (1902-1983), AND SONS BARTON C. (1927-1999) AND DR. WELBORN K. WILLINGHAM (1928-2007) INCORPORATED THE WILLINGHAM LAND AND CATTLE COMPANY. IN ADDITION TO GRASS LEASES, THE COMPANY HAS ENGAGED IN HUNTING, LAND MANAGEMENT, CONSERVATION PROJECTS AND OIL EXPLORATION.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Willingham brothers traded sheep for their first land near Hobbs in 1886-87 and steadily built up holdings across Fisher and Scurry counties. A later Willingham, a founding credit-association director and noted rodeo judge, expanded the family into cattle and ranching, and in 1949 the family incorporated the Willingham Land and Cattle Company, which has since ranged from grass leases to conservation and oil.
Why it matters
A ranch built up over more than a century, from a sheep trade to an incorporated company, traces how the open-range frontier matured into the modern family agribusiness of West Texas.
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Related people
- · Welborn B. Willingham
- · Sterling A. Willingham
Themes & tags
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