DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — the story of Colonel William Edgar Hughes and the Mill Iron Ranch. Now, there are men who leave a mark on the land, and then there are men who brand it. Colonel Wm.
Edgar Hughes was the second kind. He was born in 1840. Came down from Illinois to Texas in 1859, and you get the sense the state suited him just fine — because he never really left.
When the Civil War broke out, he went in as a private in the 1st Texas Artillery. By the time the smoke cleared, he'd risen all the way to Colonel in the 16th Cavalry. And the smoke, friend, had been considerable.
Shiloh. Chickamauga. Nashville.
Richmond. Those aren't small names. Those are the bloody ones.
Hughes walked through all of them. Then the war ended, and here's where the story gets interesting. The Colonel — and we'll go ahead and call him that now — found himself in Weatherford, Texas, and by his own accounting, he didn't have two pairs of pants to his name.
Two pairs of pants. A man who'd survived Chickamauga, down to two pairs of pants. So what did he do?
He taught school. And while he was teaching, he read law. And once he knew the law, well, he took land cases — plenty of them.
Seven years after that two-pairs-of-pants situation, he had organized and become president of the City Bank of Dallas, the institution that would go on to become the First National Bank of Dallas. After that came an officer's role at the Exchange Bank in Dallas, then the Union Trust Company in St. Louis, then the Continental Trust Company in Denver.
The man had range — and not just the cattle kind. But in 1880, Colonel Hughes bought a half interest in the Mill Iron Ranch, and that's when this story puts down roots in the red dirt of the Texas Panhandle. He started purchasing small holdings all the way from the Pease River to the Red River — the Bridle Bits, the DV's, the Diamond D's, and others besides.
The range spread across Childress, Cottle, Hall, and Motley counties. In 1885 he added windmills and wells, and started running larger herds — up to fifty thousand head. Fifty thousand.
In the early years, the outfit used dugouts and chuckwagons for headquarters. The first small ranch house wasn't built until he got to Windmill 62, near Estelline. And the Mill Iron was known for things you don't easily forget: said to have had the largest men in Texas, the most practical jokers, the longest cattle drives, the biggest horses.
All of it under one brand. In 1896 he bought out the Rocking Chair Ranch over in Collingsworth County. And right up until 1898, the Mill Iron ran only longhorns — the old breed, the tough breed, the kind that fit a man who'd come up from nothing twice.
And then, in 1918, Colonel William Edgar Hughes sold off the last Mill Iron herd. It was the year of his death. Some men, it seems, hold on just long enough to see the thing through to the end — and not one day longer.
What the marker says
= [Mill Iron brand] Born 1840. Came from Illinois to Texas, 1859. During Civil War rose from private, 1st Texas Artillery, to Colonel in 16th Cavalry. Was in bloody battles of Shiloh, Chickamauga, Nashville, Richmond. After war, when "didn't have 2 pairs of pants", taught school and read law in Weatherford. As lawyer, took many land cases. In 7 years became organizer and president, City Bank of Dallas (now 1st National, Dallas). Later, an officer in Exchange Bank, Dallas; Union Trust Co., St. Louis; Continental Trust Co., Denver. In 1880, bought half interest in Mill Iron Ranch. Purchased small holdings from Pease to Red River -- Bridle Bits, DV's, Diamond D's and others. Range lay in Childress, Cottle, Hall, Motley counties. In 1885 added windmills, wells, to run larger herds-up to 50,000. In early years used dugouts, chuckwagons for headquarters. First small ranch house was built at Windmill 62, near Estelline. Bought out Rocking Chair Ranch, Collingsworth County, 1896. Until 1898, ran only longhorns. Was said to have had the largest men, most practical jokers, longest cattle drives, biggest horses in Texas. He sold off the last Mill Iron herd in 1918 -- year of his death. (1965)