DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to honor every word. Granville Eades Waters — now there's a name worth knowing out here in Shackelford County. He started life a long way from Texas, born in Ashtabula County, Ohio, in April of 1852.
But Ohio couldn't hold him, and in 1871 he came to Texas. He settled first in the north central part of the state, then in 1876 made his way to Shackelford County, which back then was about as frontier as frontier gets. The next year he wed Rennie Harris — daughter of a Waco mayor, which tells you something about the man's taste — and the two of them set up housekeeping in a log cabin near Deep Creek, a few miles north of a place called Hulltown, which you and I know today as Moran.
They'd have five sons together, and those boys grew up learning that frontier life did not come easy. The closest post office was over in Fort Griffin. The nearest railroad?
That was the line connecting Dallas to Fort Worth, which might as well have been the moon. And yet, they built something. For many years, Waters operated the Ashtabula Stock Ranch west of Moran on behalf of an Ohio friend named Cyrus B.
Snyder. The Colonel — and that's what folks called him, as an honorary title — found his calling in Hereford cattle. He first brought them to the ranch in 1885, and he took to breeding and dealing those distinctive white-faced cattle with a passion that eventually carried him all the way to the presidency of the American Hereford Cattle Breeders' Association.
Not bad for a man who started out in a log cabin near Deep Creek. The Waters Ranch grew into something more than a working cattle operation. It became a social center for the whole area — picnics, ballgames, gatherings of neighbors who didn't have too many places to gather.
That went on for many years, until the house burned, and the family moved into Moran itself. Their property there became the Waters Addition to the town, so in a way, the Colonel's name got written right into the map. He served as county commissioner from 1884 to 1892, and as vice-president of Moran National Bank.
In the early nineteen hundreds he worked in real estate, insurance, gas and oil leasing, and he scouted for the Texas Company — which you likely know better as Texaco. He was active in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Freemasons, and the Knights Templar. A man who kept himself busy, to say the least.
Granville E. Waters died at a Fort Worth hospital in 1927. And what he left behind in Shackelford County — the Hereford stock, the early oil and gas exploration, the community life built around that ranch near Deep Creek — well, the marker out here makes sure you don't forget it.
Some men pass through a place. This one shaped it.
What the marker says
Born in Ashtabula County, Ohio in April 1852, Granville Eades Waters came to Texas in 1871. He settled in the north central part of the state before moving to Shackelford County in 1876. The next year, he wed Rennie Harris, daughter of a Waco mayor. The couple settled in a log cabin near Deep Creek, a few miles north of Hulltown (present Moran). With their five sons, they faced the hardships of frontier life; the closest post office was in Fort Griffin, and the nearest railroad connected Dallas to Fort Worth. For many years, on behalf of Ohio friend Cyrus B. Snyder, Waters operated the Ashtabula Stock Ranch west of Moran. Known by the honorary title of Colonel, he found success as a breeder and dealer of Hereford cattle, first bringing them to the ranch in 1885. He later served as president of the American Hereford Cattle Breeder's Association. The Waters Ranch became a social center for the area. The site of picnics, ballgames and other events, it provided a meeting place for many years until the house burned and the family moved into Moran, where their property became the Waters Addition to the town. Waters served as county commissioner (1884-1892) and vice-president of Moran National Bank. In the early 1900s, Waters worked in real estate, insurance, gas and oil leasing, and as a scout for the Texas Company (Texaco). He was also active in the Methodist Episcopal Church, Freemasons and Knights Templar. Waters died at a Fort Worth hospital in 1927. He is remembered today for his contributions to the local community and for his influence on the area economy through the introduction of Hereford stock and the early exploration for oil and gas in Shackelford County. (2005)