M. Johnson Poultry Ranch

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the M. Johnson Poultry Ranch in Montague County. Now settle in, because this one starts small.

Real small. One baby chick small. Mose Johnson was born at New Harp, right here in Montague County.

In 1881, when Mose was just three years old, his father died. His mother Sarah, left to carry on, handed that little boy a baby chick. Not a toy.

Not a coin. A chick. To teach him responsibility at an early age.

And if Sarah Johnson had any idea what she was setting in motion, well, she kept that to herself. What she gave her son that day sparked a lifelong interest in poultry that would one day stretch across hundreds of acres and cross international borders. In 1904, Mose married Mabel Jones.

The following year, the two of them started the M. Johnson Poultry Ranch. Their founding flock: five single comb white leghorns and one rooster.

You might want to remember that number. Five hens and one rooster. Because by 1915, the ranch covered three hundred and fifty acres and was considered one of the largest enterprises of its kind anywhere.

They built a large incubator, and day-old chicks from this Montague County operation were being shipped internationally. Internationally. From a baby chick given to a three-year-old boy.

The business kept growing, expanding into Bowie and Wichita Falls. And in 1924, the Johnsons built themselves a home. They advertised it as, and I love this, quote, the house that white leghorns built.

The ranch and the family carried on together for decades, until Mabel's death in 1974, when the business finally closed. One chick. One rooster.

And a mother who knew what she was doing.

What the marker says

Mose Johnson was born at New Harp (Montague Co.) In 1881, his father died when Mose was three, and his mother Sarah gave him a baby chick to teach responsibility at an early age, sparking a lifelong interest in poultry. In 1904, Mose married Mabel Jones, and the following year they began the M. Johnson Poultry Ranch with five single comb white leghorns and one rooster. The ranch’s large incubator led to international shipment of day old chicks, and by 1915, the ranch covered 350 acres and was considered one of the largest enterprises of its kind. The Johnsons’ 1924 home was advertised as “the house that white leghorns built.” The business continued to expand in Bowie and Wichita Falls before closing after Mabel’s death in 1974. (2008)