Page 24 - The Wellborn 2R Beef Story eBook
P. 24

Pioneer rancher Captain William S. Ikard,  born in 1847 in Somerville,
                                                                                 Mississippi, is credited with being the first to bring Herefords to Texas
                                                                                 (identified in the picture above by the arrow). He brought them to his V
                                                                                 Bar Ranch in Clay County, which is now the Wellborn 2R Ranch.

                                                                                         were purchased at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition
                                                                                         in 1876. Most of the originals died from the Texas (tick)
                                                                                         fever, but after several years an immune species was
                                                                                         developed. An interesting side note was, the Herefords
                                                                                         with their short legs and heavy weight did not trail well and
                                                                                         had to be shipped in. This species became the basis for the
                                                                                         Hereford industry in Texas. (excerpted from Clay County Jail
                                                                                         Museum Memories article compiled by J.D. Evans and printed
                                                                                         in The Clay County Leader 2013).
                     “Early Roots in the Texas Cattle Industry”

                                                                                         A historical marker in the county references the impact of
            Clay County has a rich history in the cattle industry. The
            County was named for Henry Clay, a famous American                           Hereford cattle with the following inscription: “It was at
            statesman, Kentucky senator, and United States secretary                     or near this spot in the year of our Lord 1876 that the first
            of state, with Henrietta being the county seat and the                       registered Hereford cattle set their hooves in Texas and
            name of Clay’s oldest daughter. The first Herefords were                     thereafter revolutionized the beef cattle industry of the
            introduced to America from England by Henry Clay in 1817,                    United States of America. This monument erected and
            when he brought a cow, a heifer, and a young bull to his                     dedicated in October 1980 in honor and memory of those
            Kentucky farm.                                                               whose imagination and courage have made the Hereford
                                                                                         the finest beef animal in the world.”

            E. F. and William S. Ikard brothers of Henrietta, Texas are
            credited with bringing the first Hereford cattle to Texas                                                       Capt. Ikard started cattle
            in 1876. These cattle “became the nucleus of the state’s                                                   ranching in Clay County in 1871
            Hereford industry.”                                                                                        and at one time their holdings
                                                                                                                       contained around 60,000 acres, a
                                                                                                                       portion of which is now Wellborn
            Those first Herefords in Texas came to graze on W.S.                                                       2R Ranch.
            Ikards ranch that he sold to the A. B. Edwards family and                                                          While attending the
            eventually became Priddy’s 2R Ranch and now Wellborn                                                       Philadelphia Centennial in 1876
            2R. The Ikards were one of the first to fence off large                                                    he saw his first Hereford and was
            portions of their ranch, but avoided the “Fence Cutter War”                                                quick to realize their superior
            by leaving large gaps and not closing off water holes. He                                                  meat characteristics over the
            avoided Indian trouble by paying Quanah Parker $200.00                                                     cattle he had been raising in Clay
            and six cows a month for protection. The original Herefords                                                County.
   22
   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29