Charles Goodnight (March 5, 1836 â€" December 12, 1929), also known as
Charlie Goodnight, was an American cattle rancher in the American
West, perhaps the best known rancher in Texas. He is sometimes known
as the "father of the Texas Panhandle." Essayist and historian J.
Frank Dobie said that Goodnight "approached greatness more nearly than
any other cowman of history." In 1955, he was inducted into the Hall
of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage
Museum.Goodnight was born in Macoupin County, Illinois, northeast of
St. Louis, the fourth child of Charles Goodnight and the former
Charlotte Collier. Goodnight's father's grave is located in a pasture
south of Bunker Hill, Illinois.Goodnight moved to Texas in 1846 with
his mother and stepfather, Hiram Daugherty. In 1856, he became a
cowboy and served with the local militia, fighting against Comanche
raiders. A year later, in 1857, Goodnight joined the Texas Rangers.
Goodnight is also known for raising and leading a posse against the
Comanche in 1860 that located the Indian camp where Cynthia Ann Parker
was living with her husband, Peta Nocona, then guiding Texas Rangers
to the camp, leading to Cynthia Ann's recapture. He later made a
treaty with her son, Quanah Parker. His father owned a ranch that
expanded to 500 acres.At the outbreak of the Civil War, he joined the
Confederate States Army. Most of his time was spent as part of a
frontier regiment guarding against raids by Indians. Charles Goodnight Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter