Charles Goodnight was an innovator, entrepreneur, and true cowboy. Mary Ann Goodnight was an equal partner in their business ventures and marriage, serving as educator, doctor, and mother to much of the Panhandle. These two dynamic people shaped the imagination of generations. Molly was a cattlewoman in her own right, educated much of the Panhandle, and spurred the conservation movement to save the Southern Bison Herd. Charles served as a Texas Ranger scout, invented the chuckwagon, formed cattle drives, and with business partner John Adair, established the JA Ranch, the first cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle in 1877 in the Palo Duro Canyon area. In 1887, Goodnight established the Goodnight-Thayer Cattle Company in present Armstrong County and built a spacious Folk-Victorian-style two-story ranch house. The Goodnight home is restored on its original site and features a 268-square-foot second floor sleeping porch with spectacular views of the countryside and the nearby bison herd that are actual descendants of the herd preserved and raised by Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight.

location pin icon

Location

4989 CR 25 
Goodnight, TX 79226 
806-944-5591 
Contact us
See map

clock icon

Hours

Tuesday to Saturday  
10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Guided Tours
11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. 

tickets icon

Tickets

Adult $5
Senior/Veteran/Teacher/First Responder $3
Child (6-17) $2
Child (5 and under) Free
Family (2 adults & 1 child) $8, each additional child $1

calendar icon

Programs

Public Tours  
Living History Programs  
Special Events  
School Programs 

Windmill on the grounds

Plan Your Visit

Peer into pioneer prairie life during a tour of the Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight historic home.

Statue of Mary Ann Goodnight

Goodnight Ranch History

Charles Foxwing Goodnight was born March 5, 1836, on the family farm in Macoupin County, Illinois.

Dining room of the main ranch house

Support the Friends of Goodnight Ranch

Friends of Goodnight Ranch is a "Fiscally Sponsored Project" of the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission (a 501(C)(3) nonprofit charitable organization). Your gift will directly support this organization.

Events at Goodnight Ranch

Image of red and yellow wildflowers

Picnic on the Prairie: Learning about Wildflowers

Wildflowers are nature at its finest! Bring your lunch and join us as Texas Master Naturalist, Joanne Toler discusses this beautiful part of the Panhandle. Program is at 1:00 and is included in the regular admission price.

Green field with a large circular blue lake with a smaller one right adjacent.

Playing on the Playa: The Ogallala Aquifer

Visit the Goodnight Ranch to discover the natural resources that shape the Texas Panhandle.

Image of a man on a horse in front of the setting sun

Picnic on the Prairie: Cowboy Poetry

Cowboys, music and poetry - what could be better? Head to the Goodnight Ranch for a rompin' good time!

Goodnight Ranch in the Blog

Historic Road Trip: Amarillo and Canyon

Amarillo’s heritage contains a surprisingly eclectic mix of cultural influences, from Native American leaders to legendary ranchers to the Americana of Route 66.

The city’s population surged in the late 1800s, when windmill-powered agricultural wells reached the deep water table, the railroad arrived, and thousands of nearby cattle were corralled and shipped to meatpacking centers in the north.

By the 1930s, cross-country automobile travel shifted into high gear thanks to new highways like the famous Route 66. The city’s distinctive blend of fiery, friendly folks endeared many travelers to its independent pioneer spirit.

Exploring the Quanah Parker Trail

Dozens of arrows, 22 feet tall, pierce the landscape of the Panhandle Plains. They commemorate Quanah Parker, last chief of the Comanche (Nʉmʉnʉʉ), and the territory called Comanchería where his people lived. Parker was the son of a Quahada Comanche man and a white woman, a heritage that made a lasting impact on his life.