our neighbor: MINERAL WELLS HISTORY
Some of it is in
Parker County.
Some of it is in Palo Pinto County.
But we love it just the same.
C olorful H istory • N oteworthy S ights
G reat S hopping • M emorable D ining
Texas Royals —
Electra Waggoner, Prairie Princess – Part 1
By MARSHA BROWN
G
rowing up they called her, “Princess of the Prairie.”
She was a true Texas trendsetter who had all the
attributes necessary for the daughter of a cattle king. She
lived a jet-set lifestyle before there were jets and was a
flapper before the jazz age ever dawned. Most of the
high-bows who met Electra Waggoner on her grand tour
assumed her name came from Greek mythology. That
made her laugh. The truth was Electra was named for her
maternal grandfather, Electious Halsell, who owned a
tavern in Decatur, Texas.
Electra’s father, Tom Waggoner, along with his father,
Dan Waggoner, had started building a cattle empire
during the days when the price of land was cheap and
plentiful. Dan was born in Tennessee and came to North
Texas at the age of 10, with his parents Solomon and
Elizabeth Waggoner. They settled in Red River County in
1938.
The Waggoner family brought cattle and horses to
Texas with them and immediately set out to build a
successful stock business. The eldest of eight children,
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Tom was his father’s right hand in the business affairs. As
1845 came to a close, so did the era of Texas as a repub-
lic. Texas joined the union. After a decade of doing busi-
ness in Red River County, the Waggoner family moved
on to greener pastures in Hopkins County. A few months
later, Solomon (Electra’s grandfather) died and Tom found
himself presiding over the family business.
Tom married 16-year-old Nancy Moore in 1849
and the couple welcomed a son on Aug. 31, 1852.
They named the boy “William Thomas” after Nancy’s
father, but he soon became known as “W.T.” The young
couple’s happiness was short-lived. Nancy along with
Dan’s sister, Martha, died in a carriage accident.
The next year, Dan started looking westward to better
grazing land. He purchased 242 cattle along with a
handful of “good” horses and headed to Wise County.
Land grants were plentiful and one settler could claim
up to 160 acres free of charge. It wasn’t unusual for the
“settlers” to sell their land for $.35 to $.50. per acre.
A year later, Dan Waggoner increased his herd and