Goodnight, Charles (1836–1929)

US cattleman. He pioneered the movement of cattle ranching into New Mexico (1866) and established the Goodnight and the New Goodnight trails. With John Adair he developed the JA Ranch in Texas (100,000 head of cattle on one million acres) and crossed Angus cattle with buffalo to produce the cattalo. Goodnight was born in Macoupin County, Illinois. He worked as a guide and scout in Texas, where he served with the Texas Rangers during the Civil War. He remained the dominant figure in western Texas until his death.