Molly Goodnight

Mary Ann Dyer Goodnight (September 12, 1839 – April 11, 1926) was an American cattlewoman, conservationist, and educator married to prominent Texas rancher and cattleman Charles Goodnight. She was a 1991 inductee of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. Mary Ann is credited with saving the Southern Plains Bison from extinction.

Life
Mary Ann (Molly) Goodnight was born Mary Ann Dyer on September 12, 1839, in Madison County, Tennessee. Mary Ann's father, Joel Henry Dyer, fought in the Battle of New Orleans and was the attorney general of West Tennessee. Mary Ann's mother, Susan Lynch Miller, was the granddaughter of William Blount, the first territorial governor of Tennessee. Mary Ann did not have a formal education, as there were no formal schools while growing up in Tennessee. However, Mary Ann was taught by her parents from a young age and knew how to read and write.

In 1854, when she was 14, Mary Ann's parents brought her to Belknap, Texas. Not soon after her parents died, then she had to care for her three youngest brothers. Around 1864, she met Charles Goodnight at Fort Belknap. In the 1860s, she taught in Weatherford, Texas. While Mary Ann taught, her soon to be husband, Charles, and his cattle partner Oliver Loving created the Goodnight-Loving Trail, which was a cattle drive in the late 1860s for the movement of large herds of Texas Longhorns from Texas to Southern Wyoming. Mary Ann married Charles Goodnight in Hickman, Kentucky at N.P. Harness' home on July 26, 1870. The preacher that officiated the marriage was Rev. N.N. Cowgill of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The Goodnight's went straight from Hickman, KY, to Pueblo, CO to live at the recently established Rock Canon Ranch. Upon their arrival in Pueblo, Mary Ann witnessed two cattle rustlers hung from a telegraph pole by the command of her new husband, Charles. This upset Mary Ann but she persisted and eventually grew fond of her new found home by playing an active role in the community. A devout Methodist, Mary Ann established the first Southern Methodist Church in Pueblo.

Ranching
The Goodnight's had a seven-year try at ranching in Pueblo, CO, but soon moved back to Texas after the financial crisis of 1873. Mary Ann was sent to live with relatives in California while Charles plotted his next moves. In 1876, Charles established a partnership with wealthy businessman John George Adair. Charles' partnership enabled him to co-found the famous JA Ranch in Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Panhandle in 1876.

Mary Ann Goodnight took on several roles while at the JA Ranch. She acted as the ranch manager when Charles was away on business, nursed cowboys back to health with folk medicine, acted as a spiritual advisor for those in troubled times, and patched the cowboys outfits. Beyond her regular chores, Mary Ann convinced her husband Charles to bring her bison calves left behind by buffalo hunters, soon establishing the Goodnight Bison Herd. The Goodnight Bison Herd and its descendants are the last vestige of Southern Plains Bison. They can be found at Caprock Canyon State Park and are known as the Texas State Bison Herd. In 1887, Mary Ann and Charles moved to Armstrong County, Texas. Mary Ann would spend the next 38 years of her life living in the community aptly named for her husband, Goodnight, TX.

Death and legacy
In 1888, the Goodnights built the Goodnight Ranch House in Goodnight, Texas. Mary Ann Goodnight assisted in establishing Goodnight College in 1898. Charles and Mary Ann funded 3 million dollars which was used to construct all of the buildings on campus. Additionally, Mary Ann advocated for temperance and was against alcohol consumption.

In Mary Ann's final years, she suffered from dementia and would often be found wandering the property. Shortly before she passed away, Mary Ann advocated for Palo Duro Canyon to become a National Park. While this did not happen, the Northern section of the canyon became Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Mary Ann Goodnight died at the Goodnight Ranch on April 11, 1926, in Goodnight, TX, and is buried at Goodnight Cemetery next to her husband, Charles.

Charles and Mary Ann's house is located in Armstrong County, Texas, at US 287 and 5000 Block County Road 25. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Today, their home is known as Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight Ranch State Historic Site and can be toured for a minimal fee.