The Coleman, Mathis, Fulton cattle company was formed in 1871 by partners George Ware Fulton, youngs Coleman, Tom Coleman, Thomas Henry Mathis, and J. M. Mathis, with headquarters in Rockport. The The Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company, with 167,000 acres of land, was organized in 1879 after the Mathis cousins left the partnership. Fulton was a pioneer in fencing of the open south Texas range and in shipping cattle by boat from company wharves. Continuing financial problems led Fulton to borrow funds for the company from David Sinton of Ohio. Eventually Sinton gained control of the company and at his death willed his interest to his daughter, Anna, wife of Charles P. Taft. The company became known locally as the Taft Ranch.
Joseph F. Green became manager in 1900 and built the ranch into one of the largest and most innovative in the state, introducing new crops and cattle breeds. The city of Taft was formed in 1904 as a company town and was sold at auction in 1921. Constructed in 1923, this building was the last headquarters for the Taft Ranch. By 1928 all ranch enterprises had been sold. The company's charter expired in 1930, leaving the town of Taft as its legacy.
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