The information in this blog is based on what I have read, on interviews with people who knew Daniel Webster "80 John" Wallace or who were only a generation away, and from general knowledge of him. My own claims to information lie in my own experience. I was privileged to teach for two years at Wallace High School in Colorado City, Texas, no longer a segregated school, and I lived for twenty years within five miles of his ranch, and have seen his house where his descendants still live, and the cemetery where he and other family members are buried. I realize that I cannot guarantee all of this information, but those who spoke of these things were relating these things to me as factual. I hope you enjoy what I have to say about this amazing man.
He was born a slave in 1860 in South Texas. After Emancipation, his mother chose to stay with the family where she had served. In a way that our current culture may not understand or even accept, there was a mutual love and trust that extended beyond the days of slavery between the servants and the family they had served.
But John Wallace wanted more. At 15 he got a chance to participate in a cattle drive, and was overjoyed at the 15 silver dollars he earned for the trip, and never got over his love of cattle work. After being involved with several ranchers, it was Clayton Mann in Mitchell County, Texas, who acted on Wallace's natural talents and abilities. Mann paid his cowboys a dollar a day, payable at the end of the month. But with Wallace's consent, he only paid him five dollars a month, holding the rest in savings, and helping him buy his own herd. He also allowed Wallace to graze his cattle on Mann's land until Wallace had earned enough in cattle ranching to buy his own land. As a result, Wallace assembled quite a respectable spread of land in Mitchell County, Texas, a ranch that survives today, and his family still manages the ranch.
Wallace brought innovations like windmills to the dry plains, and the first Hereford bull to Mitchell county. When he died at 78 years old in 1939, he was a millionaire with a majestic ranch headquarters/house, which is still occupied by his descendants today.
His story is one of integrity and dependability. One of the men he worked for trusted him to be a courier of thousands of dollars to take to a bank in Fort Worth. At the time, there were still possible clashes with Indians, and of course, outlaws, but he managed to do the work and earn the respect and trust of several ranchers who employed him.
When his mother died, still with the family that had once owned her, he went back to arrange services, and stayed with the family. Later, many of those same people would visit him on his ranch in Mitchell County, and were always welcomed as guests. He even helped them financially during hard times.
In a "Jim Crow" era, John Wallace could walk into any bank, restaurant, or other establishment in Colorado City, Texas, and bankers, ranchers, and businessmen gathered around his table to gain financial advice. He was the one who told them the railroads were the future, and barbed wire was necessary, and gave counsel on how ranching in the 1890s and beyond was going to work.
When the Depression came, he had invested wisely, and bailed out many who had not. He helped churches, businesses, and even banks, stay afloat. The Wallace School where I taught was not built by him, but named in his honor, though two of his daughters did teach there later. He had built schools earlier, which he financed. Though he was a Methodist, he paid to build a "colored" Baptist church in Loraine, Texas, with the provision that it would be used during the week as a "colored" school as well. The church still exists, and I have driven by it several times. It is not a Baptist church any longer, but still being used as a church, and a devout Black man serves there as a pastor. Of course, there is no longer a need for "colored" schools in Colorado City, as all the kids attend school together.
One Colorado City man, a Mr. Wood, who was a friend and perhaps a distant relative of the Wallace family, told me that Wallace insisted that his daughters get their teaching degrees in college, and of course, Wallace paid for them. His son, however, was expected to stay on the ranch and keep the operation going. When the girls got their degrees, he insisted that they return to Colorado City and teach there at no charge to the school, that he would pay their wages. Mr. Wood lent me the first biography (and maybe only one) that I got to read about Wallace, and it was written by Wallace's teacher/daughter, Hetty Branch. I was glad to have Mr. Wood lend me the book because at the time, I could not find one online. Today, I noticed a used one on Amazon for over 40 dollars, so it's hard to find. Mr. Wood also told me about his own father's disgust when Wallace brought a 5000 dollar Hereford bull to Mitchell County, something he thought a great waste. But as usual, Wallace knew what he was doing, and turned his investment into more money. I regret that I didn't get to spend more time with Mr. Wood, as he passed away a few years ago, and had some wonderful stories about himself as well, and deserves his own biography. I love the time I got to spend with him.
A woman who lived in my community was in her nineties when she told me about Wallace's visit to her father. At that time, Wallace had also set up a cousin in ranching, east of Loraine, and both of them, for whatever reason, were helping my friend's father with a project on his own farm. At lunch time, the farmer sat at his table to eat, and Wallace and his cousin stood at the kitchen door, not entering. She told me how he stopped and looked at them, and stated, "Well, I may starve because I'm not eating a bite until you two sit at the table and eat with me." She was astonished at something culturally radical at the time, but that was the type of respect that Wallace earned.
Another man in my community, who died ten years ago, could remember some things about Wallace when I asked him, since his family was from the Loraine area. He remembered the day of the funeral in 1939, even though he was just a boy himself. He said that the old dirt road was full of cars, "More cars than I ever saw anywhere else," he told me. I assume people in two counties and even further away came to pay their respects to him at the humble service on the family plot on his ranch land.
He is remembered at Texas Tech, where one of his earlier ranch houses was moved and reconstructed at the Museum at the university. There is also a windmill he used that has been rebuilt there. Today, there is a historical marker at the entrance of his ranch, and a state sign noting that the ranch has been in the hands of the same family for well over 100 years.
I know I'm rambling here, but it's interesting to know that since Wallace had no formal schooling, he returned as an adult to an elementary school, and spent a year there, learning how to read, and ending up marrying his teacher, Laura Owen, who came back to the ranch with him. He never grasped the concept of classroom math, but Clayton Mann boasted to other ranchers how he had a cowboy who could look at a herd and tell you how many were there, and give you the relative value of that herd, based on size, health, and type of livestock. He couldn't do math, but he knew how to make a million dollars.
There is a lot more available about him that you can Google, or if you're willing to pay for it, you can locate Hetty's book about him online, though I will warn you she wrote it for school children, so it is simple reading. Daniel Webster "80 John" Wallace lived in a time of segregation and discrimination, and of course, had been born into slavery. None of those things meant anything to him, and he opened many doors that could have easily been closed to him. The picture that accompanies this essay was in the front lobby of Wallace School, and I stopped to admire it every day. He doesn't look like a millionaire, but the dignity and integrity still shine through.
I have been told that he was Mitchell County's first millionaire, and I'm not certain that's right, but even if it's not, it's a testimonial to a man whose life span went from a child of a house slave to a millionaire cattle rancher and philanthropist. Though he died at 78, locals have told me that he was busting broncos in downtown Loraine when he was 75 years old.
One article I read said he was one of "the most respected Black ranchers of his time," and I would say that phrase has one word too many. His respect was earned as a rancher, not a "black" one, and I give credit to Clayton Mann who could see the potential of a skinny young man who had a businessman's head on his shoulders, and who helped him get a start in ranching.
I wish there were more books about him, more information that I could find. Though there are several sources on the internet, I find that many of them have misinformation about him -- nothing serious; for example, he was not "the oldest man in Mitchell County" when he died. I have given you some facts that are not in books, that were given me by three people who are no longer alive to attest to these facts, but it's as close as I could come to meeting the real John Wallace.
I encourage you to find out more. In these days of the internet, it is literally at your fingertips. But he's definitely worth a "shout out," and deserves to be remembered permanently. His influence extends into the 21st century.
My only regret in writing this whole article is that there were not more "Clayton Mann's" who could see the potential that Mann saw in young "80 John." I think how much better the world -- our country -- would be today if other young men and women with such powerful potential had been recognized and encouraged. We can't change the past, but we can look around in the present, and make sure that no new "Daniel Webster Wallace's" are being left on the wayside.
