Water Rules

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231

Scarcity of water dictated one’s fate - commercially and survival-wise. Goodnight’s genius was to purchase Palo Duro land checkerboard-style; buying only those units that held or were in close proximity to water sources. Since nobody would by the other, non-watered sites, the JA effectively controlled two units of land for the price of one. The original purchase was 12,000 acres. After that, fueled by Adair’s loans and Goodnight’s moxie, the holdings soared.