Bowie, Montague County
Mose Johnson was born at New Harp (Montague Co.) In 1881, his father died when Mose was three, and his mother Sarah gave him a baby chick to teach responsibility at an early age, sparking a lifelong interest in poultry. In 1904, Mose married Mabel Jones, and the following year they began the M. Johnson Poultry Ranch with five single comb white leghorns and one rooster. The ranch’s large incubator led to international shipment of day old chicks, and by 1915, the ranch covered 350 acres and was considered one of the largest enterprises of its kind. The Johnsons’ 1924 home was advertised as “the house that white leghorns built.” The business continued to expand in Bowie and Wichita Falls before closing after Mabel’s death in 1974. (2008)