Woody

Woody was thirty miles northwest of Pecos at the headquarters of the W Ranch in north central Loving County. A post office that operated at Woody in 1910 and 1911 was likely named for Fannin Woodyard Johnson, who was called Woody. Johnson was the leading partner in a business alliance with his two brothers, W. D. and J. L. The Johnsons, who invested in banking and merchandizing in Pecos, bought the W Ranch from Continental Land and Cattle Company in 1893. By 1910 they owned 1,200 sections of land in Loving, Winkler, and Ward counties. However, in 1910 ranching was stifled in a severe drought that afflicted West Texas. The Johnsons reduced their cattle holdings in Loving County and in 1912 sold the W Ranch to John Z. Means of Valentine.