Coming Home with Big Ideas
Story by Steve Nussbaum | Photos by Matthew Renfro
It’s all about the views at The Wildcatter Ranch Resort. Kevin and Linda Fullerton, Kallie and George Doubleday, with their two boys Hays and Cline are the new owners of The Wildcatter ranch between Possum Kingdom and Graham, TX.
What does a researcher with a doctorate in human-wildlife interactions and her engineer husband do when deciding their next chapter in life? For Kalli Doubleday and her spouse, George, they move to Graham, Texas, and purchased a large western hospitality resort to accompany their already successful wedding venue business.
Doubleday was a professor at the University of Texas in Austin, and her research led her to India to study the cohesive existence of tigers and humans in rural areas in an effort to preserve the natural habitat for the wild animals, and to prevent their extinction from living alongside humans.
The couple has two boys, 6-year-old Hays and 3-year-old Cline, and they wanted to raise their children in her hometown of Graham. They have owned and operated the wedding venue Sparrow Creek Ranch with Doubleday’s parents, Kevin and Linda Fullerton, since 2012. The ranch, located between Possum Kingdom Lake and Graham, has been in the family for many years.
Before moving to Graham, Doubleday was able to run the events venue remotely from Austin with her parents’ help. Her father is a master builder, and he and his right-hand man Allen Slater built the Sparrow Creek facility by hand. The entire facility has incorporated unique items into the decor, such as old steel beams from an abandoned bridge, and it’s marketed to couples across the country who want a unique wedding location.
Sparrow Creek had always used the catering and lodging facilities at Wildcatter Ranch & Resort, so it seemed like a natural fit when the previous owner decided to sell the 1,500-acre property. After 18 months of negotiating, the Doubledays and Fullertons closed the deal in November 2024.
Kevin Fullerton built most of the Sparrow Creek Ranch himself with the help of Alan Slater. The family have owned the Sparrow Creek ranch venue since 2012.
Doubleday described the first day of owning the Wildcatter resort as “the worst day of my life.” It was pouring rain, she said, and there was no hot water on site for more than 200 guests staying at the ranch. To add insult to injury, the credit card system wasn’t working, either. Thankfully, they were able to get everything back into working order in a few hours.
The Wildcatter Ranch is a Western-style resort with a steakhouse that is open to the public. It features a 16-room hotel, 16 cabins and a pair of two-bedroom homes, as well as a 14,000-square-foot mansion. The Wildcatter Ranch and Sparrow Creek are fantastic places to conduct a Western-style destination wedding or a corporate event.
Before buying the Wildcatter, Doubleday said she had considered building a boutique hotel on the square in Graham, so the combination of the two venues seemed to be a natural fit.
The Wildcatter attracts corporate customers from across the country, as well as many foreign guests. Each room on the property has a unique theme and offers a taste of Texas hospitality.
The Hotel at The Wildcatter features 16 rooms and several conference rooms for corporate meetings.
Each cabin at The Wildcatter features a different theme and true rustic elegance.
The ranch offers trail rides, hiking and horseback riding, and there are longhorn cattle on site. Guests can also enjoy skeet shooting and roping lessons. All this is just minutes from Possum Kingdom Lake, and the entire facility sits on a cliff overlooking the beautiful Brazos River Valley below.
The Doubledays have taken some of the typical wrangler activities and taken them to the next level for corporate events. One of the most popular is the Sasquatch scavenger hunt, where participants are given a Polaroid camera and must take pictures along the way to earn points – but the team can lose points if Sasquatch takes a picture of the team instead.
Other activities include country-western line dancing and a hiking-trail mixology tour.
“There is no lack of ideas, and that is the strength of what will improve the resorts,” Doubleday said.
The new owners have streamlined the resort’s processes and services, made large upgrades to the internet and are maximizing the natural beauty of the site. Plans also call for improving the road up the hill to the resort and steakhouse, and upgrading and expanding the facilities.
Doubleday and her team have begun offering monthly specialty events, too. Upcoming events include barn dances at Sparrow Creek, wine dinners, a crawfish boil on the patio, and more events throughout the spring and summer.
Wildcatter Ranch and Resort gives guests the chance to experience the beautiful Palo Pinto area for themselves.
The patio at The Wildcatter Ranch Steakhouse has been a favorite of locals and guests for decades.
The Wildcatter and PK make for a marvelous destination for any event. No matter whether guests want to relax at the resort, enjoy the ranch activities or explore the best lake in the state, the Wildcatter resort and Possum Kingdom Lake are a match made in Texas.
