In 1895, 16-year-old Lyman T. Davis appeared on the Streets of Corsicana Texas, and began selling his “ranch” chili from the back of a wagon in front of the Blue Front Saloon.
Although no one knew it at the time, Davis was beginning an odyssey that would lead to the foundation of a company destined to become a Texas and Southwest legend. By the early 1920s, the chili’s reputation had spread and Davis began canning it. His pet wolf, Kaiser Bill, was selected to grace the label, and that’s how Wolf Brand Chili got its name.
It’s famous trademarked slogan is, “Neighbor, how long has it been since you’ve had a big, thick, steaming bowl of Wolf Brand Chili? Well, that’s too long.”
In 1957 Quaker Oats of Chicago purchased Wolf Brand from then owners Doyle and James West. Quaker Oats continued to operate the Corsicana plant, continuing to use Davis’s original recipe. In 1977 Wolf Brand, along with other chili manufacturers, successfully lobbied the Texas legislature to have chili proclaimed the official “state food” of Texas.
The Texas Legislature declared chili as the official state dish in 1977.
In an effort to consolidate its operations, Quaker Oats closed the Corsicana plant in 1985 and merged its operations with another subsidiary, Stokley-Van Camp, in Dallas. ConAgra acquired Van Camp’s and Wolf Brand from Quaker Oats in 1995.
Lyman T. Davis died in 1954 and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Corsicana.
