HOW THE OLD WEST HAS BEEN DEFINED
People refer to the ‘Old West’ as the ‘Wild West’ or simply the
‘West’.
No matter how what they might call it, many look upon the
American Old West as a wild and dangerous place that existed
in the last half of the 1800’s in the American Frontier, west
of the Mississippi River in the United States.
Even Europeans who dislike or fear George W. Bush are quick to
call him a “cowboy”, in a derogatory manner, as if his being from
Texas automatically brands him as being like the outlaw cowboys
that died at the O.K. Corral on October 26 1881, in Tombstone,
Arizona Territory.
Many other people from around the world romanticize the American
Old West. They conjure images of cowboys, indians, guns, cattle,
buffalo, trains and the simple life when they imagine the world
of the Old West.
Television, radio shows, and movies have all contributed to
the romanticism of America’s Old West. Television brought us
“Gunsmoke” and “Bonanza”. Movies have come through time to
further emphasize people’s romantic ideas of the Old West. Movies
that come to mind include “Far and Away” in 1992, “True Grit” in
1969, “Two Mules for Sister Sara” in 1970, “Dances With Wolves”
in 1990, and “Tombstone” in 1993. And then there were my two
favorite westerns of all-time, “Support Your Local Sheriff” and
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” which both came out in 1969.
(People love their westerns, and the Internet Movie Database
gave them the chance to rate their favorite western movies here:
imdb.com/chart/western )
PEOPLE STILL THINK THE WEST IS ABOUT THE COWBOYS AND INDIANS
Even in today’s communication age, some people still believe
that Oklahoma and Texas exist as it did in the 1890’s. Back in
the late 1980’s, I had travelled to Florida. While there, someone
asked me where I was from. When I said Oklahoma, they had this
puzzled look come across their face.
After a moment or two, this individual seemed to have made the
connection they were looking for. She asked me, “So, how did you
get to Florida?”
I was confused. I said, “Well, I drove.”
She responded, “Oh, so you stopped along the way and bought
a car?”
I said, “No. I had the car before I left.”
I could see a “deer in the headlights” moment, and then I heard
her soon-to-be-famous words, “I thought everyone in Oklahoma rode
on horses and in wagons. What about the indians? Do you all still
have problems with the indians?”
True story. No kidding. It is hard to believe, I know. I would
not have believed it myself if I had not been there to hear it.
Yes, some people believe that we still live as we did 100 years
ago.
GOING WEST
Prior to 1848, the people who lived in the American Old West
were primarily the military men and lawmen, mountain men who
often worked as trappers and/or traders, the native American
population, cattle ranchers and their hands, and farmers.
Then on January 24, 1848, the news of James Marshall’s “Gold!”
erupted from Sutter’s Mill, California. Suddenly, everyone
wanted to go west.
“Go West Young Man!” was the cry that reverberated around the
globe. “Thus began one of the largest human migrations in history
as a half-million people from around the world descended upon
California in search of instant wealth.”
(For more information about the California Gold Rush, visit this
site: ceres.ca.gov/ceres/calweb/geology/goldrush.html )
THE HISTORICAL STORY OF INDIAN TERRITORY
Indian Territory, also known as I.T., was established in 1830.
The intent of the establishment of the Indian Territory was to
have a place in which to relocate the Eastern Native American
Tribes. In its early days, Indian Territory actually covered
most of modern-day Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.
Indian Territory was not a territory by the legal established
definition of a territory for several more decades. In the
beginning, there was no government or laws governing Indian
Territory. It was simply the place that was set aside to be
occupied by the Native American tribes.
In 1854, the American government decided that they needed to
increase the lands that could be used by their growing
population. So, at this juncture, they reduced the overall size
of Indian Territory to cover most of what is now Oklahoma.
During the Civil War, the Five Civilized Tribes who owned most
of the land comprising Indian Territory, gambled their lot on
the southern Confederate States. When the South lost, the Five
Civilized Tribes lost more of their lands under the new treaties
that had to be negotiated with the victors in Washington, D.C.
Beginning with the Osage Reservation Act of 1872, the federal
government began to treat Indian Territory more as a legally
defined “territory”.
In 1889, the federal government finally established a federal
court for the management of the Indian Territories. And then on
April 22nd 1889, the “Unassigned Lands” of central Oklahoma were
opened to white settlement. 50,000 people, who were called
“Boomers”, settled the “Unassigned Lands” that day.
Then in May of 1990, Indian Territory was divided into Oklahoma
Territory and Indian Territory. Over the next several years,
various “land runs” permitted the various sections of Oklahoma
Territory to be settled.
(For more information about the multitude of “land runs”, check
out this timeline: marti.rootsweb.com/land/oklands.html )
THE CHEROKEE OUTLET LAND RUN OF 1893
The famous opening of the Cherokee Outlet that was the backset
for the movie “Far and Away”, took place on September 16, 1893.
When the Cherokee Outlet was opened, there were 7 original
counties: O, L, K, P, Q, M and N. It was mandated by law that
the settlers of each county would select the new county name
after the run. The names selected were Garfield, Grant, Kay,
Noble, Pawnee, Woods and Woodward.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE 101 RANCH IN NORTHERN OKLAHOMA
Originally bound for California, Colonel George W. Miller found
himself often sidetracked into various business ventures on his
trek west.
In 1893, Colonel Miller founded his 101 Ranch in northcentral
Oklahoma near present day Marland, Oklahoma, south and west of
Ponca City, Oklahoma.
Colonel Miller became good friends with Chief White Eagle, the
chief of the Ponca Nation. The Ponca Nation is situated to the
south of Ponca City, Oklahoma, and just east of the 101 Ranch
site.
In 1903, Col. George Miller died and the ranch was taken over
by his three sons.
At its height, the 101 Ranch which was located in Kay and Noble
counties in the Oklahoma Territory was comprised of a full
110,000 acres. It became the real nexus between the American Old
West and the world-famous 101 Wild West Show, which featured
cowboys and indians in the flesh and show dates around the world
from 1905 to 1931. Even the shows at the ranch were noted to
have attracted more than 65,000 spectators at various times.
HOLLYWOOD MEETS THE WILD WEST
Among the many notable accomplishments attributed to the
Miller’s and their 101 Ranch Wild West Show, was their role
in the revitalization of the western genre in Hollywood.
The first movie ever made of the western genre was “The Great
Train Robbery” in 1903. By the end of the decade, most believed
that the western was dead.
In 1911, the Miller’s signed a contract with the New York Motion
Picture Company and its’ subsidiary studio, the Bison Company.
The 101 Ranch served as the backdrop for several Hollywood films,
and the stars of the 101 Wild West Show staffed hundreds of early
westerns. More than 100 cowboys, cowgirls and indians from the
101 Ranch Wild West Show participated in various Bison Company
westerns.
Even the great Will Rogers did a short stint with the 101 Wild
West Show, before moving to Hollywood to become world-famous.
Will Rogers is just one of the many famous names that came
through the 101 show on their rise to stardom. Many of the
names of 101 performers became so famous in their day that you
may even recognize them today: Bill Pickett, Tom Mix and many
others.
If you want to know more about history, pick your favorite search
engine and go hunting. You would be surpised how much wonderful
history exists on the World Wide Web.
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