Yesterday is gone never to return. We restore tall grass prairie lands, put herds of buffalo on them in our effort to recreate the fame and infamy of the real wild west. The effort is worthwhile, yet the past remains beyond our understanding.
Michael Wallis, celebrated author, and adopted son of Oklahoma, opens a door too long closed. Wallis' passion for his subject is contagious. In his introduction to "The Real Wild West," he states, "On the Hundred and One ranch, the west of imagination collided and merged with the west of reality a spectacle that can never be duplicated."
"Once upon a time, in the far reaches of north-central Oklahoma not far from the Kansas border, was a ranch empire of cattle, bucking horses, oil fields, and grasslands.
"The ranch which at its zenith encompassed 110,000 acres in the Ponca Indian country was the wildest, woolliest, and most unusual operation of its kind in the history of the American West. It became known far and wide as the Miller Brothers' 101 Ranch."
As I read through the 519 pages of text and studied the endnotes and bibliography, I was awestruck with the monumental task Wallis undertook to bring this saga to life. Remember, this is not fiction but fact and from it readers glean new perspective and understanding of Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Texas, and California. Wallis shows the migration trails from Kentucky westward, and illuminates the years from 1850 to present day in a manner more fascinating than
any historical novel I've ever read. That is a heartfelt tribute considering the 200 plus reviews I've written during the past nine years. Wallis writes history as we can only wish it were taught in our schools. The historical events, and personal insights into the characters are compelling.
"The Real Wild West" is written in five parts and contains two 16 page black and white photograph inserts and one 16-page color insert.
In Part One, the dark and bloody ground of Kentucky and the old south after the Civil War is intertwined with the Miller family's own historical beginnings. Part Two "Go West, Young
Man" shows the great characters of the time like Ned Buntline, Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse Chisholm, and many others. Frontier Vigilantes and The Hanging Judge, blend into the storyline. Each part offers up virtually unknown tales of the pioneers who ventured west. Get ready to meet the real Jesse James and Cole Younger, along with other outlaws whose mythical lives become flesh and blood as Wallis spins his true stories. Geronimo, Buffalo Bill, Pawnee Bill, Will Rogers, and believe it or not, Elizabeth Taylor's parents, all were at one time involved with the Hundred and
One Ranch.
G. W. Miller brought his young family out of Kentucky into Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and finally, Indian Territory. Wallis' impeccable research combined with his passion reveals more truth about G. W. and his three sons than has ever before been told. Together these men created not only a working ranch filled with cowboys and cowgirls who would one day become famous in surprising ways, they built an empire and in doing so, incurred the wrath of White Eagle a beloved Ponca Chief. After White Eagle realized he had made a terrible mistake in allowing oilman E. W.
Marland and the Millers to drill for oil and gas on the Ponca's sacred ground he spoke this grim prophecy to Marland. "It will mean great trouble for me and my people, and for you." When an early gas well came in, another elder, Running-After-Arrow, agreed with White Eagle as he stood by George Miller and said, "No good, no good. Beautiful country all die now. Cattle die. Ponies die. No good, no good. Beautiful country soon all gone."
The Millers' story is not all "gussied up," as my grandmother used to say, but is related with all the bad and ugly as well as the good. The Millers were ruthless in many of their ways, and life was cheap. Yet, from their efforts thousands of legends were born. The history of the glory days of the Wild West Shows and early day western movies cavort within these pages. Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson, Buck Jones, Ken Maynard all saddled cow ponies and drew wages from the 101 paymaster. Bill Pickett, the famed black cowboy who invented the sport of "bulldogging," rode for the 101 until the day he died.
A characterization of Zack Miller at 21 years of age brought a smile to my face. Wallis said that Zack grew so cocky he could "strut sitting down." Then there was Lucille Mulhall, the original cowgirl who weighed less than a "pair of fancy Mexican saddles." Her story intrigued me.
All things do come to an end and in the 1930s the Hundred and One Ranch passed from the hands of the Millers. In 1987 a fire destroyed the historic 101 Ranch store. The Salt Fork river cut deeper and deeper into the land until today, hardly any physical trace remains of the once grand empire.
Wallis writes that sometimes if the morning light is just right, or late at night, when the moon makes puzzling shadows, those who know what was once there let their minds play tricks. "In the thistle and clumps of sumac and out in the tall grass, the wind sounds like strong cow ponies on the move. Hundreds of ghosts are difficult to silence. The beating of drums, the solemn chants, the crack of pistols, the waves of applause cannot be stilled.
"None of what happened there can ever be forgotten."
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Jones is a published writer and literary critic
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