1609 Donald Ave, Ponca City, OK 7460

 
Official site of the historic 101 Ranch
Al Ritter, Web site Editor
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President's Letter

Dear Members and Site Visitors,

Thank heavens for spring, late or not. The baby calves jumping around, grass coming on makes for a fine feeling.

We do not seem to have frogs anymore. Does everyone else have this problem? Apparently it is world wide. I miss the little peepers greatly along with the occasional batch of frog legs.

We finally got the roof on the power house fixed and the building painted. I'm glad to get that job done.

I was tickled that the boys found an old coke bottle (1917) near where Tony the Bear was kept. It surely must have been one that he drank from. It is now in the museum.

Al will fill you in on various awards, etc. The Down Town 101 Mural is spectacular. Do see it!

Here's looking forward to another great year.

Jean Evans, President
101 Ranch O.T.A.

 

Vice President's Letter

Dear Members and Site Visitors,

Things have been happening with the 101 Ranch and our organization as we move forward in preserving the memory of that once 'fabulous Empire' and the cowboys and cowgirls who worked there.

The big news is that our efforts have been recognized state wide when myself, board of director members Richard Whiting, Steve Little, Bill Balcer and Secretary/Treasurer Joe Glaser traveled to Oklahoma City to accept the 2010 Edward L. & Thelma Gaylord Award for Preservation of State and Local History.

This took place on March 31 at the Oklahoma Heritage Association Gaylord-Pickens Museum. This recognition by the Oklahoma Heritage Association (www.oklahomaheritage.com) is a very prestigious state wide award and we were honored to receive it.

In addition to receiving that award, we received news that we were once more named a recipient of an Oklahoma Department of Libraries, 'Threats To Your Collection' grant. Receiving this grant will allow us to purchase professional museum software to record and preserve the assets found in our museum at Marland's Grand Home in Ponca City, Oklahoma.

In addition to these accolades and the financial reward that came with them, we have moved forward with physical improvements at the Ranch site. This pas winter, Director James Hopkins finished the restoration of the 101 Ranch power house standing next to the two remaining headquarters site silos. Earlier this past year, we contracted with Charlie Hanger Roofing who handled the restoration of the unique metal shingles of the power house. In addition to managing that project, Director Hopkins repaired and painted the structure. In addition to assisting with that project, Director Jerry Jansma completed the wrought iron fence work to finish a gap in our original masonry wrought iron fencing located on the highway side of where the 101 Ranch White House once stood.

After a preliminary meeting with Oklahoma Department of Transportation Engineers in mid April, it was determined that plans to construct drive way access to Monument Hill which would allow public access to our frontage and provide a view of the hilltop. As many of our members are aware Monument Hill features the 1924 monument to the friendship of Ponca Tribal Chief White Eagle and the Ponca Tribe with the 101 Ranch.

At this point, access to the legendary African American cowboy Bill Pickett's grave site located only a few feet from the 14 foot stone cairn monument isn't planned. But a monument to him along with the other unmarked graves found on the top of the hill is planned for our construction project which will provide safe roadside viewing of Monument Hill. One of our historical podium style signs is also part of our plans.

Partial funding for the project is at hand through previous successful grant applications. A local Ponca City businessman has indicated his interest in donating an additional $5,000 to the project. The Osage Tribal Casino located just east of Ponca City and the Osage Tribe has also express an interest in assisting with funding.

101 Ranch Director Jerry Jansma has assumed the responsibility of construction planning and organizing the donated labor that we will need to accomplish the project. His efforts along with Director James Hopkins are to be commended.

We are looking forward to reporting future progress on the project in our next contact.

Best wishes from the 101 Ranch.


Al Ritter
Vice President, 101 Ranch OTA

 

 

 

Oklahoma Stars on the Screen

From the March 1925 issue of the 101 Magazine

Many Popular Movie Stars Began Their Careers Here At Marland With the Miller Brothers' 101 Ranch. Perhaps You Knew Some of 'em--Anyway. You Know 'em Now.

The brightly lithographed posters which tease Mr. and Mrs. Public into walking up to the box-office and laying their money on the marble carry the smiling faces of many film celebrities who made their picture debut on the 101 Ranch.

Tom Mix
Tom Mix

Tom Mix, the cowboy idol is an Oklahoman whose early career carried him to many parts of the state, joined the 101 Wild West show and, for several seasons, he lent his lusty whoops and his fine horsemanship to the show arena. Col. Wm. Selig, an early producer, came to 101 Ranch to produce an historical drama and Mix, who was chief of the cowboys, attracted his attention. Mix later went to Selig in Chicago, where several westerns were produced. Following this he was given a handful of cowboys and sent to California, where he made a great many one and two reel thrillers. He gradually came more and more into the public eye and William Fox grabbed him on a long term contract. Today the salary of the former $20-a-month cowboy is said to be four times as large as that received by the President of the United States.

 

 

 

Charles Jones
Charles Jones

Charles (Buck) Jones, whose real name is Charles Gebhart, is another film luminary whose career began on the 101. Several years ago the 101 show was playing at Galveston. A backward country boy, just discharged from the army, approached Col. Joe Miller and asked for a job. He was given the only opening - the task of currying horses for the cowboys. Soon an opening occurred in the cowboy 'string' and Jones was given an outfit and a horse. He made a splendid arena performer and he was held over during the winter for the next season's tour. Following the close of his first season, he married a dainty cowgirl (and, by the way, he still has the same wife) and they took a tiny cabin at ranch headquarters, down on the Salt Fork River.

A picture company drafted him into several mob scenes and he awakened to the possibilities. A line of small parts followed until he was again taken on the road by the 101 show. Intermittent snatches of picture work followed, but the real opportunity never seemed to come along. Then the war came along and Buck was soon a doughboy with the A. E. F. After the armistice he was sent with the army of occupation into Coblenz, Germany. Here, one holiday, an American wild west show was staged for visiting royalty and high officials. It was in this show, before King Albert of Belgium, Lloyd George of England and other celebrities, that Jones' superb horsemanship brought him considerable attention and publicity. The William Fox organization heard of the matter and, upon his discharge, a Fox representative stood before him with a five year contract in his hand. That contract recently expired and it is no secret that the renewal mentioned dollars in quantities that would take an average person's breath. One of the best things about Buck Jones is that he is just - well, just "Buck" Jones; and any of his friends who visit Hollywood find the old latchstring on the outside, with himself and the pleasant little wife glad to prove that success hasn't spoiled them.

Will Rogers

It hardly seems fair to mention Will Rogers at any place except at the head of this article, but Will is not a temperamental actor and his consarned modesty makes him happier if he is not given too prominent a place. (The truth is, Bill is pretty much pleased if folks will just give him plenty of elbow room and time to count his daily earnings). Rogers, always a bashful soul, was with the 101 show at Madison Square Garden, New York City. A great roan steer, new to the show business, broke thru the barricades and was wildly charging toward a packed and jammed crowd. Screams rent the air, mothers gathered up their children and endeavored to move in the tightly wedged mob. The animal was bearing down upon them in fearful lunges. Suddenly a cowboy's whoop rang out, a pony sat on his haunches, and the roan steer lunged into a dust heap, groaning and bawling. The taut rope held the animal until he could be driven back into the herd in the arena. Will Rogers may be slow of speech, but he certainly was not slow of action when a crisis demanded quick thinking and a skillful toss of the rope. That same quickness of wit has since been the envy of many slow thinking politicians who have been the objects of Rogers' good-natured satire.

Following the steer episode, Rogers came into the arena to do his usual roper-spinning stunt. The crowd cheered until it was hoarse, and every novel twist of his rope brought a barrage of hand-clapping. A late arriving vaudeville agent, believing the applause to be entirely due to the crowd's approval of the rope-spinning, made the decision to employ this popular cowboy.

Next day Rogers received an offer and he came doubtfully to Col. Zack Miller for advice. It seemed that that darned fool vaudeville agent had offered him fifty dollars a week and he doubted the sincerity and squareness of the offer. Col. Miller investigated and found the offer to be legitimate. A few days later Rogers made his first vaudeville appearance. The entire 101 Ranch show roster walked up to the box-office and laid down their money just so they could clap for Bill. Their patronage and applause convinced the agent that he had made a real find but later he became discouraged. Rogers' act seemed mediocre. It never improved until one day by accident the cowboy spun his rope in a great circle and tangled it hopelessly around his legs. The crowd laughed. Rogers looked up sheepishly and said, "Well, I'd a heap rather have a rope around my laigs than t', have it around my neck." The crowd roared. From that humble beginning his extemporaneous monologs were developed and today Will Rogers is one of the most quoted men in the world.

Neal Hart, Hoot Gibson, Jack Hoxie, Tommy Grimes and Art Acord all admit that the first round on their ladders of fame would have to be named "101."

Art Acord as featured as the star of the 'Riding Rascal' from the 1920's.

 

Art Acord in western costume. More than being a scripted hero on the big screen, he was a war hero during World War I. Prior to enlisting, he appeared in one reel movies produced by Bison Film Company and returned to movie making after the war.

 

2010 Wine Tasting Fundraiser

June 18, 2010
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Marland's Grand Home, Ponca City


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Click Pictures to Enlarge!

The flag plaza found at the edge of what once was the drive way of the 101 Ranch store at the headquarters site. The three lighted flags from left to right are the Oklahoma state flag, the U.S. flag and 101 Ranch flag. The three flags are flown during the year and replaced during the summer when they go to auction at the annual 101 Ranch OTA membership meeting each year.

Spur

Expert trick riders, a troupe of European Cossacks joined the 101 Ranch Wild West Show after fleeing oppressive political conditions during the first 101 Ranch tour of Europe. Two of them are seen here during practice. They were billed as, 'Equestrian Rivals of the Cow-Boy'.

Always a perennial favorite part of the Wild West Show first introduced in the original 1905 show, Native American performers attack the settlers wagon train complete with plenty of loud blank gunfire, black powder smoke and swirling dust. The act was seen in a number of subsequent movie scenes.

After leaving the 101 Ranch and relocating to Hollywood, the one time cow hand, Tom Mix is seen here after achieving stardom in early day western movies.

Another early day western movie actor, Hoot Gibson toured the rodeo circuit as a bronco buster and bull rider. He won the title, 'World All-Around Champion Cowboy' in 1912 before gaining stardom. Prior to fame and fortune he signed on with the 101 Ranch around 1907 and honed his riding and roping skills.

In 2008, Tom Mix was featured in wax at a world class display of 101 Ranch items seen for a limited time at Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, OK.

Not remembered as well as either Tom Mix or Hoot Gibson, Art Acord was also a graduate of the 101 Ranch work force. Occasionally billed as Buck Parvin, he achieved fame in the 1920's as western movie star but died destitute in a Mexican hotel in 1931.