Thanks to experts like Wallis, there’s a clear path to follow, and it leads from the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in the northeast to the ancient Wichita Mountains of the southwest.
#Wild wild west susan silo full#
Tracing the history of Western movies through Oklahoma unveils a fascinating chapter in the state’s history, a window to a past full of adventure. Blending myth and reality, they thrilled audiences with showmanship adapted from Wild West shows and characters presented against the backdrop of the vast American landscape. They comprised one of the most popular film genres of the early cinema period, making up nearly a fifth of all features from the silent era through the 1950s. Westerns depict struggle and heroism-often highly romanticized-on the frontier of the United States mostly after the Civil War. “I would even be so bold as to say Oklahoma was the cradle for the birthing of that whole genre of Western films, which caught on like prairie fire all through the twentieth century and still burns on today in many hearts and minds,” says Michael Wallis, author of the 1999 book The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West.Ĭinema star, rodeo legend, and occasional bartender Tom Mix appeared in the silent film "Mr. Though it was noteworthy for its size, scope, and the success of its livestock and farming enterprises, its lasting impact was the role it played in making Oklahoma the epicenter of Western films at the dawn of motion pictures. At its peak, the 101 Ranch encompassed more than a hundred thousand acres and included land in four counties. But the site’s lonesome aspect belies both its former glory and the long-term significance of what happened here. This is my third visit, and each time, I’ve had the place to myself. Among the solemn ruins are oddities as well: what’s left of a monkey house and a manmade cave built for a pet black bear. A silo and the shell of a powerhouse stand west of a trio of foundations: a hotel, the ranch store, the Millers’ family home.
Along a quiet road twelve miles south of Ponca City, I walk among the remains of the Miller Brothers’ 101 Ranch headquarters. Low clouds and a biting wind make for a bleak, eye-watering day on the prairie.
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