Welcome back. Breaking news and long overdue is the announcement of a new museum in Pawhuska but friends this time it has little to do with Ree Drummond. Born on June 13, 1918 in Foraker, Oklahoma this man who the museum is dedicated to grew up on what is now the Nature Conservancy’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve but back then it was the Chapman Barnard Ranch and it was huge! It is said that he could ride and rope by the age of four and in Pawhuska where his dad was well known, most people just called him “son.” Millionaire film maker Howard Hughes first noticed “son’s” skills in 1940 when he hired him to bring a load of horses to Hollywood to make the film Outlaw. Hughes gave “son” more work taking care of the horses and that led to doing stunt work for the stars of Hughes’ films. John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Joel McCrea, James Stewart and Henry Fonda all called on “son” to do their stunts and double for them riding horses. In 1953 this man who often came back to visit the place he called home set the world record for professional calf roping, also winning the world championship in team roping along the way. By this time in his life he was acting as well, co-starring with the biggest box office stars of the day and even starring in his own pictures. His first starring role in Mighty Joe Young was filmed the same year “son” and John Wayne were in She Wore A Yellow Ribbon and they went on to make many other movies together. Dozens of film and T.V. roles came his way along with numerous awards and then in 1971 he won the biggest award of all for his performance in The Last Picture Show. This man had done something no other person has accomplished before, winning both an Oskar and a world rodeo championship. Yes, by now I hope most of you know I’m talking about Ben “son” Johnson, Jr. He is in the Western Heritage Center and Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City and he also has a star on the famous “Walk of Fame” in Hollywood. In his later years, in addition to supporting everything he could in Pawhuska, Ben worked to raise money on a national level for many causes including disadvantaged and disabled children, cancer research and the fight against cystic fibrosis. Ben died on April 8, 1996 while visiting his mom and it was a day when family, friends and fans from Pawhuska to Hollywood all cried. Now you know why this museum is long overdue. I hope you are wondering when and where is the Grand Opening so here’s your answer: June 12-15th from 9AM-6PM each day. The museum is located at 201 East 6th Street which is right around the corner from the Pioneer Woamn’s Mercantile. I also heard that the actor Buck Henry of Gunsmoke fame and several other old Hollywood friends will be around town during this period. As for me, I’m bound for Haskell, Texas for the Wild Horse Prairie Days which is a huge sanctioned ranch rodeo and I’m told by the organizers that all the top ranch teams from around the country will there . I’ll tell you all about it next week. Till then, I’ll see ya down the road….

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Hell on the Border World Premiere

Welcome back. Pawnee, Oklahoma was my destination this past Sunday to catch the world premiere of a new movie based on the true story of U.S. Marshall Bass Reeves. Marshall Reeves was from a time long ago when Judge Parker ruled over the Indian territories of what is now Oklahoma….

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Holiday Book Signings

 I have a full schedule of book signings coming up: Tulsa Gun Show- December 7th-8th, 9-5 Moxie on Second Street, Bartlesville ,December 12th  5-7PM Best of Books,  Edmond, December 14th, 12PM Full Circle Books,  Oklahoma City, December 14th, 3-4:30 PM Brace’s Book, Ponca City, December 19th, 5PM Hope to see…

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Killers of the Flower Moon Casting Call

Welcome back. It seems that every week there is something going on in Pawhuska and this past weekend I was there once again to check out all the action. Many of you may be familiar with Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann which was published in 2017 and…

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Will This Mystery Ever Be Solved?

Welcome back to part four of the case of the missing cheerleader and the end of this road for me.  The Osage County Sheriff’s department never gives up on a case. I’ve spent hours researching several cold cases in their offices and this week’s column just shows their determination. On…

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More on the Case of the Missing Cheerleader

Welcome back to the case of the missing cheerleader.  As previously stated over the last two weeks the date was June 23, 1976 and the location was 801 Kihekah Street just a few blocks away from Ree Drummond’s Mercantile. Although it is not yet solved, I have discovered some new…

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In Memory of Donna Chaney and The Mystery Continues

Welcome back.   In the case of the missing cheerleader from last week’s column I’ve found there’s still heartache and crying surrounding this tragic story which occurred 43 years ago. I’ll have more on this mystery but first let me take you back in time once again to another lady who…

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A Mysterious Disappearance

Welcome back.  In Pawhuska nowadays along Kihekah Street Ree Drummond is the talk of the town but back on June 23, 1976 there was another person that all the locals were talking about. Cindy Kinney was going to be a junior in high school at the time. Her dream of…

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