former deserter and boxer
A deserter becomes a movie star
Tom Mix might have easily stepped out of a romance novel–he was young, slender, charming and wore lots of rodeo flair. An army deserter, he appeared suddenly in Guthrie in 1902.
He soon established himself as an expert marksman and boxer.
In 1903, Governor Ferguson stunned everyone by appointing “that fancy Dan” to lead the Oklahoma Territorial Cavalry Band.
Mix starred in the 101 Ranch Wild West show and served as marshall of Dewey, Oklahoma at the height of the oil boom.
In 1913, he went to Hollywood, where he starred in nearly 400 movies, billed as King of the Cowboys.
Tom was friends with Wyatt Earp and didn’t think too highly of Joseph Kennedy. He lived a flamboyant lifestyle, and died in Arizona when his car plunged into a ravine. Tom was 60 when he passed away.
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