|
 Tom
Mix, a cowboy hero of the motion picture industry
during the first half of the 20th century, was born
on January 6, 1880, in a frame house in
Pennsylvania, halfway between the Pennsylvania
Railroad Line and Bennett’s Branch of the
Susquehanna River.
Tom’s parents were old family Pennsylvanians, and
Tom worked and trained horses since boyhood. In
1902, when Tom Mix was twenty-two years, he got his
first big break. He was hired as cowboy performer
for the Miller Brother’s 101 Real Wild West Ranch
near Bliss, Oklahoma. Colonel Joe Miller hired Mix
as a full-time cowboy for $15 per month, including
room and board.
 Tom
Mix was a rough and ready cowboy. There was no
challenge too great for him. He rode bucking horses,
bulldogged steers, and made spectacular jumps with
horses. Mix could jump a horse into a railroad
boxcar, easily jump a five-foot gate or jump from a
moving railroad flat car. One of the most
spectacular jumps Mix made was jumping his horse
over the old wagon road cut at Newhall, California.
Mix had many ties to Arizona and the Superstition
Mountain area. He once worked as a cowboy in the
Prescott area. He moved to the Prescott area in 1909
from his home in Oklahoma. According to the story
Mix arrived in Phoenix in 1911 on horseback leading
a heavily laden burro. He stopped and rested at
Hotel Adams. He said he was headed westward to
California looking for a better job. Mix had heard
they were paying cowboy extras $5 a day in the
motion picture business.
Tom Mix was a top performer in rodeos and his
ability with horses are legendary. He performed in
many of Arizona’s rodeos including Prescott, Payson,
Tucson, Willcox, and Phoenix.
On December 26, 1925, Tom Mix returned to Phoenix
and the Hotel Adams as a famous western motion
picture star. He came to Phoenix in route to Fish
Creek Canyon on the Apache Trail. The area had been
chosen for a film location. Mix made the film “Tony
Runs Wild” at the site. Fifty members of the film
cast stayed at the Apache Hotel located at Hotel
Point on Roosevelt Lake.
 According
to Mix, the real star of his films was his horse,
which was billed as “Tony, The Wonder Horse.” Mix
said his horse was worth $75 as horseflesh, but was
insured for $50,000. Mix also claimed he would sell
him for a million dollars. Indeed the horse was
valuable to him.
During his years in Hollywood, Mix always claimed
Arizona as his home. During the filming of “Tony
Runs Wild,” Mix meet the Clemans family. William J.
Clemans owned an operated the old Fraser Ranch in
the Reavis Valley. Mix spent time relaxing on the
old ranch and riding with Clemans’ cowboys. Mix came
back to Tucson and Florence to visit friends all the
time. He had many memories of the state and the area
we now call the Superstition Wilderness Area.
On Saturday, October 12, 1942, death intervened in
Tom Mix’s life on a lonely stretch of U.S. Highway
80-89, between Florence and Oracle Junction. He was
headed for Phoenix by way of Florence when the
accident occurred. In Florence he had planned to
visit an old rodeo friend, Harry Knight. Knight was
married to Mis’s eldest daughter.
Mix was alone, driving his green custom-built Cord
roadster when he came upon a crew of highway
workers. He avoided hitting the workers, but lost
control of his Cord. The automobile plunged across a
wash and rolled
over, killing Mix instantly. It is believed a piece
of flying luggage broke his neck. According to
witnesses, his cream-colored western suit remained
virtually unwrinkled from the impact.
Tom Mix died wearing his boots, a diamond-studded
belt buckle, and a white 10-gallon Stetson hat. On
October 12, 1942, Tom’s horse “Tony” followed him in
death.
The Pinal County Historical Society erected a
seven-foot monument of a riderless horse in December
of 1947 to mark the spot where Tom Mix had his fatal
automobile accident. This site is some ten miles
south of Florence. Pinal County Historical Society
President A.W. Gressinger wrote the inscription on
the monument. The inscription reads as follows:
January 6, 1880 - October 12,1940
In Memory of Tom Mix
Whose spirit left his body on this spot
And whose characterizations and portrayals
In life served to better fix memories of
The old west in the minds of living men.
The Pinal County Historical Society, under the
guidance of Mrs. Billie Early, rededicated the
monument on October 21, 1989. Another rededication
of a replica monument in the yard of the Pinal
County Museum occurred on February 19, 1994. Mrs.
Billie Early and other volunteers worked diligently
to restore the vandalized monument south of Florence
in the 1980’s.
Tom Mix lived the life many people only dream of
living. He was a national hero, he was loved by
many, and he was an astounding horseman. His
horsemanship accomplishments have never been
duplicated. He was certainly national and
international silver screen hero to children
worldwide. His films instill honesty, integrity,
loyalty, and hope among his many admirers and
viewers. Real cowboys respected Tom Mix’s exploits,
because they knew Mix was one of them.
A visit to the Pinal County Historical Museum is a
rewarding experience to anyone interested in Central
Arizona history. The museum hours are 11:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m. Tues. through Sat. and from noon until
4:00 p.m. on Sunday. The museum is located at 715
South Main in Florence. The phone number is
520-868-4382.
If you have time, drive ten miles south of Florence
and visit the Tom Mix Monument on Highway 80-89. |
