This button, dated June 11, 1905, is tied to this event and is one of the biggest publicity stunts in Oklahoma history. Unlike others labeled “Buffalo Chase,” this one reads “Buffalo Hunt” and was issued by J.P. Souligny of Ponca City, known for the phrase “Cheap Homes Where Buffalo Did Roam.”

The Greatest Show on Dirt. That’s not just a tagline, it’s a promise etched into the dust of Ponca City, Oklahoma, where the 101 Wild West Rodeo carries on the legacy of one of the most iconic ranches in American history: the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch.

Born in Missouri in 1879, Col. Zack T. Miller entered the world just as his father was laying the groundwork for what would become the legendary 101 Ranch in northern Oklahoma. Located in the heart of the Cherokee Strip, the ranch grew into a sprawling enterprise of over 101,000 acres, extending across Noble, Pawnee, Osage, and Kay counties.

Thomas Judge “Tex” Cooper was born on April 2, 1876, in Texas, the eldest of twelve children in a strict religious household. His father, a Seventh-day Adventist preacher and farmer, ruled with a heavy hand. Tired of the abuse and longing for freedom, Cooper cut ties with his family at age 16 and ran away to forge a new identity, Tex, the cowboy.

Lillian Frances Smith was born on August 4, 1871, in Coleville, California, to Levi Woodbury Smith, Jr. and Rebecca T. Robinson. The third of four children, she grew up in a family originally from Massachusetts that had moved west in 1867. By the age of seven, Smith had taken up shooting, and by ten, she was already competing.

Bill Pickett, born in 1870 in Jenks Branch, Texas, was the second of thirteen children in a family of African-American and Cherokee heritage. His father, Thomas Jefferson Pickett, had been enslaved, and his mother, Mary “Janie” Gilbert, helped raise their large family in a rural farming community. The family later moved to Taylor, Texas, where Pickett would begin his life as a cowboy.

In the golden age of the American Wild West show, few names commanded attention like the 101 Ranch Wild West Show, a traveling spectacle that brought the drama of frontier life to audiences around the world. But beyond the buffalo hunts and trick roping stood a group of fearless performers who defied expectations and shattered gender norms: the women bronco riders of the 101 Ranch.

The cowboys of the 101 Ranch were central to the ranch's operations and its famed Wild West Show, embodying the spirit and skills of the American West. Their expertise in horsemanship, cattle handling, and showmanship not only sustained the ranch's daily functions but also captivated audiences worldwide.