Miller
Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show
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Panorama
Photograph of the entire Cast and Crew of
the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West
Show. It features a posed portrait of
approx. 200 Cowboys, Cowgirls, Native
American Indian Men Women and Children,
Clowns, Band Members, Trick Rope Artists,
Mexican Performers, management, road crew
members, members of the African American
Band, "Outlaws", "Heroes", etc. The photo
was taken out of doors in front of what
appear to be large Circus Tents and is
titled in the negative "101 Ranch - Season
1913".
Photograph includes many of the most
famous members of the 101 Wild West Show
including Bill Picket, the great African
American Rodeo Star; "Iron Tail", the
Native American Oglala Sioux Chief who's
profile was to be later found on the
Buffalo / Indian Head Nickel; Hoot Gibson
and Tom Mix of later Movie Fame and even
the young Will Rogers.
The Millers' neighbor Major Gordon W.
Lillie, who performed as "Pawnee Bill",
motivated the Millers to produce a
traveling Wild West Show of their own. The
Millers made their transition from putting
on local shows to the national scene in
1907, when they performed at the Jamestown
Exposition in Virginia. In 1908, the
Miller Brothers 101 Ranch Wild West Show
began the tour circuit in Brighton Beach,
New York. Joe Miller, the eldest, was an
exceptional equestrian and star performer.
Over the course of the show, it boasted
famous performers such as Bill Picket,
Bessie Herberg, Bee Ho Gray, Tom Mix, Hoot
Gibson, Will Rogers, Chief Iron Tail,
Geronimo, Pecos "Bill" Higgins, Buck
Jones, Rex Ritter, Bee Ho Gray, Bill
Caress, Joe Lewis, Hank Darnell, Mabel
Strickland, Jack Hoxie, Mexican Joe, and
eventually Buffalo Bill.
Bee Ho Gray
was my great uncle,
Here's a brief history of my great uncle.
Bee Ho was part Chickasaw, part Cherokee
and Anglo. He was born in Indian Territory
in 1885 and was named by Quanah Parker
(Comanche chief).
He and his brother and both of their wives
performed with the 101 Ranch and all had
50-year careers in Western performance. He
was also with Irwin Brothers, Colonel
Cummins Wild West, California Frank's
All-Star Wild West, in 1914 he was with
Diamond Dick's Congress of World's Western
Champions, several circuses and had his
own Wild West show (Bee Ho Gray's Wild
West, ca. 1919-1932).
He escorted Iron Tail to New York to model
for the "Indian Head Nickel." He held the
World Champion Trick Roper title for
several years. He taught many of his best
tricks to Will Rogers (as acknowledged by
Rogers in one of his books).
He was in several silent Western films
including the legendary "Greed" by Erich
von Stroheim. He performed with people
like Fred Stone and Bing Crosby until his
death in 1951.
Clark Gray
