Wild West rolled into Modesto in spring 1912

In the small hours of Tuesday April 23, 1912, the first of three double-length trains began pulling into Modesto’s train station. Pouring out of them were cowboys, cowgirls, Native Americans, Cossacks and hundreds of heads of cattle and horses. The invading hordes were members of the 101 Ranch Wild West Show, who were to perform two shows the next night at the corner of 12th and B streets.

The 101 Ranch occupied over 100,000 acres of Oklahoma and was owned by George Miller. With the death of its owner, sons George Jr., Joseph and Zack took the reins and decided to tour the nation with the 101 Ranch Wild West Show.

The show was a massive undertaking, as seen by the amount of supplies needed for a stop in Taft in March of 1912. Having left their winter quarters in Venice, the show sent its purchasing agent to Taft to acquire “200 dozens of eggs, 600 pounds of meat, 25 sacks of potatoes, 800 loaves of bread, 100 pounds of butter and 75 gallons of milk.” (The Bakersfield California, March 7, 1912)

Those supplies would be used to feed, according to The Modesto News of April 12, an army of workers “in the neighborhood of one thousand people on the pay-roll, and the stable has in it 500 head of western horses.”

Along with the performers, they had “two bookkeepers, a treasurer, two stenographers, auditor and paymaster. It carries its own detective corps, attorney and doctor. There are 22 ticket sellers and 40 ushers to care for the crowds that daily attend performances. Over 200 canvas men, train hands, grooms, property men and chandelier men are required to put up and take down the show,” which could hold 10,000 people in its tent.

Prior to the show’s arrival in Modesto, a series of articles began appearing in local papers promoting the appearance as everything from entertainment to living history and an educational experience for children.

Once the trains pulled into town, the well-oiled machine began to hum as the tents, lighting and food for both animals and humans all started their trek to 12th and B. The performers also started their parade to the show site, to further raise local interest. Heading the parade was “Mrs. Joseph C. Miller on a prancing steed with a diamond-studded saddle worth between $5,000 and $6,000,” followed by the cowboys, Native Americans, Mexican riders and many of the show animals. (The Modesto News, April 15, 1912)

The parade was so massive that it was broken into two sections to better manage it, since it stretched out to nearly a mile in length.

Two shows were held: one at 2 p.m. and the other at 8. An hour before each show, customers were able to walk through the Indian village, which it was claimed consisted “of 200 lodges, and there are nearly 500 in the Indian contingent” (The Modesto News, April 23, 1912); or they could attend the band concert.

The show opened with a parade of the various cowboys from all over the world. This was followed by a showing of the operation of the Pony Express, stagecoaches and an emigrant train crossing the plains. The major part of the show was horseback riding. Cowboys, cowgirls, Native Americans and Cossacks gave displays of their riding skills. It was claimed, according to the April 17 News, that “any of the cowboys with the 101 Ranch Wild West Show while riding at breakneck speed can roll a cigarette with one hand and hold the bridle with the other.”

Trick riding and shooting of all kinds then took center stage. The show closed with the popular display of bronco busting. Once the late show ended, the process started up again as all the tents and buildings were pulled down and loaded onto the train for the trip to the next city.

Being a late entrant into a tough field made things difficult for the 101 Show. That, along with the nation’s boom-and-bust economy, the large amount of overhead and the difficulties of train travel – accidents were not uncommon to the show – made turning a profit difficult.

The stake through the heart of the 101 Wild West Show was the movies, which could provide the same sort of entertainment for a more reasonable price. After struggling along for the next decade, it would finally go under, but not before being one of the biggest shows to ever hit Modesto.

This story was originally published March 22, 2015 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Wild West rolled into Modesto in spring 1912."