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White Eagle Monument Erected In Honor of Old Chief of Poncas By Sam Stigall former 101 Ranch Cowboy The White Eagle Monument? There've been many questions asked about this monument. It's located about one mile north of Marland, Okla. It was built in the early 20's in memory of Chief White Eagle of the Ponca Indian Tribe. It is also a resting place for several old timers. Bill Pickett, a Negro cowboy is buried there for one. The Miller Brothers of the 101 Ranch had it built there. The Indians used that hill as a marker to show other Indians where water was, and the directions of camps, before the monument was built. Chief White Eagle was a great leader among his tribe and told his young Indian people once, "Since you are all getting good educations, it is time to take up the ways of the white people." Which many of them have and are now employed in all walks of life. The Miller Brothers were great friends of the Indians as well as everyone else. They were always ready to lend and a helping hand to the Indians and anyone else who needed aid. I have a picture here of the monument and myself. Zack Miller had me to build this monument in 1920. I wish this to be a memorial tribute to Zach Miller, Jack Webb, Bill Pickett and Chief White Eagle on this Memorial Day. Caption: Sam Stigall, one-time cowboy for the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch, is shown beside the gravestone of Bill Pickett, famous Negro cowboy and inventor of bulldogging. In the background is the White Eagle monument, dedicated to the war chief of the Ponca Indians. Stigall built the monument on a hill near Marland (10 miles southwest of Ponca City) about 45 years ago.) Ponca City News @ May 31, 1965 |
Cowboys got $15 a Month, Keep on Ranch In Early Days of Cherokee Strip Ponca City News August 21, 1966 Straight as a pigging string and bright as brass, 81 year old Sam Stigall was telling about life on the Old 101, 60 years ago. He shifted his "chaw" from right to left and filled me in as follows: "I went to work for the Old 101 in 1902, as a cowboy. We got $15 a month and keep, and that meant work, everyday. The only time we had off wuz from sundown to daylight." "But old Indian Territory days wuz free and easy. We made our own laws and backed them up with six-guns. But I never had any trouble. People were more law abiding then than now." "Farm hands got $20 a month" Sam recalls. "Just about everybody wanted to be a cowboy. But I wanted more money. One day I went to Joe Miller and told him I'd rather farm and make $20 a month." "You know this country and your job, so I'll go you one better," Joe answered. "If you work as a strawboss, I'll pay you $25 a month." "That made me feel so rich, I got married," Sam recalled. He married an Indian maiden, sweet Laura McDonald. "Joe gave me a crew of 10 to 15 men. It wuz a construction gang. We built ponds and fences. After Indian Allotment in 1908, section lines were laid out. We fenced the sections." "Then he set us to building rent-houses. I guess I built close to a hundred houses all over the Reservation." "When I started the Ranch only had three dugouts. That wuz Ranch headquarters. The blacksmith shop wuz under a walnut tree. "In 1918, they turned 30 German prisoners of war over to me. They wuz good carpenters. We built about everything on the ranch except the White House. We built the 101 Store, a training barn, packing house, blacksmith shop, dairy barn-everything. The dairy barn wuz the best in the State at that time." Sam worked for the 101 for 27 years. "They must have been satisfied. If I ever did anything they didn't like, they never said nothing about it." He built three rodeo grounds. The first one was two miles north of Marland, "A lot of people visited the 101," Sam commented. "At the first rodeo we expected 5,000 to 6,000 people. Between 50,000 and 60,000 came. We ran out of grub." Sam became a good friend of movie star Tom Mix. "I never wuz much for that cowboy stuff because I had a big bunch of kids to feed. (He had 11 children.) But I did double for my friends, Tom, in silent movies." Sam built the White Eagle monument near Marland. But he has other monuments. He built concrete silos all over the Ponca Reservation. Sam worked for the 101 till 1929. Then he became a contractor for the Indian Service. He also did private contracting. He built a stucco home for Joe Miller on Ranch Drive. He also built about a dozen other homes on Ranch Drive and Miller Avenue. But, he wasn't quite through with the 101. He took another big bite of Beechnut and brought me up to date: "In 1939 I went to the World's Fair in New York with Zack Miller. He put me in charge of the Indian Show. I took five of my eight daughters with me." Sam still isn't quite through with the 101. We drove around on the ranch while Sam relived this and that. We drove to Cowboy Hill and paid our respects to Zack Miller and Jack Webb. We went by the White Eagle monument where Bill Pickett is buried. We looked at one of the concrete silos. We looked through the locked gate where the rodeo arena and terrapin derby used to be. Sam said: "I also had to build animal cages. Right there you can still see the foundation where I built cages for lions and chimpanzees." Sam still isn't through with the 101. He is looking forward to the 101 Rodeo which starts next Thursday. |