LOOKING BACK
Check Your Weapons at the Gate
The History of Cow Thieves and Outlaws Reunion by Kay Little, Little History Adventures The renowned annual Cow Thieves and Outlaws Reunion held at Woolaroc started as two parties. The first annual FP Ranch Wild West Show was held on September 1, 1926, behind the Woolaroc Lodge. All the guests were dressed in cowboy fashion. Most of the stars were members of Frank and Jane Phillips’ family and their close friends. The show featured a performance by Billie, the trick goat, who was the only goat in the world who took daily Turkish baths and beauty clay treatments. Old Settler and Cyclone Clark were scheduled to be riders in the show until the leaders realized they could not stay on their horses, so they changed their act to fancy roping. Grif Graham, a former area sheriff and Frank’s right hand man, was the Australian whip cracker. Chief Woolaroc and his bride, Minnie Littledear, who were actually Paul McIntyre and Jane Phillips, presented a modern Indian stomp dance. The family cowboy party was such a hit that the Phillips wanted to have a picnic to thank the people who had helped them get their game preserve started. Many of the cowboys in the area had helped Frank bring in 120 head of buffalo and helped get rid of unwanted predators. So, in May 1927, Frank and Jane invited 200 people to a huge picnic at the FP Ranch, including
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several cowboys, their families, and many local dignitaries. Guests stayed all day and into the evening. The menu included an abundance of BBQ, many trimmings, and ice-cold lemonade. Peg-legged fiddler Henry Hall provided the music for several years. This party was called the Cow Thieves and Outlaws Reunion. At the party, a “Kangaroo Court’ collected money, using trumped up charges and fines against the guests. The money was then used to buy a cowboy hat for Frank, as a thank you for the party. Frank really liked the name given to the party, and he started planning an actual Cow Thieves and Outlaws Reunion. In 1929, 300 guests attended the CTOR, some of them actual cow thieves, train robbers, and lawmen. Just as Frank had held the earlier parties to thank his friends, he wanted to thank some of the outlaws. Frank previously loaned money to some of the outlaws, including Henry Starr. He felt that the outlaws would repay the loans and he was right. Of course, much of that money was probably from other bank robberies. Because of the loans, Frank’s bank was never robbed. Henry Wells was another outlaw with whom Frank had a special relationship. Frank invited him to poker games and dinner
