OklahomaHorses Magazine November 2022

November / December 2022 • OklahomaHorses 21 ankle-length divided skirt, neckerchief, hat, and gloves, she put to shame men twice her age and size.” Lucille’s divided skirt and the fact that she rode cross saddle caused controversy but added to her media hype and popular- ity. Lucille bagged thousands of dollars at competitive rodeo events and twice established world records. She performed in rodeos, Wild West shows, opera houses, and vaudeville stages across the United States and in Europe, besting male rodeo champs. Cowboys didn’t buy into Lucille’s female persona. Apparently some cowboys attacked her after one performance, trying to rip off what they assumed was a wig and her split skirt in an effort to prove — un- successfully — that she was male. Truly Wild West Zack Mulhall often teamed up with the Miller Brothers — Joe, Zack, and George — to produce Wild West shows. In fact, on April 22, 1905, Mulhall’s Wild West riders dazzled an elite audience of 6,000 people in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Mulhall led a breathtaking grand entry, followed by his children, then Zack Miller, Will Rogers, Tom Mix, costumed Indian riders, and others. The New York Times swooned over Lucille as “Queen of the Range.” The Miller Brothers, who owned the famous 110,000-acre 101 Ranch near Bliss, Oklahoma, considered Lucille one of the prized performers in their wildly popular 101 Ranch Real Wild West Show. (For novices out there, 101 Ranch is pronounced “the One Hundred and One” or “the Hundred and One.”) The show grew to net a million dollars annually, so it was a big deal. For their entertainment biz, the Millers used their actual ranch hands, many of whom were cowboys and cowgirls raised on ranches. The Millers also hired criminals, if the cowboys possessed the needed skills. Second from left is Lucille Mulhall. Will Rogers is at far right. This photo was used with a story in the Daily Oklahoman with the captions “He taught her” and“ ‘It’s the most terrible thing that ever happened to me,’ choked Lucille Mulhall, famed cowgirl, at the news of the tragic death of Will Rogers” in August 1935. Success! Lucille Mulhall finishes roping a steer.