Johnnie Mullens became a very versatile rodeo man in the early days of rodeo. Men like Mullens were ranch cowboys first and learned all they could from the animals they had on the ranch. This is his story:
Johnnie Mullens was born in Granbury, Texas, on August 27, 1884. When his father died Johnnie was only eight years old. He traveled to Indian territory where his older brother was the head of a big cattle operation. His brother nicknamed him ‘Urchin’ but taught him everything about being a cowhand and a broncobuster. That is how he grew up. He made many mistakes, but he never made the same mistake twice. He was a young man who listened to every cowhand that he was in contact with and he knew every big cattle ranch from Montana to Texas by reputation. Cowboys would boast about one that had good vittles, others had good horses, but few outfits had both. When he grew up and was ready to move on, he always went to the ranch with the good horses.
His first move was to New Mexico where he worked for several outfits – the John Cross, JAL, and the Diamond A Ranch. He did it all, rode broncs, roped wild steers, heeled calves for branding, whatever was needed. His next move was to South Dakota and eventually worked for the XIT Ranch, which originated in Texas, but they had vast herds of cattle in Montana.
The XIT herd Johnnie worked for was between the Yellowstone and the Missouri River and they shipped out of Fallon, Nevada, across the Yellowstone River. There was no bridge and the cattle had to swim, as did the cowboys that herded them. It was usually never a problem until the last shipments late in the fall. The cowboys called it ‘operation deep freeze.’ The ice was along the banks of the river which caused cattle to refuse to go in the water. The cowboys would have to break the ice before the cattle would even attempt to swim. Johnnie explained, “The cowboys getting ready would pull off their boots and clothes, in the event their horse got down in the water. Sometimes those cowboys wouldn’t even go to the fire until the job was done. Talk about cold, that was it!”
After a few years up north, he decided he’d drift back to New Mexico and was rehired by the JAL ranch where he stayed for three years. The Miller Brothers of Bliss, Oklahoma, bought four thousand steers to ship to their ranch in Oklahoma in 1905. They were starting their 101 Wild West Show and tried to talk Johnnie in to going with them, but he wasn’t quite ready for a change.
He went with some of the JAL cowboys to a Cinco de Mayo Rodeo in Juarez, Mexico in 1907 and entered. Once he got a taste of being a rodeo contestant, he put everything he’d done before aside. He knew he’d found the life he’d been looking for. He joined the 101 Wild West Show and rode broncs, did trick roping and trick riding, and roped steers. He became friends with Tom Mix, who was also with the 101, at that time. One year they closed their show early and Johnnie and Tom Mix went with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Later they were with a smaller wild west show but it was wilder and through it they began making western movies – “Ranch Life in the Great Southwest” and “Two Boys in Blue.”
Johnnie had a lot of horse ‘savvy’ and he began selling outlaw broncs from ranches to rodeos or Wild West shows. He could buy them cheaply because they couldn’t be used by the ranch and would sell them low then he would offer them for a good profit. He established a reputation as a good rodeo manager, due to his horse sense, and the ability to judge the types of steers to be used for roping and bulldogging.
He was hired by the first Calgary Stampede in 1912 to pick and handle the stock. Guy Weadick ran it and the prize money was $100,000 which was more than any rodeo had offered and drew the best cowboys from Canada, the United States, and even Mexico. The stock was the best money could buy. It was such a success that Johnnie was in charge of the Calgary stock for the next five years.
During World War I he worked for a company that had contracted to furnish horses to French, English, Italian and United States governments.Three men ran 150 horses a day through inspection, which included riding each one to determine soundness. Johnnie did this for four years.
Johnnie was the arena manager for Tex Rickard when the World Series Rodeo at Madison Square Garden was held beginning in 1923. He was still riding bucking horses and roped. He also worked for Richard Ringling who had a ranch at White Sulphur Springs, Montana. In 1931 when Ringling died, in his late thirties, Johnnie bought all his horses and steers.
Johnnie worked as an arena director for many rodeos all over the country including Bozeman, Montana, for eight years; Tucson, Arizona, thirteen years; the Sesquicentennial of Philadelphia World’s Fair for five weeks; the El Paso Kid’s Rodeo for thirteen seasons; Deer Lodge, Montana; Roswell, New Mexico; San Antonio and Midland, Texas, plus many more.
When Ruby Mullens, Johnnie’s wife, received a telegram from Reno, Nevada, citing the death of her husband, Johnnie on June 23, 1934, she was shocked. Was this someone’s idea of a sick joke? She had just left Johnnie thirty minutes earlier, going back to their hotel room in Silver City, New Mexico. He was busy as the arena director of their annual rodeo! She received numerous telegrams sending condolences to her as his ‘grieving widow.’
Ruby went back to the rodeo to make sure he was OK. When she told Johnnie he turned the mystery over to the Sheriff of Silver City. He found that a man traveling to Reno picked up a hitchhiker who said he was Johnnie Mullens, the rodeo contestant, promoter, arena director for all kinds of rodeos across the U.S. and Canada. While driving they were in a terrible wreck and the hitchhiker died without regaining consciousness. The driver told the authorities his passenger was Johnnie Mullens. Newspapers picked this up and before it could be corrected it went out all over the country that Johnnie had died! When friends saw him later at a rodeo they were all so happy it wasn’t true. However, some of his ‘good’ friends always called Ruby ‘the Widder Mullens’ after that.
Johnnie continued to work as an arena director until the mid-1960s. He then went to work for the Green Cattle Company at their ORO Ranch near Prescott, Arizona. The owner, Charlie Green said of Mullens: “It isn’t how far and how long he rides, it’s what he can do in the time he’s riding the range that counts. Johnnie is an amazing man.” In 1971, at the age of 87, he retired and lived with his daughter in California. He died in 1978 just prior to his 94th birthday. Johnnie Mullens was a man of many talents, beyond his competition ability, which are so necessary to have a rodeo that runs smoothly with the best stock. He was definitely one of the best.
Some of this material for this article came from: True West Magazine article entitled ‘Indestructible Johnnie Mullens, by Walt Coburn, Nov-Dec 1966; Hood County Texas Genealogical Society, Mullens Families, by James Vance Maloney; and ‘Who’s Who in Rodeo’ by Willard Porter.
Johnnie Mullens was born in Granbury, Texas, on August 27, 1884. When his father died Johnnie was only eight years old. He traveled to Indian territory where his older brother was the head of a big cattle operation. His brother nicknamed him ‘Urchin’ but taught him everything about being a cowhand and a broncobuster. That is how he grew up. He made many mistakes, but he never made the same mistake twice. He was a young man who listened to every cowhand that he was in contact with and he knew every big cattle ranch from Montana to Texas by reputation. Cowboys would boast about one that had good vittles, others had good horses, but few outfits had both. When he grew up and was ready to move on, he always went to the ranch with the good horses.
His first move was to New Mexico where he worked for several outfits – the John Cross, JAL, and the Diamond A Ranch. He did it all, rode broncs, roped wild steers, heeled calves for branding, whatever was needed. His next move was to South Dakota and eventually worked for the XIT Ranch, which originated in Texas, but they had vast herds of cattle in Montana.
The XIT herd Johnnie worked for was between the Yellowstone and the Missouri River and they shipped out of Fallon, Nevada, across the Yellowstone River. There was no bridge and the cattle had to swim, as did the cowboys that herded them. It was usually never a problem until the last shipments late in the fall. The cowboys called it ‘operation deep freeze.’ The ice was along the banks of the river which caused cattle to refuse to go in the water. The cowboys would have to break the ice before the cattle would even attempt to swim. Johnnie explained, “The cowboys getting ready would pull off their boots and clothes, in the event their horse got down in the water. Sometimes those cowboys wouldn’t even go to the fire until the job was done. Talk about cold, that was it!”
After a few years up north, he decided he’d drift back to New Mexico and was rehired by the JAL ranch where he stayed for three years. The Miller Brothers of Bliss, Oklahoma, bought four thousand steers to ship to their ranch in Oklahoma in 1905. They were starting their 101 Wild West Show and tried to talk Johnnie in to going with them, but he wasn’t quite ready for a change.
He went with some of the JAL cowboys to a Cinco de Mayo Rodeo in Juarez, Mexico in 1907 and entered. Once he got a taste of being a rodeo contestant, he put everything he’d done before aside. He knew he’d found the life he’d been looking for. He joined the 101 Wild West Show and rode broncs, did trick roping and trick riding, and roped steers. He became friends with Tom Mix, who was also with the 101, at that time. One year they closed their show early and Johnnie and Tom Mix went with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Later they were with a smaller wild west show but it was wilder and through it they began making western movies – “Ranch Life in the Great Southwest” and “Two Boys in Blue.”
Johnnie had a lot of horse ‘savvy’ and he began selling outlaw broncs from ranches to rodeos or Wild West shows. He could buy them cheaply because they couldn’t be used by the ranch and would sell them low then he would offer them for a good profit. He established a reputation as a good rodeo manager, due to his horse sense, and the ability to judge the types of steers to be used for roping and bulldogging.
He was hired by the first Calgary Stampede in 1912 to pick and handle the stock. Guy Weadick ran it and the prize money was $100,000 which was more than any rodeo had offered and drew the best cowboys from Canada, the United States, and even Mexico. The stock was the best money could buy. It was such a success that Johnnie was in charge of the Calgary stock for the next five years.
During World War I he worked for a company that had contracted to furnish horses to French, English, Italian and United States governments.Three men ran 150 horses a day through inspection, which included riding each one to determine soundness. Johnnie did this for four years.
Johnnie was the arena manager for Tex Rickard when the World Series Rodeo at Madison Square Garden was held beginning in 1923. He was still riding bucking horses and roped. He also worked for Richard Ringling who had a ranch at White Sulphur Springs, Montana. In 1931 when Ringling died, in his late thirties, Johnnie bought all his horses and steers.
Johnnie worked as an arena director for many rodeos all over the country including Bozeman, Montana, for eight years; Tucson, Arizona, thirteen years; the Sesquicentennial of Philadelphia World’s Fair for five weeks; the El Paso Kid’s Rodeo for thirteen seasons; Deer Lodge, Montana; Roswell, New Mexico; San Antonio and Midland, Texas, plus many more.
When Ruby Mullens, Johnnie’s wife, received a telegram from Reno, Nevada, citing the death of her husband, Johnnie on June 23, 1934, she was shocked. Was this someone’s idea of a sick joke? She had just left Johnnie thirty minutes earlier, going back to their hotel room in Silver City, New Mexico. He was busy as the arena director of their annual rodeo! She received numerous telegrams sending condolences to her as his ‘grieving widow.’
Ruby went back to the rodeo to make sure he was OK. When she told Johnnie he turned the mystery over to the Sheriff of Silver City. He found that a man traveling to Reno picked up a hitchhiker who said he was Johnnie Mullens, the rodeo contestant, promoter, arena director for all kinds of rodeos across the U.S. and Canada. While driving they were in a terrible wreck and the hitchhiker died without regaining consciousness. The driver told the authorities his passenger was Johnnie Mullens. Newspapers picked this up and before it could be corrected it went out all over the country that Johnnie had died! When friends saw him later at a rodeo they were all so happy it wasn’t true. However, some of his ‘good’ friends always called Ruby ‘the Widder Mullens’ after that.
Johnnie continued to work as an arena director until the mid-1960s. He then went to work for the Green Cattle Company at their ORO Ranch near Prescott, Arizona. The owner, Charlie Green said of Mullens: “It isn’t how far and how long he rides, it’s what he can do in the time he’s riding the range that counts. Johnnie is an amazing man.” In 1971, at the age of 87, he retired and lived with his daughter in California. He died in 1978 just prior to his 94th birthday. Johnnie Mullens was a man of many talents, beyond his competition ability, which are so necessary to have a rodeo that runs smoothly with the best stock. He was definitely one of the best.
Some of this material for this article came from: True West Magazine article entitled ‘Indestructible Johnnie Mullens, by Walt Coburn, Nov-Dec 1966; Hood County Texas Genealogical Society, Mullens Families, by James Vance Maloney; and ‘Who’s Who in Rodeo’ by Willard Porter.
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