Colonel Jim Eskew Very few men have the foresight to see what isn’t being done, should be done, and venture in to the new territory to ‘git’ ‘er done! Colonel Jim Eskew is one of those ‘very few,’ who did it and was successful. He made the Eastern United States wild west and rodeo conscious in the early days of rodeo.
James Eskew was born in Wilson County, Tennessee in January 12, 1888. His dad was a horse and cattle dealer who gave him a spirited pony early in his life. At age 10, it was discovered that James had a defect in his eye. He went to live with his uncle in Garland, Texas where he could receive the proper medical attention. He and his uncle became great friends and he stayed with him until he was eighteen. By age twelve he was horseback and started roping and riding in rodeos. When Joe Miller, one the owners of the 101 Wild West Show saw him, in 1907, he offered him a job. He later joined the Mulhall Wild West Show too, until it ran in to financial trouble. Jim then joined the wild west portion of the John Robinson Circus. He constantly studied wild west shows and every aspect of it. He had the personality to go with his abilities and the ambition; he was always a favorite. By 1911 he was with the Buffalo Bill - Pawnee Bill Wild West Show chasing Indians and shooting to entertain the audience. He got to be good friends with Buffalo Bill’s grandson, Cody Bowden. Each Saturday Buffalo Bill would stay in a hotel and his grandson, Cody, and Jim would get to stay in his magnificent stateroom on the show train. He also met Iron Tail while with Buffalo Bill. He was the Sioux Indian whose face is on the nickel. ‘Nip’ a trained buffalo was featured on the other side of the nickel.
Jim moved from one wild west show to another and was always learning something new with each move. In 1915 he married Dolly, who was traveling with the Pittsburgh Opera Company. That same year he was managing the wild west portion of Sparks Circus which he did for three years.
When he felt he understood enough about wild west shows he started his own in 1918. A 1925 copy of The Billboard’s The Corral column by Rowdy Waddy said: “Mention was made in last issue about Jim Eskew being engaged for the winter at West Beach, Florida.” A few days before that was written the editor received the following letter from Jim from that city; “After the Rubin & Cherry Shows closed their season at Montgomery, Alabama, I shipped my entire outfit here. We are working for the W. H. Martin Photoplay Corporation with which I have a 20 weeks’ contract to make Westerns. We staged a small rodeo here Sunday and there were 3,000 paid admissions and there were many who could not get into the grounds with Rubin & Cherry Shows and I also hold contract with them for next season. The weather down here is great and there’s lots of people.”
(The Billboard newspaper, which reported on vaudeville, theater, festivals, circuses, and all kinds of entertainment in the U. S. had a column called The Corral and wrote about Wild West performers, because often the best from wild west became performers in vaudeville – like Will Rogers. As time went on many of the wild west performers improved in their riding and roping skills enough that they would switch to rodeo. The column just kept reporting about them and eventually included rodeo cowboys and cowgirls in their column.)
The next 1925 Corral column had this to say from Eskew; The roster of his outfit: “Jim Eskew and wife Dolly and Jim Jr. (born in 1918) was in charge are both doing their respective roping and riding, etc; Taylor Farris, Australian whip manipulator and steer rider; Fred Mincey, bronk and steer rider and bulldogger; Doc Ford (‘Oklahoma Peg’), all-round cowboy; Shorty Anderson, bronk and steer rider; “Mexican Joe” Marino, pony express and pickup man; Joe Fields, bronk riding; Jerry Wade, Bronk Riding; and Ed Wilcox, bronk riding and clown. All the boys are going to the rodeo at Miami. The ‘bunch’ has given three shows since arrival here and to a turn-away business, and will give a rodeo at Palm Beach in January. The movie work, with the W. H. Martin Photoplays Corp., for which the outfit came here, will start January 1. A herd of steers has just been purchased for the stampede scenes. The “ranch” is located nine miles north of West Palm Beach on the Dixie Highway at Monet, Florida.” A later report in The Corral said that Eskew had signed a contract in 1926 for the following year to do more movies with the Photoplays Corp.
Colonel Eskew had some performances in Canada, and while there he had something happen that changed the rodeo world. Jim McNab who lived near Fort McLeod, Alberta, Canada, got wild horses from hills near his ranch each year that he and his cowboys turned in to ranch horses. But in 1919 one beautiful black that had some thoroughbred in him, was not interested in ranching. Since he didn’t settle down like most of the horses, McNab started putting him in rodeos as a bronc. At a Fort McLeod rodeo he threw everyone off with no trouble. McNab sold him to stock contractors, Peter Welch and Red Wall, and he was the premier bronc at the Calgary Stampede in 1925. They also had a smaller black bronc named Tumbling Mustard. When Colonel Eskew showed an interest in the bigger bronc Welch made a deal with Eskew for $250 he’d sell both horses. Colonel Eskew jumped at the chance and bought them both in 1929. He put them on a train heading back to the United States and rode all the way home in the boxcar with both horses. Once they arrived, Eskew named the bigger black Midnight, and the smaller bronc’s name was changed from Tumbling Mustard to Five Minutes to Midnight.
The Colonel found that seldom could anyone ride either horse at most all his shows. He knew they needed to be sold to stock contractors that were involved with the larger rodeos in the United States. Verne Elliott and Eddie McCarty, stock contractors from Colorado and Wyoming, were just the right stock contractors. They were always looking for great buckers. The Colonel sold them both to Elliott and McCarty, and Midnight became the best bronc of that era. A few cowboys rode him, but most were bucked off quickly. Five Minutes to Midnight was also a tough bronc, but had more cowboys ride him, than his black Canadian buddy. Eventually they were both buried on Persimmon Hill at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
By 1930 Eskew added rodeos to his list and activities were still being reported in The Corral; “At Sturbridge, Mass. at the close of a four-day rodeo on July 7, Jack Jackson, well known cowboy, and Berl Warner, were married on horseback in front of the grandstand. Afterward Colonel Eskew and wife Dolly served a wedding dinner in the ‘cookhouse’. Among honored guests were Colonel W. T. Johnson from San Antonio, TX and son, W. T. Johnson, Jr. and Fred Alvord. They were on their way to New York City to make arrangements for the upcoming Madison Square Garden Rodeo.”
By 1933 Eskew had abandoned the carnival wild west shows and formed his own organization – the J E Rodeo Company. Colonel Eskew could do wild west or rodeo with ease and by this era the wild west shows were on their way out. Rodeo were definitely becoming more popular each month. Eskew did allow his wild west performers who were paid a salary when they were performing in wild west shows to compete in his rodeos along with cowboys and cowgirls if they paid ‘their entry fee’. This was not the case with all rodeo producers, but Colonel Jim demanded it.
In the wild west shows and rodeos the entire Eskew family participated. Dolly, his wife, performed on her beautiful trained white horse and trick roped; son Jim, Jr. trick roped; and son Tom Mix Eskew steer wrestled; both boys were the pickup men. Colonel’s sons also worked as arena directors and managers. Jim Junior married Mary Louise, the daughter of Floyd and Florence Randolph.”
“Colonel Jim Eskew and wife, Dolly attended the funeral of Howard ‘Stoney’ Harris, Sr. in Woodstown, NJ, in March, 1935. By this time the Colonel had become good friends with the Harris family. At the later Fair and Rodeo at Woodstown, NJ, managed by Howard Harris, Jr.., with Colonel Eskew as arena director, and Herbert Maddy as arena secretary. Opening day of the rodeo a moment of silence was held for Howard Harris Sr., and Will Rogers, both who had died earlier in the year. Harris was the founder of the Salem County (New Jersey Fair and Rodeo.
In October 1935 the Midsouth Fair and rodeo at Memphis was reported, in The Corral, as having been produced by the Harris-Eskew Western Enterprises. Eskew was arena director with help from Cy Compton. They also produced a rodeo starting October 28th at Philadelphia the week between Colonel Johnson’s Madison Square Garden rodeo and Boston Garden. The rodeo there would have four performances, the other performances were wild west shows.
November 21, 1936, Corral column reported “Colonel Jim Eskew, with a truck load of saddle and roping horses; Monte Reger and his longhorn steer, ‘Bobby’; Junior and Tom Mix Eskew; Slim Walsh; Pat Plaskett and Elmer Whitesell assisted with Bob Follette in staging the recent Bennettsville, South Carolina Rodeo.
Ed and Bill O’Brian, lived in Waverly, New York, in 1939. They thought that Colonel Jim Eskew’s Wild West Show would be good for Waverly’s business. If they could convince him to move his entourage to the area. Colonel Jim Eskew and his J E Ranch had held rodeos and wild west shows in the Eastern part of the United States for twenty years and always had a good show. The O’Brians went to the Waverly Board of Trade and presented their idea. It sounded good to the Directors of the Waverly Board of Trade. They offered Colonel Eskew a 300-acre farm four miles outside of Waverly, if Eskew would stay at least three years and do a wild west show in Waverly annually. Eskew thought about the offer and couldn’t find a problem with it. There were three railroads that went through Waverly and since his entourage traveled by rail, that was a plus. He accepted the offer, then moved his family and 150 head of livestock which included Brahma bulls, buffalo, cattle and broncs. He built cabins, a bunkhouse and an arena as well as a grandstand on the farm. He also purchased another 300 acres. His weekly payroll was over $1,200. Numerous people working for the ranch lived on the ranch or nearby.
Frank ‘Pichandle’ Merrill worked for the Colonel and this is what he laughingly said, “I started out as a ‘road apple jockey’, and shoveled manure out of the barn. After a problem with a mean foreman, the Colonel promoted me to ‘baby sit’ the ranch while the others were away having a wild west show or a rodeo.” By 1942 Merrill went on the ‘rodeo road’ with Eskew, who named him ‘Pichandle’ because he was tall and skinny. He laughed and always was jovial and he helped entertain and bullfight when the bullfighter was injured. He continued to be the funnyman until he was drafted in 1950. “I loved Colonel Eskew,” said Merrill. “He was an honest man. He paid us $5.00 a week to work on the ranch, plus room and board, and all the Bull Durham we wanted. When I clowned, I got $25 a performance.” When the Colonel would ask Merrill to do an additional job ‘Pichandle’ would answer with “as soon as this is finished.” The Colonel would say, “’Pichandle’, you’ve got more stalls than a livery stable!”
Monte Reger and wife, Opal, and their three children, Dixie, Virginia and Buddy lived on the place. Dixie remembered that it was in a house, but they put up a tent inside to live in, because it was the house was too big and easier to heat in the winter. Monte and all three children performed on wild west or rodeos. Monte had his longhorn, Bobby Twister and all three children trick rode, and eventually Buddy and Dixie became rodeo clowns. Opal home-schooled the children and although they sometimes missed their hometown of Woodward, Oklahoma, their life was unusual, but fun, to say the least. Dixie remembered as a child seeing Colonel Eskew, Uncle Herbie Maddy the PR man, and Foghorn Clancy sitting around and visiting. She recalled, “Colonel Jim would smoke cigarettes while squatting, and seemed to never tire in that position.”
Jim Eskew Junior married Mary Louise Randolph in 1939. Their daughter, Madonna, was born August 24, 1941. By the time Madonna was 5 she was performing in the rodeo. The Colonel’s other son, Tom Mix Eskew, (born Feb. 23, 1921) married Jackie, and they had three sons and a daughter. Tom’s children square danced on horseback in the J E Ranch rodeos and Tom steer wrestled, and was also a pickup man. Jim Jr. and Tom’s jobs changed from time to time, depending on what the Colonel needed them to do.
During World War II, when both sons were in the Army, Colonel Eskew partnered with Roy Rogers, the outstanding movie cowboy, who was about the only movie cowboy that did not join the war effort. The Colonel and Roy held rodeos for a few years at Saint Louis, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Washington D. C. The government encouraged rodeos to continue to be held whenever possible because of the war because the country needed entertainment.
A Hometowner article dated August 1, 1952 in the Democrat Chronicle, Rochester, New York, and written by Billy Beeney said this in part about Colonel Eskew: “To watch him ride into the arena, sitting on his horse with a nonchalant grace that makes him seem a permanent part of the saddle. He’s a lean, wiry man, as hipless as a snake, and wears the inevitable skin-tight whipcord pants, a 10 gallon hat and a clip-on butterfly bowtie made of leather.” And the article quoted the Colonel about broncs: “I’ll never forget Midnight. He was the greatest buckin’ horse I ever saw, and I’ve seen ‘em all. A regular outlow! Mean as a hand grenade and just as dangerous. I got a great good price for him and in those days big money was important. A horse either bucks or he don’t. We don’t do nothing to make ‘em buck. Best buckin’ horse I ever saw next to Midnight was one I had. Named him ‘Five Minutes to Midnight’, almost as good, but not quite.”
Dolly, passed away in 1952 from heart trouble. She was born in Germany but the Colonel had met her when she was a stage performer in the U. S. Although Colonel Jim was a master showman, his enthusiasm for it all began to wane. He retired in 1957. The Colonel died at the home of his son, Jim Jr., in Ardmore, Oklahoma on February 23, 1965. An amazing entrepreneur who studied and learned every aspect of the wild west and rodeo life. He bridged the gap from wild west shows to rodeo and never missed a beat!
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Jim Eskew, Jr. was born September 18, 1917 in Bristol, Tennessee on his dad’s carnival bronk show. The Colonel began his own wild west and rodeo organization that year. At first it was mostly wild west shows, but as rodeo became more popular, he put on more rodeos. Colonel Jim Eskew primarily worked the eastern part of the United States because they had less rodeos there and he seized the opportunity.
Jim Jr. didn’t remember learning to trick rope, but it must have come naturally and both his dad and mother trick roped. When he was 5 he was featured as a trick rider and roper in the Great International Exposition in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. At age 7 a photo was taken of him spinning two ropes. A teacher Jim Jr. had in school said that Jr. said, “he hoped they had ropes in heaven.” At age sixteen he first competed in the Madison Square Garden Rodeo, and he continued to compete there for thirteen years in calf roping and steer wrestling. His fastest steer roping time was 2.2 seconds. But most of his time was with the J E Ranch rodeos, or wild west shows, where he performed trick roping and riding. Colonel Eskew also had Jim and his youngest son, Tom Mix Eskew, (named after Jim’s good friend, Tom Mix) do a variety of duties in the shows, in addition to their performing.
When Junior was 19, he was challenged to compete in trick roping at New York City for $500. He declined but offered to meet his adversary for $2,000. Colonel Eskew said he’d bet his rodeo company on Jim Junior! The adversary declined. No match!
Jim Jr. developed 20 roping tricks that no one else did. He could rope with either hand, and was considered 80% ambidextrous. He learned to tie 80 different knots. He trained his own roping horses, but he said that a roping horse must have 75% natural ability to do what is expected. (You must remember this was in the day when trick ropers were always competing at rodeos and there was much more demand for good trick ropers.) Jim Jr. had a horse named Old Blue that he paid $37 for that served Junior’s needs for 20 years. Next was a horse named Chunky that was with Jr. for 18 more years. Jr. went to Mexico every few years because he learned from the vaqueros how to use the maguey rope and would go back from time to time to trade tricks with them.
Jim Jr. also had many students he taught to trick rope. One was a Wall Street broker; another was a Frenchman that worked for the United Nations. Needless to say, his reputation was spread far and wide to those interested in learning trick roping from the best.
He married Mary Louise Randolph, daughter of Floyd Randolph from Ardmore, OK, in 1939. Jim Jr. met her at a rodeo there. During World War II he was in the Army and was given a physical endurance test, TC-87. He scored a 596 out of 600. He served in the Special Services area of the Army and was with the best talent in show business at that time. He also served in the Army Olympics as a boxing and horseshoe instructor. He roped water buffalo in the Philippines and wild horses in Australia. Jim Jr. was discharged in 1946 and went back to J E Ranch rodeos. He was diagnosed with lupus in 1947. It was determined by the doctors that he got lupus while in the service in the Pacific.
Jim Jr. performed trick roping and also roped calves and was a steer wrestler on the J. E. Ranch Rodeos. Mary Louise would ride horses for Jim Jr. when one of his tricks was roping a running horse. The Colonel would ride horses for Jim Jr. when he was roping the horse with the maguey rope. Other trick ropers on the J. E. Ranch were Rex Rossi who also trick rode; Buddy Mefford who used the maguey rope to trick rope. Jim Jr. also competed in trick roping contests in various places, winning most of the time. The most famous trick roper in his era was Chester Byers, who had won every contest for years. Junior challenged Byers, but by that time Byers was older and turned him down.
In 1966 the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame had a trick roping competition. It wasn’t just a competition it was for the International World Champion Trick Roper. Mexicans were noted for their skill with the maguey rope and several came from Mexico. The judges were: Will Rogers, Jr., Buddy Mefford, and Don McLaughlin. The Hall of Fame was filled with ocean waves, Spanish flats, push offs, pop overs, butterflies, and they used both cotton and maguey ropes. The five finalists were: Junior Eskew, Rex Rossi of Kissimmee, FL; Dr. Ignacio Rodriguez and Rafael Ramos, both of Mexico City, and Gene McLaughlin of Chatsworth, CA. When the competition ended Junior Eskew was the International World Champion Trick Roper! When he was interviewed, he said, “Well, I’ve been practicing for 35 years!”
In 1970 Jim Jr. and family went to Medora, North Dakota. He had been hired to run Ranchorama, the number one attraction in the state, at that time. It was an educational and entertaining demonstration of ranching and farming which the public could sign up for and participate in the activities. Mary Louise and Madonna also were part of the events. This was a summer project and they were there for two summers.
Floyd Randolph, Mary Louise’s father, was the county sheriff of Carter County, OK, from 1935 to 1943, then became owner of a saddle shop. When he passed away in 1972 Jim Jr took over the saddle shop. But when his lupus returned, Junior was forced to retired in 1973. He died May 15, 1977 and was buried at Rosehill Cemetery, in Ardmore.
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Madonna, born August 24, 1941, in Waverly, New York, to Jim Junior and Mary Louise. She led a charmed life as a kid. With so many families living in the J E Ranch Compound at Waverly, New York, she had plenty of other children to play with. It was said that she drug a rope around from the time she could walk. In time when she was old enough, she would ‘drag various ropes’ out to her dad, in the arena, for his various rope tricks. She was also in the wild west shows that were held by J E Ranch. The show was filled with Russian Cossacks, German riders, Mexican ropers, trick riders, broncs and Indians attacking the ‘wagon train headin’ west. When she was old enough to take directions she played the screaming, terrified youngster in the wagon train raid. Madonna was 5 years old when she started performing as a trick rider. By age 9 she was also trick roping.
Madonna remembered, “My grandmother, Florence (Randolph), taught me to trick ride on her horse, ‘Boy’.” She also remembered her grandfather, Colonel Jim, “He’d squat down and roll Bull Durham cigarettes and continue to squat forever while he talked to the cowboys. He also had a cook house where he fed the cowboys.” She also could recall, “All the kids of the rodeo hands and performers would play together. We were just like one big family as we all lived in trailer-houses on the rodeo grounds and at home plus the Brule Sioux Indians that were performing all lived in teepees on the ranch and all the kids played together.
After the family retired to Ardmore, Oklahoma, Madonna went to William Woods College, a woman’s college for a couple of years, but she always performed with her dad when possible. He was asked by the American Tobacco Company to recommend a female trick roper to go on their tour for a Bull Durham ready-to-roll cigarette they were promoting. Of course, Jim Jr. recommended Madonna who did a trick riding act, along with a horse act, a stagecoach with two models that threw out cigarettes, and a dog act. This tour lasted a year.
When that ended Madonna went to work for Harry Knight, a friend of Colonel Jim, who was a rodeo producer and lived at Fowler, Colorado. She was a secretary, a timer, carried the flag, and whatever else was needed. She often spent time at the Knight ranch as they were like family to her. Later she also worked for Billy Minick, when Knight sold his company to him, doing the same thing. She also worked for Tommy Steiner Rodeo Company and Harry Vold. She was a timer at the National Finals several times.
By the early 1970s, when Jim Jr’s lupus forced him to retire, she stayed in Ardmore working as a dental assistant and other similar jobs. She became an advocate for CASA (which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate) and took the responsibility of seeing that children taken from their homes by the courts were given proper attention, education and living. She tended to babies, teenagers, teenagers that were pregnant, and more, during the fifteen years she continued this important humanitarian responsibility.
Meanwhile, she met and married Jim Pumphrey. He had returned from three years in Australia where he had run a feedlot. He went to work for the Noble Foundation, which consulted with farmers and ranchers on how to improve their business without charge. When he finally left the company he and Madonna started their own Concealed Carry business, teaching people the rules and regulations of being able to carry guns safely and use them properly. After Jim passed away Madonna has been handling 65 acres near Ardmore, which requires help. Her help has become a family for which she cares and is mentoring them to be able to use the acreage successfully. She also helps the Rawhide Cowboy Church she attends with their finances and more.
Madonna said recently, “I remember the two white stallions that always led the J. E. Ranch Rodeo Grand Entry. We also had a full-sized Butterfield stagecoach, a covered wagon, and the Colonel had over 100 horses he used in each rodeo. It was a spectacular sight and so much fun!”
Over a hundred years ago, the Eskews truly struck out to do what they saw needed to be done. In so many unusual ways all generations have continued to do what needs to be done in numerous venues.
James Eskew was born in Wilson County, Tennessee in January 12, 1888. His dad was a horse and cattle dealer who gave him a spirited pony early in his life. At age 10, it was discovered that James had a defect in his eye. He went to live with his uncle in Garland, Texas where he could receive the proper medical attention. He and his uncle became great friends and he stayed with him until he was eighteen. By age twelve he was horseback and started roping and riding in rodeos. When Joe Miller, one the owners of the 101 Wild West Show saw him, in 1907, he offered him a job. He later joined the Mulhall Wild West Show too, until it ran in to financial trouble. Jim then joined the wild west portion of the John Robinson Circus. He constantly studied wild west shows and every aspect of it. He had the personality to go with his abilities and the ambition; he was always a favorite. By 1911 he was with the Buffalo Bill - Pawnee Bill Wild West Show chasing Indians and shooting to entertain the audience. He got to be good friends with Buffalo Bill’s grandson, Cody Bowden. Each Saturday Buffalo Bill would stay in a hotel and his grandson, Cody, and Jim would get to stay in his magnificent stateroom on the show train. He also met Iron Tail while with Buffalo Bill. He was the Sioux Indian whose face is on the nickel. ‘Nip’ a trained buffalo was featured on the other side of the nickel.
Jim moved from one wild west show to another and was always learning something new with each move. In 1915 he married Dolly, who was traveling with the Pittsburgh Opera Company. That same year he was managing the wild west portion of Sparks Circus which he did for three years.
When he felt he understood enough about wild west shows he started his own in 1918. A 1925 copy of The Billboard’s The Corral column by Rowdy Waddy said: “Mention was made in last issue about Jim Eskew being engaged for the winter at West Beach, Florida.” A few days before that was written the editor received the following letter from Jim from that city; “After the Rubin & Cherry Shows closed their season at Montgomery, Alabama, I shipped my entire outfit here. We are working for the W. H. Martin Photoplay Corporation with which I have a 20 weeks’ contract to make Westerns. We staged a small rodeo here Sunday and there were 3,000 paid admissions and there were many who could not get into the grounds with Rubin & Cherry Shows and I also hold contract with them for next season. The weather down here is great and there’s lots of people.”
(The Billboard newspaper, which reported on vaudeville, theater, festivals, circuses, and all kinds of entertainment in the U. S. had a column called The Corral and wrote about Wild West performers, because often the best from wild west became performers in vaudeville – like Will Rogers. As time went on many of the wild west performers improved in their riding and roping skills enough that they would switch to rodeo. The column just kept reporting about them and eventually included rodeo cowboys and cowgirls in their column.)
The next 1925 Corral column had this to say from Eskew; The roster of his outfit: “Jim Eskew and wife Dolly and Jim Jr. (born in 1918) was in charge are both doing their respective roping and riding, etc; Taylor Farris, Australian whip manipulator and steer rider; Fred Mincey, bronk and steer rider and bulldogger; Doc Ford (‘Oklahoma Peg’), all-round cowboy; Shorty Anderson, bronk and steer rider; “Mexican Joe” Marino, pony express and pickup man; Joe Fields, bronk riding; Jerry Wade, Bronk Riding; and Ed Wilcox, bronk riding and clown. All the boys are going to the rodeo at Miami. The ‘bunch’ has given three shows since arrival here and to a turn-away business, and will give a rodeo at Palm Beach in January. The movie work, with the W. H. Martin Photoplays Corp., for which the outfit came here, will start January 1. A herd of steers has just been purchased for the stampede scenes. The “ranch” is located nine miles north of West Palm Beach on the Dixie Highway at Monet, Florida.” A later report in The Corral said that Eskew had signed a contract in 1926 for the following year to do more movies with the Photoplays Corp.
Colonel Eskew had some performances in Canada, and while there he had something happen that changed the rodeo world. Jim McNab who lived near Fort McLeod, Alberta, Canada, got wild horses from hills near his ranch each year that he and his cowboys turned in to ranch horses. But in 1919 one beautiful black that had some thoroughbred in him, was not interested in ranching. Since he didn’t settle down like most of the horses, McNab started putting him in rodeos as a bronc. At a Fort McLeod rodeo he threw everyone off with no trouble. McNab sold him to stock contractors, Peter Welch and Red Wall, and he was the premier bronc at the Calgary Stampede in 1925. They also had a smaller black bronc named Tumbling Mustard. When Colonel Eskew showed an interest in the bigger bronc Welch made a deal with Eskew for $250 he’d sell both horses. Colonel Eskew jumped at the chance and bought them both in 1929. He put them on a train heading back to the United States and rode all the way home in the boxcar with both horses. Once they arrived, Eskew named the bigger black Midnight, and the smaller bronc’s name was changed from Tumbling Mustard to Five Minutes to Midnight.
The Colonel found that seldom could anyone ride either horse at most all his shows. He knew they needed to be sold to stock contractors that were involved with the larger rodeos in the United States. Verne Elliott and Eddie McCarty, stock contractors from Colorado and Wyoming, were just the right stock contractors. They were always looking for great buckers. The Colonel sold them both to Elliott and McCarty, and Midnight became the best bronc of that era. A few cowboys rode him, but most were bucked off quickly. Five Minutes to Midnight was also a tough bronc, but had more cowboys ride him, than his black Canadian buddy. Eventually they were both buried on Persimmon Hill at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
By 1930 Eskew added rodeos to his list and activities were still being reported in The Corral; “At Sturbridge, Mass. at the close of a four-day rodeo on July 7, Jack Jackson, well known cowboy, and Berl Warner, were married on horseback in front of the grandstand. Afterward Colonel Eskew and wife Dolly served a wedding dinner in the ‘cookhouse’. Among honored guests were Colonel W. T. Johnson from San Antonio, TX and son, W. T. Johnson, Jr. and Fred Alvord. They were on their way to New York City to make arrangements for the upcoming Madison Square Garden Rodeo.”
By 1933 Eskew had abandoned the carnival wild west shows and formed his own organization – the J E Rodeo Company. Colonel Eskew could do wild west or rodeo with ease and by this era the wild west shows were on their way out. Rodeo were definitely becoming more popular each month. Eskew did allow his wild west performers who were paid a salary when they were performing in wild west shows to compete in his rodeos along with cowboys and cowgirls if they paid ‘their entry fee’. This was not the case with all rodeo producers, but Colonel Jim demanded it.
In the wild west shows and rodeos the entire Eskew family participated. Dolly, his wife, performed on her beautiful trained white horse and trick roped; son Jim, Jr. trick roped; and son Tom Mix Eskew steer wrestled; both boys were the pickup men. Colonel’s sons also worked as arena directors and managers. Jim Junior married Mary Louise, the daughter of Floyd and Florence Randolph.”
“Colonel Jim Eskew and wife, Dolly attended the funeral of Howard ‘Stoney’ Harris, Sr. in Woodstown, NJ, in March, 1935. By this time the Colonel had become good friends with the Harris family. At the later Fair and Rodeo at Woodstown, NJ, managed by Howard Harris, Jr.., with Colonel Eskew as arena director, and Herbert Maddy as arena secretary. Opening day of the rodeo a moment of silence was held for Howard Harris Sr., and Will Rogers, both who had died earlier in the year. Harris was the founder of the Salem County (New Jersey Fair and Rodeo.
In October 1935 the Midsouth Fair and rodeo at Memphis was reported, in The Corral, as having been produced by the Harris-Eskew Western Enterprises. Eskew was arena director with help from Cy Compton. They also produced a rodeo starting October 28th at Philadelphia the week between Colonel Johnson’s Madison Square Garden rodeo and Boston Garden. The rodeo there would have four performances, the other performances were wild west shows.
November 21, 1936, Corral column reported “Colonel Jim Eskew, with a truck load of saddle and roping horses; Monte Reger and his longhorn steer, ‘Bobby’; Junior and Tom Mix Eskew; Slim Walsh; Pat Plaskett and Elmer Whitesell assisted with Bob Follette in staging the recent Bennettsville, South Carolina Rodeo.
Ed and Bill O’Brian, lived in Waverly, New York, in 1939. They thought that Colonel Jim Eskew’s Wild West Show would be good for Waverly’s business. If they could convince him to move his entourage to the area. Colonel Jim Eskew and his J E Ranch had held rodeos and wild west shows in the Eastern part of the United States for twenty years and always had a good show. The O’Brians went to the Waverly Board of Trade and presented their idea. It sounded good to the Directors of the Waverly Board of Trade. They offered Colonel Eskew a 300-acre farm four miles outside of Waverly, if Eskew would stay at least three years and do a wild west show in Waverly annually. Eskew thought about the offer and couldn’t find a problem with it. There were three railroads that went through Waverly and since his entourage traveled by rail, that was a plus. He accepted the offer, then moved his family and 150 head of livestock which included Brahma bulls, buffalo, cattle and broncs. He built cabins, a bunkhouse and an arena as well as a grandstand on the farm. He also purchased another 300 acres. His weekly payroll was over $1,200. Numerous people working for the ranch lived on the ranch or nearby.
Frank ‘Pichandle’ Merrill worked for the Colonel and this is what he laughingly said, “I started out as a ‘road apple jockey’, and shoveled manure out of the barn. After a problem with a mean foreman, the Colonel promoted me to ‘baby sit’ the ranch while the others were away having a wild west show or a rodeo.” By 1942 Merrill went on the ‘rodeo road’ with Eskew, who named him ‘Pichandle’ because he was tall and skinny. He laughed and always was jovial and he helped entertain and bullfight when the bullfighter was injured. He continued to be the funnyman until he was drafted in 1950. “I loved Colonel Eskew,” said Merrill. “He was an honest man. He paid us $5.00 a week to work on the ranch, plus room and board, and all the Bull Durham we wanted. When I clowned, I got $25 a performance.” When the Colonel would ask Merrill to do an additional job ‘Pichandle’ would answer with “as soon as this is finished.” The Colonel would say, “’Pichandle’, you’ve got more stalls than a livery stable!”
Monte Reger and wife, Opal, and their three children, Dixie, Virginia and Buddy lived on the place. Dixie remembered that it was in a house, but they put up a tent inside to live in, because it was the house was too big and easier to heat in the winter. Monte and all three children performed on wild west or rodeos. Monte had his longhorn, Bobby Twister and all three children trick rode, and eventually Buddy and Dixie became rodeo clowns. Opal home-schooled the children and although they sometimes missed their hometown of Woodward, Oklahoma, their life was unusual, but fun, to say the least. Dixie remembered as a child seeing Colonel Eskew, Uncle Herbie Maddy the PR man, and Foghorn Clancy sitting around and visiting. She recalled, “Colonel Jim would smoke cigarettes while squatting, and seemed to never tire in that position.”
Jim Eskew Junior married Mary Louise Randolph in 1939. Their daughter, Madonna, was born August 24, 1941. By the time Madonna was 5 she was performing in the rodeo. The Colonel’s other son, Tom Mix Eskew, (born Feb. 23, 1921) married Jackie, and they had three sons and a daughter. Tom’s children square danced on horseback in the J E Ranch rodeos and Tom steer wrestled, and was also a pickup man. Jim Jr. and Tom’s jobs changed from time to time, depending on what the Colonel needed them to do.
During World War II, when both sons were in the Army, Colonel Eskew partnered with Roy Rogers, the outstanding movie cowboy, who was about the only movie cowboy that did not join the war effort. The Colonel and Roy held rodeos for a few years at Saint Louis, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Washington D. C. The government encouraged rodeos to continue to be held whenever possible because of the war because the country needed entertainment.
A Hometowner article dated August 1, 1952 in the Democrat Chronicle, Rochester, New York, and written by Billy Beeney said this in part about Colonel Eskew: “To watch him ride into the arena, sitting on his horse with a nonchalant grace that makes him seem a permanent part of the saddle. He’s a lean, wiry man, as hipless as a snake, and wears the inevitable skin-tight whipcord pants, a 10 gallon hat and a clip-on butterfly bowtie made of leather.” And the article quoted the Colonel about broncs: “I’ll never forget Midnight. He was the greatest buckin’ horse I ever saw, and I’ve seen ‘em all. A regular outlow! Mean as a hand grenade and just as dangerous. I got a great good price for him and in those days big money was important. A horse either bucks or he don’t. We don’t do nothing to make ‘em buck. Best buckin’ horse I ever saw next to Midnight was one I had. Named him ‘Five Minutes to Midnight’, almost as good, but not quite.”
Dolly, passed away in 1952 from heart trouble. She was born in Germany but the Colonel had met her when she was a stage performer in the U. S. Although Colonel Jim was a master showman, his enthusiasm for it all began to wane. He retired in 1957. The Colonel died at the home of his son, Jim Jr., in Ardmore, Oklahoma on February 23, 1965. An amazing entrepreneur who studied and learned every aspect of the wild west and rodeo life. He bridged the gap from wild west shows to rodeo and never missed a beat!
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Jim Eskew, Jr. was born September 18, 1917 in Bristol, Tennessee on his dad’s carnival bronk show. The Colonel began his own wild west and rodeo organization that year. At first it was mostly wild west shows, but as rodeo became more popular, he put on more rodeos. Colonel Jim Eskew primarily worked the eastern part of the United States because they had less rodeos there and he seized the opportunity.
Jim Jr. didn’t remember learning to trick rope, but it must have come naturally and both his dad and mother trick roped. When he was 5 he was featured as a trick rider and roper in the Great International Exposition in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. At age 7 a photo was taken of him spinning two ropes. A teacher Jim Jr. had in school said that Jr. said, “he hoped they had ropes in heaven.” At age sixteen he first competed in the Madison Square Garden Rodeo, and he continued to compete there for thirteen years in calf roping and steer wrestling. His fastest steer roping time was 2.2 seconds. But most of his time was with the J E Ranch rodeos, or wild west shows, where he performed trick roping and riding. Colonel Eskew also had Jim and his youngest son, Tom Mix Eskew, (named after Jim’s good friend, Tom Mix) do a variety of duties in the shows, in addition to their performing.
When Junior was 19, he was challenged to compete in trick roping at New York City for $500. He declined but offered to meet his adversary for $2,000. Colonel Eskew said he’d bet his rodeo company on Jim Junior! The adversary declined. No match!
Jim Jr. developed 20 roping tricks that no one else did. He could rope with either hand, and was considered 80% ambidextrous. He learned to tie 80 different knots. He trained his own roping horses, but he said that a roping horse must have 75% natural ability to do what is expected. (You must remember this was in the day when trick ropers were always competing at rodeos and there was much more demand for good trick ropers.) Jim Jr. had a horse named Old Blue that he paid $37 for that served Junior’s needs for 20 years. Next was a horse named Chunky that was with Jr. for 18 more years. Jr. went to Mexico every few years because he learned from the vaqueros how to use the maguey rope and would go back from time to time to trade tricks with them.
Jim Jr. also had many students he taught to trick rope. One was a Wall Street broker; another was a Frenchman that worked for the United Nations. Needless to say, his reputation was spread far and wide to those interested in learning trick roping from the best.
He married Mary Louise Randolph, daughter of Floyd Randolph from Ardmore, OK, in 1939. Jim Jr. met her at a rodeo there. During World War II he was in the Army and was given a physical endurance test, TC-87. He scored a 596 out of 600. He served in the Special Services area of the Army and was with the best talent in show business at that time. He also served in the Army Olympics as a boxing and horseshoe instructor. He roped water buffalo in the Philippines and wild horses in Australia. Jim Jr. was discharged in 1946 and went back to J E Ranch rodeos. He was diagnosed with lupus in 1947. It was determined by the doctors that he got lupus while in the service in the Pacific.
Jim Jr. performed trick roping and also roped calves and was a steer wrestler on the J. E. Ranch Rodeos. Mary Louise would ride horses for Jim Jr. when one of his tricks was roping a running horse. The Colonel would ride horses for Jim Jr. when he was roping the horse with the maguey rope. Other trick ropers on the J. E. Ranch were Rex Rossi who also trick rode; Buddy Mefford who used the maguey rope to trick rope. Jim Jr. also competed in trick roping contests in various places, winning most of the time. The most famous trick roper in his era was Chester Byers, who had won every contest for years. Junior challenged Byers, but by that time Byers was older and turned him down.
In 1966 the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame had a trick roping competition. It wasn’t just a competition it was for the International World Champion Trick Roper. Mexicans were noted for their skill with the maguey rope and several came from Mexico. The judges were: Will Rogers, Jr., Buddy Mefford, and Don McLaughlin. The Hall of Fame was filled with ocean waves, Spanish flats, push offs, pop overs, butterflies, and they used both cotton and maguey ropes. The five finalists were: Junior Eskew, Rex Rossi of Kissimmee, FL; Dr. Ignacio Rodriguez and Rafael Ramos, both of Mexico City, and Gene McLaughlin of Chatsworth, CA. When the competition ended Junior Eskew was the International World Champion Trick Roper! When he was interviewed, he said, “Well, I’ve been practicing for 35 years!”
In 1970 Jim Jr. and family went to Medora, North Dakota. He had been hired to run Ranchorama, the number one attraction in the state, at that time. It was an educational and entertaining demonstration of ranching and farming which the public could sign up for and participate in the activities. Mary Louise and Madonna also were part of the events. This was a summer project and they were there for two summers.
Floyd Randolph, Mary Louise’s father, was the county sheriff of Carter County, OK, from 1935 to 1943, then became owner of a saddle shop. When he passed away in 1972 Jim Jr took over the saddle shop. But when his lupus returned, Junior was forced to retired in 1973. He died May 15, 1977 and was buried at Rosehill Cemetery, in Ardmore.
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Madonna, born August 24, 1941, in Waverly, New York, to Jim Junior and Mary Louise. She led a charmed life as a kid. With so many families living in the J E Ranch Compound at Waverly, New York, she had plenty of other children to play with. It was said that she drug a rope around from the time she could walk. In time when she was old enough, she would ‘drag various ropes’ out to her dad, in the arena, for his various rope tricks. She was also in the wild west shows that were held by J E Ranch. The show was filled with Russian Cossacks, German riders, Mexican ropers, trick riders, broncs and Indians attacking the ‘wagon train headin’ west. When she was old enough to take directions she played the screaming, terrified youngster in the wagon train raid. Madonna was 5 years old when she started performing as a trick rider. By age 9 she was also trick roping.
Madonna remembered, “My grandmother, Florence (Randolph), taught me to trick ride on her horse, ‘Boy’.” She also remembered her grandfather, Colonel Jim, “He’d squat down and roll Bull Durham cigarettes and continue to squat forever while he talked to the cowboys. He also had a cook house where he fed the cowboys.” She also could recall, “All the kids of the rodeo hands and performers would play together. We were just like one big family as we all lived in trailer-houses on the rodeo grounds and at home plus the Brule Sioux Indians that were performing all lived in teepees on the ranch and all the kids played together.
After the family retired to Ardmore, Oklahoma, Madonna went to William Woods College, a woman’s college for a couple of years, but she always performed with her dad when possible. He was asked by the American Tobacco Company to recommend a female trick roper to go on their tour for a Bull Durham ready-to-roll cigarette they were promoting. Of course, Jim Jr. recommended Madonna who did a trick riding act, along with a horse act, a stagecoach with two models that threw out cigarettes, and a dog act. This tour lasted a year.
When that ended Madonna went to work for Harry Knight, a friend of Colonel Jim, who was a rodeo producer and lived at Fowler, Colorado. She was a secretary, a timer, carried the flag, and whatever else was needed. She often spent time at the Knight ranch as they were like family to her. Later she also worked for Billy Minick, when Knight sold his company to him, doing the same thing. She also worked for Tommy Steiner Rodeo Company and Harry Vold. She was a timer at the National Finals several times.
By the early 1970s, when Jim Jr’s lupus forced him to retire, she stayed in Ardmore working as a dental assistant and other similar jobs. She became an advocate for CASA (which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocate) and took the responsibility of seeing that children taken from their homes by the courts were given proper attention, education and living. She tended to babies, teenagers, teenagers that were pregnant, and more, during the fifteen years she continued this important humanitarian responsibility.
Meanwhile, she met and married Jim Pumphrey. He had returned from three years in Australia where he had run a feedlot. He went to work for the Noble Foundation, which consulted with farmers and ranchers on how to improve their business without charge. When he finally left the company he and Madonna started their own Concealed Carry business, teaching people the rules and regulations of being able to carry guns safely and use them properly. After Jim passed away Madonna has been handling 65 acres near Ardmore, which requires help. Her help has become a family for which she cares and is mentoring them to be able to use the acreage successfully. She also helps the Rawhide Cowboy Church she attends with their finances and more.
Madonna said recently, “I remember the two white stallions that always led the J. E. Ranch Rodeo Grand Entry. We also had a full-sized Butterfield stagecoach, a covered wagon, and the Colonel had over 100 horses he used in each rodeo. It was a spectacular sight and so much fun!”
Over a hundred years ago, the Eskews truly struck out to do what they saw needed to be done. In so many unusual ways all generations have continued to do what needs to be done in numerous venues.
Madonna hazing for Jim Jr.
Maddona Trick Roping
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