The first White American to be allowed to live, own land and ranch in the Chickasaw Nation was Walter Alley Holford, known to his friends as Watt Holford. His ranch was named the “Cross J. Ranch.” It was on this ranch that Holford established the cattle and livestock industry for the both the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations.
HolfordwasbornonMarch 20, 1841, in Carroll County, Ark. He was the son of Reverend Matthew Holford, a Presbyterian Minister, and Harriet Alley. Watt’s paternal grandfather, John Holford was a hero in the Revolutionary War as was his maternal grandfather, Walter Alley.
In approximately 1851, when Watt was 10 years old, his family moved to Grayson County, Texas. There, his father built a ranch near what isnowGordonville,Texasand over the next several years, Holford’s father, began trading with Indians in the newly established Indian Territory where he earned the trust of both the Chickasaw and the Choctaw Nations.
During that time, Walter and his brothers worked with their father as cowboys and drove cattle herds through Indian Territory to St Louis, Missouri. This continued until the start of the Civil War.
In 1860. when the war began, Walter and his older brother, John, enlisted in the Confederate Army as members of the 11th Texas Calvary.Almostimmediately after the declaration of war that began the Civil War, a militia force of approximately 400 young men from the plains of North Texas rode to Fort Cobb in Indian Territory to demand the release of the fort to the Confederacy.
Fort Cobb was at the site of present day, Fort Cobb, Oklahoma. The Texas militia was under the command of Captain Bill Young. Young and his force arrived at Fort Cobb early one spring morning, and upon their arrival, Young demanded the Union Forces occupying the fort to surrender.
Standing beside Young when the demand was made was Walter Holford, musket in hand. The Union Forces offered no resistance, and they abandoned the fort to Youngandhistroops.Holford went on to fight in the battles of Shiloh, Pea Ridge and at Corinth, Mississippi. During the battle at Pea Ridge, Walter was wounded in the knee and disabled for life.
During the war, on June 12, 1863, Walter married Harriet Amanda Babb. In 1865, at the conclusion of the war,Walterreturnedhometo TexastohiswifeAmandaand the family ranch in Gordonville, Texas. That same year he applied for permission through the Indian Agency at Muskogee to establish a ranch in Indian Territory.
Permission of the United States Government was obtained for the establishment of the ranch, and the “horizon” was the only line that marked his territorial boundary. Holford’s ranch was as wide north-south as the latitudinal measurement of the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations and he was the firstwhitemantomakeapermanent settlement between Atoka, Indian Territory, and the Rocky Mountains.
This was before the days of leases on Native American lands, but Holford was welcomed by both the officials of the government and by the Native Americans. The Native Americans and the U.S. Government were looking for a man with business acumen and courage to occupy the plains and create a cattle industry for both the Chickasaws and the Choctaws.
He was also the first man to announce to the Indians of the “Civilized Tribes” that the world offered them a market for their livestock and therefore, he established the livestock industry of both the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations. Through this, he became a trusted friend to both Nations.
The cattle industry that Holford established was the most important industry of the Indian Territory for over fifty years. In addition to being the first white man to receive permission to run cattle in the Indian Territory, Holford was also the first white man to make a permanent settlement in the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations.
Holford built a ranch house about six miles west of present-day Madill. He fenced his pastures with a fence of over 30,000 split wood rails.
The land to the west of the Cross J. Ranch merged into the Great Plains country, whichwasthelandoftheKiowas and Comanche Nations. Those tribes made raids into Texas and the Chickasaw Territoryandstolethousands of horses and cattle.
Just shortly after the openingoftheCrossJ.Ranch, the Kiowa and Comanche began incursions onto the ranch.Duringthefirsttwelve years of the Cross J. Ranch, Holford and his cowboys formed themselves into an army of defense and they fought many battles with the Kiowa and Comanche. During those years, the Kiowa and Comanches made away with approximately 800 horses from the Cross J. Ranch.
One of their most violent battles took place on the site ofwhatlaterbecamethetown of McMillan. Holford and eleven of his men engaged a war party of twelve Kiowa who were armed with guns andbowsandarrows.During the battle, five Kiowa Indians and twelve of their horses were killed. Holford lost one of his men and a horse.
The remnant of the war party was chased by the cowboys to what is now the present City of Ardmore, where another fight took place. In that fight, Holford waswoundedintheshoulder. Following this skirmish, both Holford and the Indians then retreated.
Walter moved his family to Indian Territory, but for many years he never dared to take them to the ranch to live until he built a magnificent colonial-style home near the Burney Institute at Lebanon.
Frequently, the raiding Indians came so close to his home that his family was moved back across the Red River to the Holford Ranch at Gordonsville, Texas. For weeksatatimethewhitemen stayed away from the ranch except in daytime, spending their nights in the Holford mansion near the river.
Finally, Holford fortified the home site by setting oak treesintotheground,forming a wall around the mansion. The logs were set close and were of such a height that it was impossible to scale them. Portholes were then cut on the wall for men to stand guard and be able to shoot when the Indians were nearby. Through these holes, Holford and his men stood watch against the Kiowas and Comanches. Due to the wall and its fortifications, the Indians never attacked.
Eventually, the Indians learned to fear Holford. One timehetongue-lashedaparty of Indians into a retreat without the firing of a single shot.
The first herd of cattle driven to market from the Chickasaw Nation was rounded up by cowboys in Holford ’s employ on the site of present-day Madill. These cattle had been purchased by Holford from the Indians and they were driven to Shreveport. La., to be transported by boat down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. This trip netted Holford about $2,000, which is equivalent to about $35,000 today.
His wagons, drawn by ox teams, accompanied the herd, and returned loaded with clothing, provisions, and other necessities, which were tradedtotheIndiansformore cattle. With a medium of exchange established through the finding of a market on the Gulf Coast, the business entered upon a profitable era.
The next important drive was made to Sedalia, Mo., where feeding pens were established, and the cattle fattened before being placed on the market. This trip took six months to accomplish, and it netted Holford about $17,000, which would be about $320,000 today.
Meanwhile, the Katy railroad began pushing southwest out of St. Louis, and the cattle market was brought closer to Indian country, at Hunnewell, Kan., and later Baxter Springs, Kan. The railroad was finally extended to Denison, Texas, and thereafter, there were no long drives.
There was a time when Holford knew every man, woman and child over the age of 10 in the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. He was personally acquainted with every governor of both nations, and some of them were frequent guests at his ranch, or in his home.
He was a friend of Quanah Parker, an early chief of the Comanches, and of Lone Wolf, Chief of the Kiowas. He also became friend with Santa Ana of the Comanches and Big Tree of the Kiowas, who were among the most intrepid of Kiowa leaders when the Indians were in their raiding period.
He was the friend of the Indian and he was the enemy of outlaws and cattle thieves. Many times, his cattle deals exceeded $100,000, ($1,875,000 today) an amount larger than was involved in any other transaction in cattle in the Southwest in the 1860s, and he once wrote a check for $60,000 ($1,125,000 today) on a bank in Gainesville, in which he had no money on deposit. The check was honored because Holford was never questioned.
Walter and Amanda had the following children: GeorgeMifflinDallasHolford (1863-1942); Molcie E. M. Holford (1865-1883); Wesley A. Holford (died as small boy); Walter Matthew Holford (1870-1930); Hattie Holford (1857-1892); Simon John D. Holford (1872- ); Daniel Boone Holford (1874-1876); Jessie Margaret Holford (1876-1951); Washington Day Holford (1878-1948); Amanda A. Holford (1881- ); Agnes Holford (1882-1895); Tommie Quintie Holford (1887-1958).
Amanda died in 1900. Following her death, Walter married Sarah “Sallie” Warden Everhart.
Walterretiredfromranching in 1910. Following his retirement, he and Sarah lived with Walter’s son George M.D. Holford at George’s ranch several miles south of Madill. Walter died in 1919 and was buried in Lexington with his first wife Amanda.
It could be rightly said that Walter Alley “Watt” Holford was the first, and possibly more important pioneer in Marshall County history. He was also the namesake for HolfordTownshipintheearly days of Marshall County. At statehood, there were four townships in Marshall County, Holford, Taliaferro, Willis and Odell.