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101 Ranch Family Guest Book with notable signatures

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD
101 Ranch Family Guest Book with notable signatures
5 1/2" x 7 3/4", 60 pages First entry is dated Oct 25, 1903 with the remark May all the guests have as pleasant visit as the first has had. Includes signatures of all the Miller Bros as well as William Jennings Bryan, Will Rogers, and artists Henry Balink and Birger Sandzen with accompanying sketches PROVENANCE: Descended through the family of Alma Miller England, family sister of Joe and William Jr Miller, who started the 101 Ranch. My grandmother, Alma Miller England, was sister to Zach, Joe & William Jr, the Miller Brothers, whose father started the 101 Ranch near Ponca City, Oklahoma. She moved to her own home nearby when she married, but still entertained many of the same people who came to see the Wild West Show at the 101. This guest book, which spans the years 1907-1940, has signatures and a couple of sketches of some quite remarkable people. Inside you will find William Jennings Bryan, Will Rogers, artist Henry Balink (including a beautiful sketch) & Birger Sandzen (also with a drawing), among many others. In 1937 Louie Diamond Jack Alterie, the chicago mobster, visited Alma for what he called a lovely dinner. He was gunned down back in Chicago just a few months later. (As a side note, when the ranch was failing in the late 1920's, Al Capone made a bid to purchase it, but eventually failed.) The 101 Ranch was a remarkable entity, a self-sufficient community complete with a general store which often had a tame bear outside that had an apparent affinity for coca-cola. The 101 Ranch, my grandmother, and my grand-uncles, created & held a much appreciated & beloved treasure in Oklahoma. My hope is that it will never be forgotten & will always be appreciated as much as I do......................Elisabeth England Janssen