A photo of Colonel Ellsworth Walters and a medal awarded to him by the Osage triibe. This was one of several tokens presented to Col. Walters by the Osage. I wonder what ever became of them. There is some reading here, so fair warning. Mostly forgotten now, he is someone I would like to have met, and from what Ive read, a very interesting gentleman. I did meet his grand daughter who talked about him, but I was younger then and didnt pay much attention, as most people in their youth do. The old statue at Skedee depicts Col. Walters with Osage chief Baconrind, though people who see it today probably wonder what the statue was all about and why it sits in a small fading town in what many would consider the middle of nowhere. Born in Illinois in 1865, his father named him in honor of Col. Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth, the first Union casualty of the Civil War, so yes, Colonel was his real name. The family moved to the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, in 1866, and he grew up what is now Chouteau. Walters became a deputy U.S. marshal at nineteen, but he gained distinction as an auctioneer, earning his notoriety in that field with the sale of oil leases for the Osage tribe. The following is directly from the WIKI: Walters conducted the public sales at Pawhuska beneath the Million Dollar Elm and inside the Constantine and Kiheka theaters. The auctions often lasted ten hours or more and were attended by such notable oilmen as Ernest W. Marland, Frank Phillips, L. E.Phillips, and William G. Skelly. On March 18, 1924, Walters secured a bid of $1,995,000 from Josh Cosden, at that time the highest-paid price for a 160-acre tract. By 1928 Walters had earned around $157 million for the Osage tribe. He presided over the lease auctions throughout the 1930s. The Osage expressed their appreciation for Walters by giving him a diamond-studded badge and a diamond ring. He repaid their kindness in 1926 by commissioning the Bond of Friendship, a life-size statue of Walters and Osage Chief Bacon Rind shaking hands. The monument is located in Walterss hometown, Skedee, Oklahoma. He died February 15, 1946, and was buried at Fairfax, Oklahoma. The following is an excerpt from a Sante Fe rail magazine from the 1920s. It gives a good view of Col. Walters character and charisma, and tells us the history of his hat, which he is holding in the old statue. Col. Walters home at Skedee still stands and is in use today. WORLDS GREATEST AUCTIONEER Not long ago a man entered the Pullman on No. 17 at a small station in Oklahoma, and walking through the car deposited himself on a rear seat. He attracted immediate attention, chiefly because of the huge dimensions of his hat. It was a monstrous hat, about three feet in diameter and made of beaver. Some of the passengers laughed, some looked startled, and other gazed in awe, undecided whether to envy or admire the apparition. The wearer of the hat evidently was aware of the sensation he created, for he immediately engaged in conversation with the couple across the aisle. The other passengers then began to draw closer and joined in the conversation. To satisfy the curiosity of the crowd, he stood up and made a talk. He introduced himself as Col. E Walters of Skedee, Okla, leading live stock, real estate and government auctioneer of the West. Col. Walters was a magnificent specimen of a man, about six and a half feed in height and built in proportion. He began by passing out his personal cards, containing his photograph, history, bank references, and on the back, a poem on Oklahoma written by himself. As a preliminary he stated that the hat was made especially for him by John B. Stetson for a consideration of $200 and was his most cherished possession. Frequent attempts had been made to rob him of it, but his size and the presence of two automatics he constantly carried in his rolae as a deputy U.S. marshal, prevented these attempts. For instance, his friends often seize the hat and proceed to auction it as some of his numerous land sales. Once, he stated, the governor of New York bid on the hat and he was forced to pay the governor $200 for its return. After outlining the history of the hat he retired to the smoker and began to tell of his experiences. What he doesn’t know about Oklahoma isn’t worth knowing. He has a most genial personality and held that audience of hard boiled salesmen, oil land speculators and stockmen spellbound for four hours by his interesting tales. During the past seven years in his capacity as government auctioneer he has sold over twenty-six million acres of land valued at $62,000,000. This consisted of oil, coal and gas land leases, and agricultural and pasture land. On February 3 he sold Osage oil leases at Pawhuska, Okla. That netted $3,102,700 to the tribe. At this sale the Osage Indians presented Col. Walters with a diamond medal valued at $3,000 in token for their esteem and as a reward for the interest he took in their welfare. This is the first time in Indian history than and Indian tribe has awarded a white man in this manner. Col. Walters stated he had traveled over one hundred and fifty thousand miles on the Sante Fe and found the service the best of any road he had ever ridden on. Judging from the interest he created on this particular trip, the Sante Fe obtains much free advertising from his patronage and he keeps alive the spirit of the old West in the minds of the tourist.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 02:50:44 +0000