🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 23: Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton

📢 Episode Summary: This week on This Week in the West, we saddle up with the unforgettable tale of Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton, the real-life cowboy behind one of college sports’ most iconic mascots. Known today for his likeness on the sidelines of Oklahoma State games, Eaton’s life was anything but a cartoon. Born into tragedy and raised with a mission of vengeance, Eaton’s early years were marked by loss, grit, and an unshakable sense of justice.

At just eight years old, Eaton witnessed the murder of his father by a gang of former Confederate vigilantes known as the Regulators. Vowing revenge, he trained for years to become one of the sharpest shooters in Indian Territory, earning the nickname “Pistol Pete” from a U.S. Army colonel after outshooting the fort’s best marksmen at age fifteen.

Eaton's pursuit of justice led him across the West, where he hunted down his father’s killers one by one, even engaging in a legendary shootout in Albuquerque with the help of famed lawman Pat Garrett. Once his mission was fulfilled, Eaton chose a new path as a U.S. Deputy Marshal and later a blacksmith and storyteller in Perkins, Oklahoma.

From feared gunman to beloved folk hero, Eaton's legacy continued to grow, eventually inspiring Oklahoma A&M’s transformation into the Cowboys and cementing his place in Western lore. Through books, parades, and the stories passed down, Pistol Pete lives on—not just as a mascot but as a symbol of grit, honor, and frontier justice.

🔍 What You’ll Learn:

• The tragic event that set Frank Eaton on a path of revenge—and ultimately legend
• How Eaton earned the nickname “Pistol Pete” and became a sharpshooting icon
• Why Oklahoma A&M students adopted Eaton’s likeness as their school’s mascot

👥 Behind the Scenes Host: Seth Spillman Producer: Chase Spivey Writer: Mike Koehler

🔗 Further research:

• The Frank Eaton Collection at Oklahoma State University: https://info.library.okstate.edu/frankeaton
• True West Magazine article on Frank Eaton: https://web.archive.org/web/20190417183225/https://truewestmagazine.com/frank-eaton-pistol-pete/
• “A Tribute to Pistol Pete:” https://news.okstate.edu/articles/communications/2008/a_tribute_to_pistol_pete.html

📬 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: www.nationalcowboymuseum.org 📖 Read Our Blog: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/blog/ 📩 Email: podcast@nationalcowboymuseum.org 📲Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ncwhm/ 📷Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nationalcowboymuseum ❎X/Twitter: https://x.com/ncwhm 💼LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-cowboy-&-western-heritage-museum

🗺️ Visit Us: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73111. See us on the map

💡 Support Us: 🏅Become A Member of the Museum: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/support/memberships/ 🛒Shop at Persimmon Hill, our Museum store: https://persimmonhillstore.com/

🎧 Listen & Subscribe: 🔹 Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-the-west/id1776228708 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2KYmd2BumVtQVH1ez1Cr2U 🔹YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFoE2kU21JpX9T6W9NonXuD9UapS1TsmN 🔹Podbean: https://thisweekinthewest.podbean.com/

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🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 22: J.K. Ralston

📢 Episode Summary: On this week's episode of This Week in the West, we spotlight the life and legacy of J.K. Ralston, a celebrated Western artist born March 31, 1896, in Montana. Raised on the frontier by a family that chased gold across the West before settling near Choteau, Ralston lived the cowboy life before ever picking up a paintbrush. Though he spent his early years riding the Montana range, his passion for art led him to enroll in the Chicago Art Institute—by way of a cattle train, no less—in one of the most "cowboy-artist" career turns in American history.

Ralston's life took many twists, including a near-deployment in World War I that was canceled mid-Atlantic after peace was declared. After returning to the U.S., he resumed his art education and began a commercial art career out West. But Montana’s pull was strong. He and his wife returned home in 1930 to take over the family ranch, but the Great Depression made ranching unviable. Ralston moved to Billings, Montana, and threw himself into full-time painting, eventually gaining recognition for his work on post office murals and historical Western scenes.

A stickler for accuracy and authenticity, Ralston traveled extensively to research the settings and stories he portrayed. His work helped shape how Americans envision the West, particularly through his murals and historical paintings like Custer’s Last Hope. In a powerful photograph taken in 1981 by Jay Dusard, Ralston stands in front of his log cabin studio—saddle and spurs at his feet—embodying the very fusion of cowboy and artist that defines his legacy.

🔍 What You’ll Learn:

• How J.K. Ralston balanced life as both a working cowboy and a classically trained artist
• The unusual story of how Ralston’s World War I deployment was interrupted mid-journey
• Why Ralston’s paintings are still considered some of the most historically accurate depictions of the American West

👥 Behind the Scenes Host: Seth Spillman Producer: Chase Spivey Writer: Mike Koehler

🔗 Further research:

• The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame’s information on Ralston: https://montanacowboyfame.org/inductees/2012/7/j-k-ralston
• Western Horseman Magazine profile: https://westernhorseman.com/blogs/out-west/artist-j-k-ralston/
• The Western Heritage Center in Billings, Montana, where Ralston’s cabin is on exhibit: https://www.ywhc.org/

📬 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: www.nationalcowboymuseum.org 📖 Read Our Blog: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/blog/ 📩 Email: podcast@nationalcowboymuseum.org 📲Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ncwhm/ 📷Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nationalcowboymuseum ❎X/Twitter: https://x.com/ncwhm 💼LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-cowboy-&-western-heritage-museum

🗺️ Visit Us: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73111. See us on the map

💡 Support Us: 🏅Become A Member of the Museum: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/support/memberships/ 🛒Shop at Persimmon Hill, our Museum store: https://persimmonhillstore.com/

🎧 Listen & Subscribe: 🔹 Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-the-west/id1776228708 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2KYmd2BumVtQVH1ez1Cr2U 🔹YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFoE2kU21JpX9T6W9NonXuD9UapS1TsmN 🔹Podbean: https://thisweekinthewest.podbean.com/

⭐ If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to rate & review!