1905 MILLER BROS 101 RANCH WILD WEST SHOW TIN LITHOGRAPH SOUVENIR CUP GERONIMO For Sale

This wonderful Wild West Show Souvenir measures approx. 2 3/4\" tall and 3 1/2\" with an affixed strap handle. The lithographed surface features the head of a Bison / American Buffalo with crossed native American Indian lances behind and a ribbon scroll with text that reads \"101 Ranch / 6-11-05\".

This fantastic Tin LithoAdvertising / Souvenir Cup was sold or presented on one day only in 1905 and documents an elaborate publicity scheme / performance at the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch in Ponca City, Oklahoma Territory. The consummate showmen, the Millers organized an event at the 101 Ranch that they called “Oklahoma’s Gala Day”. The “show” coincided with the National Convention of Newspaper Editors and Publishers that was meeting at Guthrie in June of 1905. With their usual talent for hype and showmanship, the Millers let it be known that this would be a “once in a lifetime event” and that during the celebration the most famous Indian Prisoner of War - Geronimo himself - would hunt and kill his final Buffalo!!

The promotion was a huge success and an immense crowd estimated at 65,000 gathered for the festivities. The Millers had convinced the U.S. War Department to allow them to bring the nations most infamous Prisoner of War to Ponca City as long as the Miller’s covered the cost of a sizable security detail. The festivities began with a Grand Parade led by the Miller Brothers on horseback who were followed by a cavalry band and a squad of soldiers escorting the great Apache Warrior. Geronimo appeared to be thoroughly enjoying all of the attention smiling and waving to the cheering crowd. Perhaps his smile was in part due to the fact that, although the highlight of the day was to be “Geronimo’s final Buffalo Hunt”, Geronimo himself knew that this was actually to be his FIRST Buffalo Hunt - the Chiricahua homeland was the arid Southwest where no Bison roamed. The Apache had last hunted Bison centuries before Geronimo was born.

When the time came for the “Hunt”, Geronimo did not chase down the Bison on horseback with bow and arrow but rather sat in the passenger’s seat of a brand new Automobile with a Winchester Rifle. The first shots failed to result in a kill and the “herd” was rounded up and made to pass directly by the side of the Locomobile. Geronimo’s second shot felled one of the Bison to the immense delight of the massive crown. The 101 Ranch “Oklahoma Gala Day” was a huge success and launched the Miller Brothers’s 101 Ranch Wild West on the path to years of successful shows both at the ranch in Ponca City and around the country as a traveling Wild West Show that rivaled the efforts of Buffalo Bill himself.

Native American Indians of many nations took part in this 1905 Gala including Apache, Ponca, Otoe, Pawnee, Kaw, Osage to name a few and photographs were taken of Geronimo butchering the Bison so that the meat could be \"distributed to his people\". The Bison meat, however was not for the Indians to consume but rather was fed by the Millers to their VIP guests who included some of the most influential Newspaper publishers and Owners from around the country!! We have never come across another example of this wonderful Tin Cup and we are unsure if it was sold on the grounds the day of the Show or if it was given to the VIP guests who feasted on the meat of Geronimo\'s kill.

This wonderful, original Miller\'s 101 Ranch Wild West Show Tin Lithographed Cup is in very good condition. The Cup is physically sound and intact with no dents, deformations, breaks, significant surface rust - no significant physical damage of any kind and no repairs. The surface lithography is well preserved overall and very attractive with some spots of loss and some small scratches as can be seen in the scans below. The surface is stable and there is no flaking or crazing.

A VERY rare and wonderful, 1905 Miller Brothers 101 Ranch / Wild West Show Souvenir Tin Lithographed Cup issued on the occasion of \"Geronimo\'s Last Buffalo Hunt\" and a fantastic addition to any occasion!!

Another report about this Event:

“The Miller Brothers, owners of the 101 Ranch, wanted the National Editorial Association to hold its annual convention in Oklahoma to gain publicity for their entertainment enterprises. They traveled to the 1904 St. Louis World\'s Fair and were successful in getting an agreement to hold the group\'s 1905 convention in Guthrie, Oklahoma. The plans called for a side trip to the 101 Ranch to witness the Buffalo Chase. Pre-event publicity was rampant with reports that 100 bison would be killed for dinner. Dan Beard, a naturalist who in 1910 helped found the Boy Scouts, was outraged and asked President Roosevelt to send armed troops to prevent the slaughter. Roosevelt did have the territory\'s governor sent militia so the Millers essentially received free crowd control for what turned out to be 65,000 spectators coming by all modes of transportation and in anticipation of seeing Geronimo (under soldier guard from Fort Sill) shoot \"His Last Buffalo.\" A huge grandstand was constructed and a vast show was put on by the Millers\' cowboys and Indians. Geronimo, from the front seat of a Locomobile, used a Winchester rifle to kill one bison for the editor\'s dinner. Ironically, this was Geronimo\'s first buffalo kill, not his last, as no buffalo ever roamed his original homeland in the arid Southwest. There were many additional events which included famous black rodeo star Bill Pickett plus appearances by famous cowboys who were with the group and included Tom Mix, Will Rogers, Buck Jones and Ken Maynard”.

Overseasshippping is extra and cost will be quoted at buyers request. Massachusetts residents must add 6.25% sales tax.

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Important Notes about Shipping Charges:

The amount quoted for Shipping & Handling is calculated by and is equal to the EXACT amount charged by the Post Office plus a $1.00 \"packing fee\" - the $1.00 fee is our only compensation for the virgin packing materials we use on all of our professionally packaged boxes as well as our cost for the salaried help that does most of our packing - as I am sure you can see, we make NO profit on the Shipping charges and, in fact, our costs are usually greater than the $1.00 fee. Please contact us if there are any issues regarding the cost of shipping.

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On Apr-14-14 at 19:06:20 PDT, seller added the following information:

PLEASE ALSO NOTE: We will be leaving for 14 days (much needed) vacation on the night of Tuesday April 22nd (the day after this sale closes) and we will be away until Wednesday May 7th. All items paid for by 1PM Eastern Time on Tuesday April 22nd will be shipped before we leave, items paid for after that time will not be shipped until May 8th at the earliest - If this is a problem for you then PLEASE DO NOT offer ON ITEMS IN THIS WEEK\'S sale. Thanks for your interest in our weekly sales and for your support over the past 16+ years. We plan to continue to offer our usual selection of rare and interesting lots for sale on in the years to come!!